Westmeath manager Jack Cooney is adamant that their focus in the league is to retain their Division 2 status.

Relegation from the league’s second tier would see the Lake County not only ply their trade in the third division, but they would also be in the second tier All-Ireland SFC.

Westmeath kick off their campaign this Sunday with a home clash against Clare and Cooney admitted to the Westmeath Independent that it is imperative to get off to a good start.

“There is always an air of anticipation before the league starts. Our goal in last year’s league campaign was to get promoted from Division Three. This year, our goal will be to retain our Division Two status,” stressed Cooney.

“It’s going to be a difficult challenge, but the players are really focused and morale in the camp is extremely good. Looking at the teams that are competing in our division, I think it’s going to be a very competitive league. There’s some really good teams with plenty of talent. We’ll be taking it one game at a time. We’re expecting a close encounter against Clare. We played them in the qualifiers last year, so we are familiar with them. They have a couple of players who are not involved this year so their team might have changed somewhat. We’re in a similar position, we have a couple of injuries.”

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