After the disappointment of the final quarter collapse in TEG Cusack Park last Sunday, during which a rampant Armagh side outscored their hosts by 1-9 to 0-2, Westmeath’s senior footballers will be very keen to get back to winning ways next Sunday afternoon in Innovate Wexford Park (throw-in 2pm).

In truth, a win is essential if Colin Kelly’s troops are to entertain a realistic chance of promotion to Division 2, and they will be favorites to do so after a brace of decisive victories against the Slaneysiders last year – the first over a shadow side in purple and gold at next Sunday’s venue on March 26, followed by the Lake County’s best display of 2017 a fortnight later, this time against full-strength opposition in Croke Park.

Westmeath and Wexford have met on eight previous occasions in the National Football League, with the record standing at six wins for Westmeath and two for Wexford, as follows:

21/2/1982, Athlone, Wexford 2-8 Westmeath 1-3

10/4/1983, Portarlington, Westmeath 1-8 Wexford 0-5

15/10/1994, Moate, Westmeath 2-8 Wexford 1-5

2/2/1997, Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-9 Wexford 0-6

13/3/2011, Cusack Park, Wexford 0-13 Westmeath 1-7

18/3/2013, Wexford, Westmeath 4-12 Wexford 0-16

26/3/2017, Wexford, Westmeath 3-24 Wexford 0-9

8/4/2017, Croke Park, Westmeath 3-24 Wexford 3-11

The details from last years Division 4 final were as follows:

Scorers

Westmeath: J Heslin 0-8 (5f), G Egan 1-2 (1-0pen), S Dempsey 1-1, K Martin 0-4, P Sharry and T McDaniel 0-3 each, J Connellan 0-2, K Reilly 0-1.

Wexford: D Shanley 1-2 (0-1f, 0-1‘45’), K O’Grady 1-1, C Lyng 0-4 (3f), PJ Banville 0-2, M Furlong and D Waters 0-1 each.

WESTMEATH

Darren Quinn; Kevin Maguire, Jamie Gonoud, Mark McCallon; James Dolan, Killian Daly, Noel Mulligan; Alan Stone, Ger Egan; Kelvin Reilly, Paul Sharry, David Lynch; Kieran Martin, John Heslin, Tommy McDaniel. Subs used: Denis Glennon for Daly (48), Shane Dempsey for McDaniel (52), Denis Corroon for Stone (55), John Egan for Mulligan (57), John Connellan for Martin (62), Callum McCormack for Lynch (66).

WEXFORD

Shane Roche; Ronan Devereux, Jim Rossiter, Michael Furlong; Brian Malone, Eoghan Nolan, Kevin O’Grady; Daithí Waters, Colm Kehoe; John Leacy, Ben Brosnan, Paul Curtis; Ciarán Lyng, John Tubritt, PJ Banville. Subs used: Conor Carty for Curtis (30), Adrian Flynn for Leacy (h-t), Michael O’Regan for Devereux (h-t), Donal Shanley for Brosnan (43), Joey Wadding for Tubritt (51), Tiarnan Rossiter for Nolan (56).