Search Results for 'Declan Kilkelly'

While the League of Ireland’s top two divisions have a couple of weeks under their belts already, Castlebar Celtic won’t be in action in the Newstalk A League until late May, but they have a hectic schedule coming up over the next few weeks in the various cup competitions. On Friday night they kick off the A League Cup with a tie at home to Finn Harps A League side in Celtic Park, and on next Tuesday night they will welcome the Ballybofey outfit’s first team in the first round proper of the EA Sports League Cup.

After this weekend’s round of games in the Mayo league the corner flags and nets can be put away for a couple off weeks around the county as the Mayo League takes its mid-season break. In the Super League most sides will have played at least 15 games, leaving three to play after the break and Castlebar Celtic manager Declan Kilkelly reckons that the league is Westport’s to lose, but he can’t see them doing that. “I knew it was always going to be hard coming in mid-season, but I’m delighted to be back with the club and in the game. It’s been tough though because it’s been all go since then. We’ve had a good few weeks where we’ve been playing Thursday and Saturday or Sunday, that’s not leaving you much time to do anything on the training field. We’re still fighting for the league, but realistically you have to say it’s Westport to lose, they’re top by a point and have two of the bottom three at home in their last three games.”

Mayo Oscar Traynor team manager, Declan Kilkelly, announced his squad of players for the forthcoming group one games in the National Oscar Traynor Trophy competition. The panel includes four new players (Emmet Peyton, James Jennings, Paul Walsh and David Reilly) receiving their first call up along with another three players who have been added to last year’s squad (Ronan O’Boyle, Andy Neary and Gerry McLoughlin). Mayo will be competing in group one with the Inishowen League (away) and the Galway League (home).

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's a simple task for Mayo on Sunday: win the game and book their place in the last eight of this season's Oscar Traynor Cup; while for Galway all they need is a point to reach their the last eight.

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.

“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.

The Mayo league made their mark last weekend when they comprehensively beat the United Churches Football League in the last eight of the Oscar Traynor Trophy by 3-0. Setting up a February 15 clash with Athletic Union League in the semi-final at the AUL Complex in Clonshaugh. In horrendous weather conditions the Mayo League side were comfortable winners leading the game 2-0 at half time thanks to goals from Westport United’s Martin Geraghty and Castlebar Celtic’s Sean McHale. The final nail in the UCL coffin was drilled home by Stevie Gavin from the penalty spot with time almost up.

This Sunday afternoon sees the Mayo League take to the field in the semi final of the Oscar Traynor Cup in the lion’s den of the AUL complex in Clonshaugh, Dublin. Their opposition, the much fancied Athletic Union League, are the favourites to lift the cup this year. Mayo manager Declan Kilkelly was confident going in to the game when he spoke to the Mayo Advertiser earlier this week. “We have a great squad here and if we play to the maximum of our potential, we have a great chance of making the final.” The Mayo side had a warm up game last week with a charity match against Iorras Aontaithe in Carne, which Mayo won 3-2, which Kilkelly believed to be a “great bonding session for the lads and preparation for this weekends challenge.”

Castlebar Celtic’s brave step into the Newstalk FAI League of Ireland A league is ready to roll this weekend when Derry City make the trip south to Celtic Park. Last Friday night Celtic launched their campaign in the TF Royal Hotel and Theatre. Declan Kilkelly, manager of the side, praised the club’s decision to enter the competition when he was called on to speak at the launch. “This is a brave, brave, decision by the club to enter this competition. The decision was proved right by just looking at the number of lads we have got back from clubs like Galway United, Mervue United, and Sligo Rovers who are ready to do their part for the club in this exciting venture. Any players, whoever they are, want to play at the highest level they can and now we can offer our players who have come through our own underage system this chance to play League of Ireland football for Castlebar Celtic.” Kilkelly was in charge of the Celtic youth side who claimed the FAI Youth Cup in 2006, took over the club’s senior side midway through last season after the departure of former manager Gavin Dykes who had brought them to an FAI junior cup semi-final, and guided them in their first adventure in the FAI u20 league side in 2007 only to see the club excluded from the 2008 competition because they did not have an A league side. The decision of the club to throw their hat in the ring for the 2009 A league and try to emulate Mervue United which went from junior soccer in Galway to the A league in 2008, and is now a League of Ireland first division club, is a positive one for soccer in Mayo according to chairman of the Mayo League Pat Quigley who said: “I wish Celtic all the best in this challenge, it’s a great step for the club and a very positive one for soccer in Mayo in general. We have played a very small part in this in the Mayo league and we will continue to do whatever we can to help the club in this challenge. This decision offers every lad who starts off playing football with Celtic something to aim for, to play in the League of Ireland.”