Derry...2-9 Westmeath...0-13: Welcome to the fast lane of championship football. Things change in an instant.
Any notions the people of Westmeath may have had about reaching greater heights this year were ruthlessly dismissed by a clinical Derry outfit on Saturday.
Like their Ulster brethren Fermanagh, Derry are now a team in search of Sam.
Just when a crack looked like developing in Ulster's dominance over the rest, Mickey Moran's side laid down a marker that may have Kerry manager Jack O'Connor feeling uncomfortable this morning.
In every area of the pitch they looked businesslike and efficient. Not all the forwards hit full speed but that mattered little as the excellent Enda Muldoon was in ruthless form. Paddy Bradley, supposedly functioning on one leg, contributed 1-2 to the cause.
They are beginning to peak at the optimum time in the campaign; this was best exemplified by the return to fitness of their captain Seán Marty Lockhart.
Lockhart, Muldoon and Bradley: there are plenty of household names left in this Derry team. It shouldn't really be a surprise that they are in the last four. Yet they came into the championship off the back of league defeats to Wicklow and Tipperary. Then Tyrone shredded them in the Ulster championship and that seemed to be that.
Again, like Fermanagh manager Charlie Mulgrew, Moran oversaw a quiet change in his players' mindset - once free of Ulster. Off they went around the country nursing their egos back to health before bursting back on to the main stage this past weekend.
Early-summer form means nothing anymore. The back door seems the best route if you want to be ready for August football.
Derry looked superior to a decent Westmeath outfit and exuded class when coming off the final bend.
Patsy Bradley never allowed Rory O'Connell to get a foothold at midfield, but it was the full-back line, in all sorts of trouble early on against the busy movement of Denis Glennon and Dessie Dolan, that finished with utter dominance. The blanket defence had the beating of Páidí (Ó Sé) again. Lockhart, especially, showed the mental strength required to be a great leader.
"In fairness, it was my first game back and it was really put up to me today. I had a fierce challenge (against Dessie Dolan) but I just couldn't give up. I think we weathered the storm. We were a better team today," he said afterwards. No one disagreed.
The key moment came seven minutes from time when Derry replacement Eamon Burke pointed - he was only the third Derry player to register a score all afternoon - to pour cold water on the Westmeath revival. That levelled it and Muldoon kicked two points in the next five minutes as the opposition crumbled.
For long periods it seemed like Westmeath would get through this challenge and a romantic reunion between Ó Sé and his beloved Kerry would become a reality on August 29th.
Kerry did their part but two first-half goals from the excellent Muldoon and Paddy Bradley ensured a dominant Ulster presence in the closing stages of the All-Ireland series for a third successive year.
Dessie Dolan found his range early on from dead balls - it was a match where he was constantly crowded out by red shirts - while rising star Glennon slipped away from Niall McCusker to punch over the bar to make it 0-3 to 0-1 after 13 minutes.
Muldoon replied with his second free before Bradley struck the first goal. Corner back Kevin McGuckin dispossessed the wandering Glennon near halfway before playing a direct ball to Bradley, who rifled a shot into the top-left corner.
The phoney war continued with Dolan, Glennon and Fergal Wilson all on target before Derry swung the hammer once more. Francis McEldowney dropped a high ball in that broke for Muldoon, who, with the point on, showed his experience as he glanced up before drilling the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Westmeath had two goal chances themselves before the interval, both falling to Glennon. First, Dolan set him free and despite a tight angle he clearly felt the need for a goal but a powerful drive was well stopped by Barry Gillis. His partner in crime freed him up again in injury time but the teenager slipped a couple of yards from goal, allowing McGuckin to clean up.
In between, Bradley kicked a gem of a point to leave it 2-5 to 0-7 at the break.
Earlier than usual, Ó Sé launched Joe Fallon from the reserves and he duly kicked two points. Muldoon replied with a monstrous free from near halfway but the Ballinderry man's magic dried up for the next 20 minutes as Westmeath reeled them back in.
The two Dolan brothers and Alan Mangan all found the target but this was diluted by crucial inaccuracies from Glennon, Fallon and Derek Heavin.
Their momentum was completely shot by Burke's instant response to Westmeath regaining the lead and Muldoon's two late scores exposed the Leinster champions. It was not really their fault as they were suffocated by this industrious Derry defence.
A disappointing end to a memorable year, when Ó Sé brought a smile to the face of Westmeath football fans.
The bookies were giving Derry odds of 25 to 1 for the All-Ireland as recently as July. They have been slashed to a tasty 10 to 1 today.
DERRY: 1. B Gillis; 2. L McGuckin, 3. N McCusker, 4. SM Lockhart; 5. F McEldowney, 6. P McFlynn, 7. P Kelly; 8. F Doherty, 9. Patsy Bradley; 10. J Donaghy, 11. J McBride, 12. C Moran; 13. J Bradley, 14. P Bradley (1-2, one free), 15. E Muldoon (1-6, 4f). Subs: 26. G Donaghy for C Moran (56 mins), 27. E Burke (0-1) for J Bradley (59 mins), 23. C Gilligan for McBride (63 mins), 22. G O'Kane for McCusker (63 mins).
WESTMEATH: 1. G Connaughton; 6. D Healy, 4. J Keane, 3. D O'Donoghue; 5. M Ennis, 2. J Davitt, 7. D Heavin; 8. R O'Connell, 9. D O'Shaughnessy; 10. B Morley, 11. P Conway, 12. F Wilson (0-2, frees); 13. A Mangan (0-1), 14. D Glennon (0-2), 15. D Dolan (0-5, four frees). Subs: 19. J Fallon (0-2, frees) for Wilson (36 mins), 23. S Colleary for Morley (46 mins), 25. G Dolan (0-1) for Conway (50 mins).
Referee: M Curley (Galway).
