Battle lines drawn ahead of senior showdown

Fri, Nov 20, 2015

The senior Connacht club final has pitted two of the heavyweights of club football against each other when Castlebar Mitchels take on current Connacht and All-Ireland champions Corofin on Sunday in Tuam in what promises to be a mouth watering clash. The Mitchels will need a near perfect ten out of ten performance to dethrone the Galway kingpins.

Castlebar will be more battle hardened after coming through a tough semifinal win over Clann Na Gael while Corofin have breezed their way to this year’s final annihilating Mohill of Leitrim and St Mary’s of Sligo by a whopping cumulative total of 27 points along the way. After nearly getting caught in the Galway quarter-final by Tuam stars, Corofin have steadily improved under the guidance of Mayo manager in waiting Stephen Rochford and recently look back to their brilliant best. It will be a strange scenario for Rochford pitting himself against players from Castlebar he will be managing in a few weeks time. Corofin losing to Castlebar in Tuam in the semifinal two years ago will surely eradicate any form of complacency the Galway men may have, and it will surely inspire them to exact some form of revenge so it is imperative Castlebar are ready from the offset, and unlike their performance against Clann in the semifinal they will need to play consistently well for the entire duration. The bookmakers see this as a foregone conclusion with Corofin priced at 4/11 to win the game while Castlebar are 11/4. I hope we get a cracker and that Castlebar make it three from three for Mayo clubs against the old enemy in Connacht club finals in 2015. It will be tough however.

History beckons for Hollymout-Carramore

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

They would have never assumed it was was going to be easy, but the willingness to dig out a result when things seemed to be going against them against Melvin Gaels is something that Hollymount-Carramore will have been delighted to have shown on the field a fortnight ago. On Sunday the south Mayo men have the chance to create another little bit of history for themselves when they take on Moycullen to be crowned the intermediate kings of Connacht.

Ardnaree look to make their mark

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

Ardnaree have had four weeks to drink in the fact that they had finally got back to the promised land of the intermediate championship for next year following their victory over Killala in the Mayo Junior Championship final on October 18. The withdrawal of the Leitrim representatives from the provincial competition gave Ardanree a free pass into Sunday's Connacht final. The form that Ardnaree have shown this year, you would have to assume that they would have booked that passage themselves with ease if they had to play a semi-final, but that is irrevelent and all that matters is the here and now and on Sunday, the Galway junior champions Clifden come calling to MacHale Park.

Mitchels lay down a marker of intent

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

Castlebar Mitchels qualified for a mouth watering Connacht final clash with All Ireland champions Corofin after a hard fought win over Roscommon Champions Clann Na Gael in Hyde Park last Sunday. It was a classic case of goals win games as The Mitchels pounced for three first half goals that really left the Roscommon outfit with a mountain to climb.

Mayo go looking for vital win in Ennis

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

The Mayo League will head south to Doora in Ennis tomorrow at 5pm when they take on the Clare League in the second round of the Oscar Traynor Trophy. In their four team group all sides are locked on one point each after a series of 1-1 draws in round one, with Mayo drawing with the Roscommon League, and the Clare League and Galway League also finishing tied at one goal each.

Clean sweep for Mayo sides in FAI Junior Cup

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

Claremorris who remain in the hunt for promotion to the Elverys Sports Super League booked their place in the fifth round of the FAI Junior Cup on Sunday afternoon last when they defeated Manor Rangers 2-1. A last minute Dean Roddy penalty was hugely decisive after he had given them a first half lead. Manor Rangers clawed one back, but Claremorris showed great hunger to steal it at the death thanks to the exploits of Roddy who has been in magnificent form this season. Manulla also progressed to the next round after recording a clinical 2-0 win over Brazukas. Goals from Declan Tonra and Rory Martyn were enough for Tom Healy’s men in a super display by the west Mayo men.

Mayo sides look to get back to winning ways

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

Junior 1A
Connemara v Westport

Connemara v Westport

Agony and ecstasy for Moran

Fri, Nov 13, 2015

Competitors can differ a lot in their reactions to a loss; some may be barely affected or may forget the loss almost immediately. Others will be virtually devastated and may be low-spirited for days. We know now, after the weekend, that Alan Moran from Foxford prefers to move on, forget the past, and seize the first opportunity to get back on top of the podium. On Saturday last Moran, his navigator John Burke, and their hard working service crew led by James McGreal and Sean McHugh made the trip north to the seventh and final round of the 2015 Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forestry Championship, the Mid-Antrim Motor Club's Glens of Antrim Rally.

First half goal glut books Mitchels final spot

Sun, Nov 08, 2015

After the start they got, Castlebar Mitchels made it much harder than it should have been as they booked their place in the Connacht Senior Club Final in a fortnights time with a four point win over Roscommon champions Clann na nGael in Hyde Park on Sunday.

Plenty to work on for O’Reilly and Mitchels after semi-final win

Sun, Nov 08, 2015

The crowds had well cleared out of the stand in Hyde Park and the TV crew were busy taking apart their rigging, but Castlebar Mitchels joint manager, Declan O’Reilly was still talking football well after his side had booked their place in the Connacht final in a fortnights time. O’Reilly was obviously pleased that his side had sealed their place in the showpiece club game in the provience, but he also admitted he knew there was plenty for his charges to work on over the next two weeks.

Mitchels look to move things on to the next level

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

After the high of winning their second senior county title in three years, it was back to the mundane business of league football for Castlebar Mitchels last weekend. But they had a job to do and they did it in style hammering Crossmolina Deel Rovers and in the process picking up the senior league title to go with the championship they'd won the week before.

Hollymount-Carramore come through a classic

Fri, Nov 06, 2015

I went to Elverys McHale Park last weekend expecting to see a whitewash, a landslide victory for Mayo champions Hollymount Carramore against Leitrim champions Melvin Gaels in the Connaught Intermediate final. It surely couldn’t have been anything else, I thought. The South Mayo amalgamation were priced at an unbackable 1/8 to win the game, Melvin Gales were 9/2 and the draw was 14/1. What ensued was far from a landslide.

It was one of the most enthralling, entertaining games you are likely to see in 2015, the Mayo/Dublin drawn semi-final apart. It had superb scores, brilliant defending, a controversial red card and a referee who was like speedy Gonzalez when he went looking for the culprit when he was issuing a card. What made this game so entertaining was the way the pendulum swung on several occasions. Hollymount-Carramore were home and hosed several times only for Melvin Gaels to miraculously claw their way back into the game.

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