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On Sunday in Terryland Park, Westport United will go looking to make it lucky number seven when they take on Athenry FC in the Connacht Junior Cup final. Standing in Westport United's way will be the defending champions who are going for their third Connacht Junior Cup win on the trot. Picking up the title would be quite a coup for the relatively inexperienced management duo of Kieran Mulchrone and James Fahy who have taken over in the United hot seat this season. While the management duo may be inexperienced at this level, there is plenty of experience to draw on with the likes of Kevin Joyce, Martin Geraghty, Danny Schaill, Gerry McLoughlin, Dave Cameron, Dave Hoban and Pat Fitzgerald all with plenty of big game experience under their belts over the years.

The Mayo League and clubs have been in the headlines of late over off the field issues, but on Sunday all eyes will be where they should on the park as the Mayo League kicks off for the 2012 season across five divisions. The Premier A and B along with division one and two will get proceedings underway on Saturday evening at 6pm, with the main attraction the Super League, kicking off on Sunday at noon with the meeting of Castlebar Celtic and Westport United in Celtic Park, with the action in the other games in the division getting underway at 2.30pm.

The last chance of a Mayo side bringing national glory at junior level back to the county this season disappeared last Sunday when Ballina Town bowed out at the sixth round stage of the FAI Junior Cup. Shangan Athletic, who had seen off Straide and Foxford United in the previous round, came out victorious once again over Mayo opposition; this time they saw off Mayo’s top side. Despite going one up and being in control of the game early on Ballina conceded three first-half goals in quick succession and were never able to get back into the contest.

Mayo will make the long trip north this weekend to take on the Inishowen league in their opening game in this season’s Oscar Traynor Trophy. For the second year in a row Castlebar Celtic manager Declan Kilkelly will be taking charge of the side and after narrowly missing out on qualifiying from the group stages last year Kilkelly will be hoping to at least improve on that this season. This year’s competition sees Mayo in a three team group with this weekend’s opponents the Inishowen League and the Galway League and with only one team to qualify for the next round of the competition.

It was a bad weekend for the two Mayo sides who were in action in the fifth round of the FAI Junior Cup last week. Both Castlebar Celtic and Manulla took their leave from the competition. Celtic will be the ones feeling hard done by as some strange refereeing decisions cost them their place in the sixth round of the competition. Celtic managed to get the ball in the back of the Rathkeale net three times but two of them were struck off the record. The Castlebar men headed to Limerick with a depleted squad with both Andy Neary and Declan Flynn ruled out through injury. But they thought they had hit the front early on when Peter Dravins fired the ball to the back of the net after a flick on by Sean McHale only for the linesman’s flag to go up. However, 31 minutes in they were rewarded when Sean McHale, was able to direct the ball to the back of the net following a scramble in the box from a Ger O’Boyle corner kick.

Neither Iorras Aontaithe nor Westport United took the easy road into the last 32 of the FAI Junior Cup last weekend. The two remaining Mayo sides in the competition were made to sweat it out right until the end, with Iorras having to endure the dreaded lottery of penalties to book their place in the next round. Indeed both sides had to come from behind in their games, Erris trailed Dublin Bus by 2-0 just before half time in their encounter in Carnenash.

“It’s not ideal but that’s the nature of junior soccer,” said Mayo manager Declan Kilkelly of his side’s preparation for tomorrow’s quarter final of the Oscar Traynor Cup. Mayo only got back to group training this week after their win over the Galway League in the last round of the group stages of the competition in December, due to the Christmas break and FAI Junior Cup action. Tomorrow they will make the trip to Dublin to take on the United Churches League in the quarter final of the premier tournament for county sides in junior soccer looking to book a place in the final four of the competition.

Both Iorras Aontaithe and Westport United will be hoping that home advantage can give them a little bit extra on Sunday when they enter the FAI Junior Cup sixth round. Iorras Aontaithe will be hoping that they won’t be suffering any post Connacht Cup hangover from their elimination from the provincial cup at the hands of City United by a score of 3-1 last weekend.

Iorras Aontaithe made the long trip home from the Old Head of Kinsale last Sunday evening in buoyant mood after seeing off the challenge of Kinsale in the seventh round of the FAI Junior Cup and booking their place in the last eight.

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