Westmeath's Wilson confirms retirement
Fergal Wilson has decided to end his career with the Westmeath senior footballers, having struggling with injuries in recent seasons.
The long-serving forward helped Westmeath claim their only All-Ireland U-21 title to date back in 1999, and five years later was a Leinster SFC winner as part of a Páidí Ó Sé-managed side.
A hamstring injury kept the 31-year-old out of the midlanders' provincial defeat to Wexford in June, and he also missed their All-Ireland qualifier loss to Antrim.
He will now concentrate on aiding his club Tubberclair in their drive to regain their senior status following their relegation to the intermediate ranks earlier this year.
Confirming his decision to step away from the inter-county scene, Wilson told the Westmeath Examiner: "I had a few good chats with (Westmeath manager) Pat Flanagan and decided to call it a day.
"The main reason is that I've been picking up a good few niggling injuries over the past couple of years, and have struggled to reach the fitness levels needed for inter-county football.
"Playing inter-county football is also extremely time-consuming, you're talking four or five nights training each week, then games, and the amount of preparation that goes into those.
"I recently started a teaching job in Roscommon Community College as well, so I just couldn't give the commitment needed.
"But I had 11 or 12 years' involvement with Westmeath, starting at underage level, so it's been a fairly good stint. I enjoyed my association with the county very much, but sometimes you have to admit when the time has come to step aside."
