Westport United on the road for cup glory
Fri, Feb 07, 2014
It’s wagons east for Westport United and their loyal band of supporters on Sunday, as they look for a place in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup. Standing in their way is the imposing figure of Sheriff YC from the capital. The hooped side from Dublin won the competition last June in the Aviva Stadium when they saw off fellow Dublin side Kilbarrack FC. They are currently sitting in third place in the AUL Premier A table in the capital, but have four games in hand on the league leaders Kilbarrack United.
Read more ...Action returning to Mayo clubs
Fri, Feb 07, 2014
Ballina
In the recent 12 hole stableford competition, John Horgan was the winner with a score of 33pts while Richard Doherty finished in second place. In the seniors’ competition, Pearse Forde was the winner on 39pts with Dennis Bourke finishing in second place. The Spring League swung into action last weekend, but there is still time for players to get involved. Call 096 21050 for more information.
We’re back, but with black
Fri, Feb 07, 2014
If the enormous score line of 2-19 to 2-18 between Kildare and Mayo is a direct result of the new black card rule, then maybe it was not such a bad idea, particularly if you are a forward. However interpretation of the rules that merit a black card is likely to cause debate the length and breadth of the country. Rory Hickey issued two black cards in Newbridge last Sunday for fouls that would not have even warranted a yellow card in the old rule book. Paul Cribbin, the Kildare wing back, the first culprit. After making a brilliant block on Adam Gallagher and then trying to prevent Gallagher pick up the loose ball his outstretched arm tripped Gallagher, Hickey had no choice, it looked intentional and Cribbin walked. When Aidan O’Shea got into a rugby clutch with Gary White just before half time and allegedly threw him to the ground you knew there was only going to be one outcome. Hickey’s interpretation an intentional foul, so O’Shea walked. I am fully convinced if Kildare still had the full complement at the time of O’Shea’s incident, he would not have even received a yellow. Cathal Carolan got taken wildly around the neck late on while bearing down on the Kildare goal, Mr Hickey obviously thought it was an accident and not intentional, I thought differently.
Read more ...Ballina split the spoils in tournament
Fri, Feb 07, 2014
The boxers from Ballina shared the wins in their own competition last Sunday afternoon, picking up seven victories from 14 bouts in a competitive afternoon of boxing. The Ballina competition was the second last tournament before the Mayo championships and there were a number of boxers honing their craft in the Dick Hearns centre before the county championships. Caroline McDonagh was awarded the club boxer of the season award and the 12-year-old looked impressive in her fight win over Molly Rowley from Swinford in the girl two 39kg category.
Read more ...Mayo go north in search of points
Fri, Feb 07, 2014
After engaging in a shoot-out reminiscent of a hurling championship game last weekend against Kildare, James Horan’s Mayo go looking for their first points of the league on Sunday in Omagh against Tyrone. Horan, whose selection choices were stretched before the Kildare meeting because of injury and club commitments were stretched even further, with the injury picked up by Tom Parson’s not long after the start of the game, ruling him out for six weeks.
With Seamus O’Shea on the recovering list and Barry Moran involved with Castlebar Mitchels, Horan will be looking to either Jason Gibbons or Brian Gallagher to fill in beside Aidan O’Shea on Sunday. The latter’s black card just before half-time saw both men pair up in the middle of the park for the second half and neither did themselves any harm with their performances, with Gibbons in pole position to get the start it would be assumed.
Read more ...The blue and gold are sixty minutes from glory
Fri, Feb 07, 2014
It is the stuff of childhood dreams, a small rural parish getting ready to descend on the great cathedral of sport in the nation. When Kiltane run out on to the field on Jones Road on Sunday, there will not be many left back home to keep check on the house, and those who are left behind will have their ears glued to the radio, using their mind to picture the proceedings going on in Croke Park.
