Mayo League side bow out of EA Sports Cup
Fri, Mar 14, 2014
The Mayo League representative side made the short trip to Eamon Deacy Park in Terryland on Tuesday night for this first round EA Sports Cup tie. But unfortunately they came up short against the SSE Airtricity League side after holding them at bay for more than 75 minutes of the contest. Galway FC had been pushing for a goal all night, but Mayo League goalkeeper Gary Cunningham had been in fantastic form. When he was finally beaten it came from the boot of Marty Owens who fired home at the back post from close range after being set up by Jake Keegan. The hosts doubled their lead seven minutes before the end when Keegan riffled the ball past Cunningham from out on the right hand side after some neat footwork to create the space for the shot.
Read more ...Rice College makes history
Fri, Mar 14, 2014
Rice College Westport has made history in becoming the first team from Connacht, not just Mayo, to win the Aviva All Ireland Schools Cross Country Senior Team Title.
Read more ...Crazy games and crazy results
Fri, Mar 14, 2014
Round four of the Allianz football league threw up a host of bizarre results last weekend. Form went out the window in many games and I am sure many punters were left scratching their heads while the bookmakers laughed all the way to the bank. I expected Tyrone to get the better of Kerry after watching the Kingdom fail miserably the previous week in Castlebar, such a hiding Tyrone got losing by 15 points in the end, James O’Donohue grabbing a hat trick for Kerry. I expected Galway having been hammered by Laois to be doomed to division three, taking on an in-form Down, Galway were comfortable 7 point winners. Cork almost coughed up a nine point lead against Derry and clung on by the skin of their teeth. Donegal were meant to cruise home against Meath in Ballybofey, (1/5 in the bookies before throw in) a late Michael Murphy point securing a draw for them. In the lower divisions Carlow turned over Antrim who were overwhelming favourites, how on earth can you try to pick winners for round five? Cheltenham may be a little easier and I know nothing about horses.
Read more ...Mayo look for third win in a row
Fri, Mar 14, 2014
It wasn’t convincing and James Horan wasn’t pleased after it but Mayo picked up their second win in a row last weekend in Mullingar to get a bit of momentum build behind the team. This Sunday in Elvery’s MacHale Park a far sterner test will be given to Mayo when an unbeaten Cork team arrive in Castlebar under new manager Brian Cuthbert. The Rebels boss whose side have so far beaten Dublin, Kildare, Derry and Westmeath in the league has made eight changes to the team that beat the Oak Leaf county last Sunday, with Eoghan Cadogan, Aidan Walsh, Donncha O’Connor and Colm O’Neill just some of the star names that Cuthbert has drafted in for the game.
Read more ...Rossies’ run riot under the lights
Fri, Mar 14, 2014
The Mayo u21s came up short against Roscommon once again at the u21 grade in Elvery’s MacHale Park on Wednesday night, with the visitors running out 11 point winners at the end of the hour. Mayo couldn’t have asked for a better start when Evan Regan drove the back of the net from close range after two minutes putting Mayo 1-0 to 0-1 in front. Mayo held on to the lead until the 17th minute with Conor O’Shea kicking a huge score and Regan adding a point from a free after the Breaffy man had been fouled. Diarmuid Murtagh who finished up with 1-5 kicked Roscommon’s first two points of the game and had a hand in Mark Nally’s goal 17 minutes in that levelled the game up. From then on it was all Roscommon and they added on two more goals before the break with Murtagh finishing to the net after the Mayo defence had been broken far to easily and Donnie Smith added a penalty right on half time after Matthew Flanagan (whose still a minor) gave away the spot kick. That goal left Roscommon leading 3-5 to 1-3 at the break and had the large travelling faithful inside MacHale Park in full voice before at the break.
Read more ...Gerald’s looking provincial crown
Fri, Mar 14, 2014
Tomorrow afternoon in Ballina the latest crop of St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, footballers will attempt to claim another Connacht senior title for the school. Last year saw the school claim the last ‘colleges’ only crown, before the separate colleges and vocational schools championships were blended together into one.
Read more ...
Returning faces boosts Mayo challenge
Fri, Mar 07, 2014
Not to long ago the list of Mayo’s walking wounded looked like it could not only derail James Horan’s stated aim of going for league title, but could have made the first step in achieving that goal, being in with a chance of making the semi-final, very difficult. After Mayo lost out to Tyrone in Omagh a few weeks ago, Horan pointed out that he was short some 20 players due to injury and club-commitments. But the past few weeks have seen that number come right down with only Alan Dillon and Chris Barrett on the long term list, and Cillian O’Connor very close to a return to action, according to the Mayo boss after last weekend’s victory over Kerry in MacHale Park. The Castlebar Mitchels contingent are still concentrating on club duty ahead of St Patrick’s Day.
Read more ...The Rossies come calling on Wednesday
Fri, Mar 07, 2014
It will only be the second week March next week, but for either Mayo manager Niall Heffernan or his opposite number from Roscommon, Nigel Dineen, by the time they go to bed next Wednesday night one of their inter-county seasons will be over already. The traditional once chance brutality of championship football still remains at the u21 grade and many months of work and planning for both sides will come down to what happens on the field in MacHale Park next Wednesday.
Read more ...International duty for locals
Fri, Mar 07, 2014
Castlebar Celtic pair Aileen Gilroy and Emma Hansberry are currently on international duty with Sue Ronan’s Ireland women’s squad in Cyprus. The pair are part of a 23 strong team for the tournament that saw them play Cyprus on Wednesday, before they take on South Korea today (Friday), and Switzerland on Monday, with a positional play-off taking place next Wednesday, March 12.
Read more ...