Search Results for 'James Horan'

Mayo 4-12

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.

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.

Division One of the Allianz Football League isn't the easiest of environments in which to operate and Westmeath's next demanding trip is to Healy Park, Omagh on Sunday for a clash with Tyrone.

Three things of note from Sunday's game

Mayo 2-17

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.

Mayo: 2-15

After the breakneck start to the year with five games in 31 days, the past fortnight would have come as a welcome respite for James Horan and his management team as they had two weeks to work with their panel without having to prepare for a game at the same time.

Although it is only round three of the National league on Sunday when Mayo take on Kerry, it literally is a league defining match (There will be more on rounds of a different kind later on). The winners of the game have a chance of making the semi-finals; the losers are staring relegation in the face. Mayo have had some good results against Kerry in the league in the last number of years and no question they will not fear them particularly with Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper sidelined for the year . It is sad for us as footballing fans that we will not see the eight-time All-Star in action this year however I am sure there are many a manager and defender quietly delighted they will not have to endure the full wrath of his skills in the summer of 2014. Cooper’s last championship game, last year’s All-Ireland semifinal against the Dubs, was arguably one of his best in a Kerry jersey. I was secretly hoping Kerry would win that game as I felt Mayo would have had a better chance against them in the final. Kerry are under transition at the moment and very regularly line out with players we have not really heard of just yet, so now is a good time to play them.