Read more ...Mixed results over busy weekend for sport in Mayo
Mon, Feb 03, 2014
It was a big weekend for the Mayo senior football team who opened their National Football League campaign against Kildare in Newbridge. Unfortunately for James Horan’s men they came up one point short, thanks to a last gasp winner from Paddy Brophy (a man with a Newport mother). The Mayo Advertiser was there to catch all the action from the game and got the thoughts of manager James Horan and captain Andy Moran afterwards. To catch up on it all log on to http://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/section/sport
Read more ...Players are afraid to tackle -Horan
Sun, Feb 02, 2014
Fresh from seeing a game where his side engaged in a shootout more reminiscent of something you'd see in the latter stages of the hurling championship, than the first round of the football league on a chilly first Sunday in February, Mayo manager James Horan admitted he was still scratching his head when it came to the black card rule and how it's implement. The Ballintubber club man spelt out his unease saying. “I don't know, I'm still struggling with when it is and when it isn't. If I say that the Kildare one was a black card and ours wasn't you'd think I'm biased, but that's the way I actually saw it. Aido's one I wasn't sure if it was, I thought it was a yellow card.” Horan said he believed that the new rule was stopping players tackling because of the fear of picking up a black card. “Players out there are afraid to tackle at the moment, with the uncertainty that's there. If you want a game full of running, and tackling is one of the best skills in the game, that's where were going I would say. We just need to be careful and make sure that black cards are implement the right way and everyones clear on them and I don't think that's the case at the moment.”
As for the game itself Horan was happy enough with what he saw on he field, as his team have very little work done on the training field yet this year. “It was an exciting game alright a lot of good stuff in it for us, obviously a sickener to lose it at the end by a point. But Mr Brophy was having one of those days, it was a fantastic score at the end and he's a fantastic player. We couldn't handle him today, we tried a number of players on him. But I happy with a lot of what we did today. We've three training sessions done this year, to come and play at that tempo, we were full of mistakes, but to be honest I expected a lot of those. But we kept going showed a lot of heart and determination and a lot of good stuff you'd be looking for was there. It was just a pity in the end not to get a point but that's what happens when you play a good team with a player on fire, you just got to move on. Overall, a lot of really good stuff. In the end, Enda Varley had good shot with his right foot that he hit really sweet, it was going over for 90 per cent of it but it just tailed off at the end, then Mr Brophy goes down the other end and hits a hail mary that goes over, but that's it you have to take that.”
Read more ...Players are afraid to tackle -Horan
Sun, Feb 02, 2014
Fresh from seeing a game where his side engaged in a shootout more reminiscent of something you'd see in the latter stages of the hurling championship, than the first round of the football league on a chilly first Sunday in February, Mayo manager James Horan admitted he was still scratching his head when it came to the black card rule and how it's implement. The Ballintubber club man spelt out his unease saying. “I don't know, I'm still struggling with when it is and when it isn't. If I say that the Kildare one was a black card and ours wasn't you'd think I'm biased, but that's the way I actually saw it. Aido's one I wasn't sure if it was, I thought it was a yellow card.” Horan said he believed that the new rule was stopping players tackling because of the fear of picking up a black card. “Players out there are afraid to tackle at the moment, with the uncertainty that's there. If you want a game full of running, and tackling is one of the best skills in the game, that's where were going I would say. We just need to be careful and make sure that black cards are implement the right way and everyones clear on them and I don't think that's the case at the moment.”
Read more ...Andy looks to the positives after dramatic loss
Sun, Feb 02, 2014
After a not your normal league opener in Newbridge on Sunday, Mayo captain Andy Moran was left scratching his head a bit, how exactly his team ended up loosing after kicking 2-18 over the 70 minutes. “I thought we did quite well to be honest, scoring 2-18 in a league game at the start of February, you'd expect to win to be honest, but it wasn't to be. We'd probably three chances to kill off the game and we never did. I think in the first half, we went 0-10 to 0-7 up and then they hit a purple patch and hit 1-3 or 1-4 that was vital in terms of the game. In the second half then we got goals and we went a head, then they went down and got a goal and went ahead. It was a very unusual game, usually in these games you see them ending up 1-8 to 1-9 or something like that” was his initial reaction to the game that had just unfolded.
Read more ...Mayo fall short at the end in high scoring opener
Sun, Feb 02, 2014
Kildare 2-19
Mayo 2-18
Back to the future with ten team divisions
Fri, Jan 31, 2014
The Mayo League announced late last week that they will be scrapping the eight-team divisions from the league, following a three-year experiment with the smaller divisions and moving back to ten-team divisions.
Read more ...