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Coming off the back of a last gasp win over Westport United in the Elverys Sports Super League, Ballina Town were brought crashing back down to earth in Celtic Park on Wednesday night. Brendan Kenny’s men came to Castlebar looking to pick up their first trophy of the season against Salthill Devon, but within 10 seconds that plan had been ripped up by the Galway men. Before anyone could even settle into the game, the side from Drum had the ball in the back of Kieran O’Malley’s net. Chipran Straut swung the ball into Michael Gilmore who hit a snap shot from the right hand side of the penalty box. His effort stung the hands of O’Malley who was not able to hold on to the ball, it fell into the path of Victor Collins who finished it to the back of the net. Salthill were up and running and there was barely 10 seconds gone on the clock.

Ballina Town striker Michael Duffy has been called up to the Irish junior side, the north Mayo hit man has already picked up one international cap in 2008 against the USA, during a period when he was in a rich vein of goal scoring form. But over the past two seasons he has suffered from a number of bad injuries which curtailed his playing time. He did come back last season to help Ballina Town finally claim the Super League title. Duffy has been called up for a quadrangular tournament involving the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man which will take place in County Down from next Wednesday April 21 to Saturday April 24.

Ballina Town will be looking to pick themselves up from last weekends defeat at the hands of Ballinasloe Town in the Connacht Cup fourth round at home this Sunday where they have a place in the FAI Junior Cup seventh round at stake. Standing in their way in Beleek are Shangan Athletic from Dublin who overcame the challenge of Straide and Foxford United in the last round of the competition. Ballina came from three goals down before half time last weekend to pull the game back to 3-2 but were not able to find that third goal they needed to force the game level. Mick Duffy and Daniel O’Hara were on the scoreboard for Brendan Kenny’s men and Duffy in particular will be looked for to spearhead their attack on Sunday against the side from Ballymun. Ballina booked their place in this round of the competition thanks to a comprehensive win over Cashel Celtic in the fifth round with Brendan Lavelle scoring a hat trick, the aforementioned Duffy a brace, and Ross Kenny getting himself on the scoreboard before the end of their trouncing of Cashel Celtic. Shanagan Athletic used their home advantage to see of Straide and Foxford United in the last round by 3-1, they went one up before Straide and Foxford levelled through, Chris Downey on the half hour. But the Dublin outfit had enough class to see off the Mayo men to book their date with Ballina.

Ballina Town safely made it through to the sixth round of the FAI Junior Cup last Sunday with a comprehensive 6-1 win over Cashel Celtic in Belleek. Hoping to join them in the next round is the only other Mayo side left in the competition, Iorras Aontaithe, who entertain Carrick United in Carnenash on Sunday at 12pm. The men from Erris went on an amazing cup run last year making it all the way to the semi-final stage of the competition before they were dumped out by the eventual winners, Ballymun United, in Milebush after a close fought battle. This weekend Carrick United from Waterford will make the long 400 mile plus round trip from their southern base to the Erris peninsula. Iorras made it into the open rounds of the competition thanks to a win away to Manulla in the final closed round of the competition in the middle of January, where they came from one down at the break to grab two goals through Brendan Nallen and Ivan Barrett in the closing 10 minutes to get the win.

Four games played, four wins, and 12 points on the table, it has been business as usual for Westport United since the Super League swung back into action in the past number of weeks. The defending champions were always going to be the team that everybody would have to chase, but even as few as four games in they look like no one will be able to step up to the mark to haul them in this season. There nearest challengers at the moment are Ballina Town, a side who really need to deliver the title or some form of silverware this season to give them something to show for their top of the table battling over the past number of seasons. On Sunday the Beleek Park men will host Iorras Aontaithe and if they fail to see off the Erris men they could see Ballina extend their lead at the top of the table from three to six points with only five games gone in the season.

They may have only lost their footing from the top of the table momentarily and only be there on goal difference, but Westport United will be hurting after Ballyheane came to the Sports Park and went home with three points, thanks to Alan McHugh’s goal 11 minutes before time. While Ballyheane in their history are no strangers to taking big scalps, going to Westport having only won two games beforehand, it looked like a major job for the men from Quigley Park, but their dogged determination and closing down of Westport in every area on the park ensured that they didn’t let their late lead slip.

At the time of writing last week, Ballina Town had nudged ahead of Westport United at the top of the Super League on goal difference but the Covies had a game in hand to be played that evening against Snugboro United. Westport’s shock loss at the hands of Ballyheane the previous week would have been seen by many to have been a minor blip in their season, but the Conway Park side had different ideas. Kevin Curry was the man of the day banging in a hat trick inside an hour to set his side off to a 5-1 win. Curry opened the scoring on 24 minutes but Westport were able to draw the game level thanks to a Gerry McLouglinn goal before half time, but it was all Snugboro in the second half with Curry sticking in two more goals and both Johnny Griffin and Paul Walsh sealing the win with goals of their own. Both sides saw men see the line, with Westport ending up with nine men after Dessie O’Malley and David Hoban getting the line, along with Stevie Gavin for the home side.

When the crunch came and Ballina had to see off the champions to retake the top spot in the Super League last weekend, Brendan Kenny’s men didn’t come up short. They had the game wrapped up and the points in the bag with half an hour to go when Eugene Gorman put the ball into the back of the net after a Michael Duffy effort had come back off the post. That goal put the home side into a 3 - 0 lead and Westport were consigned to defeat. The visitors did pull one goal back right at the death through Vinny O’Malley. Westport’s goal ensured that, while Ballina went back to the top of the table, both sides are still level on points, but it is a very slender one goal in the plus column for Ballina Town that keeps them at the summit.

Ballina Town went back to the top of the Elverys Sports Super League last weekend thanks to a 4-2 win over Snugboro United in Conway Park. Brendan Kenny, who also took over the management position of the Mayo Oscar Traynor Cup team late last week, has now got his side in poll position to push on and win the title with only five games left in the league. They are now sitting one point clear of champions Westport United as both sides race to the finishing post.

Ballina Town knew it was never going to be easy to win this year’s Super League crown, and if any complacency slipped into their minds, last weekend they were brought back to earth. Ballina saw their lead at the top of the table cut from three points to one with three games left in the league.