Search Results for 'Stephen Rochford'

The sun shone across the county all weekend and while the thoughts of many would have been about 99’s and lounging on the beaches from Keem to Old Head, but for the club footballers around Mayo this wasn’t a weekend for soaking up the sun.

Mayo manager Stephen Rochford said this week that he is in no rush to fast-track through a large group of Michael Solan's All Ireland U21 winning side into the senior set up. Brian Reape has been brought in to the senior championship squad recently alongside four others, Diarmuid O'Connor, Stephen Coen, Michael Hall, and Conor Loftus, who have all been with the senior set up previously.

Stephen Rochford made his first big statement as Mayo manager wielding the axe and cutting nine players from his panel. Michael Conroy being the most high profile of these. Mickey C as he is effectively known gave a great service to the Mayo jersey but has been blighted by injury of late. His last major contribution for Mayo was scoring four points against Kerry in last year's National league game in Killarney after coming on for the injured Evan Regan, Conroy also picked up an injury up the same day.

Who is ever going to forget Mayo Day 2016? Not one Mayo GAA fan that's for sure after the heroics of our U21 team in reaching the promised land and claiming the county's fifth All-Ireland title at this level. Was I confident before throw in? Not really, we knew Brian Reape was out and I heard on the grapevine that fullback Seamus Cuniffe was very doubtful because of a hamstring, and that our most influential player Diarmuid O'Connor might not be able to give his all because of a fractured finger sustained against Dublin in the semi-final. We couldn't possibly win with three key players missing or not at 100 per cent was my gut instinct. I was relieved to see Cuniffee and O'Connor taking their positions for the throw in. The buzz in Cusack Park was surreal, Mayo fans making up at least 7,000 of the almost 8,000 crowd.

The Mayo U21s travel to Tullamore on Sunday to take on Leinster kingpins and three in a row provincial winners Dublin in what promises to be a cracking semi final. Dublin got the better of a well fancied Kildare side (winners of the Leinster minor title three years ago) in this year's U21 final.

When a cool head was needed as things looked like they might be about to fall apart right at the end, the man who was making his 132 appearance for Mayo equalling James Nallen’s record number who steadied the ship and calmed the nerves with a brilliantly taken point. Andy Moran’s score three minutes into injury time pushed Mayo back into a two point lead after Donal O’Hare’s brilliantly taken goal had brought the Mourne county men right back into the game and had Mayo hearts racing and fingers checking twitter feeds to see how things were developing elsewhere.

I have no doubt Stephen Rochford slept soundly last Sunday night after his team finally put 70 minutes together that all his hard work merited. This was a big game which attracted all the national media, Roscommon against Mayo in the 2016 national league was the main event on the GAA calender. It’s a long time since that was said about two Connacht counties going head to head in a league game, the last time probably the 2001 league final between Mayo and Galway.

It was a must win game for Mayo and Stephen Rochford was a contented figure not long after the final whistle was blown in Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon. Rochford’s Mayo side had just seen off Roscommon with an impressive display and he was also able to welcome back to action one very key man whose form will be a big factor in Mayo’s chances of success this summer.

Mayo manager Stephen Rochford named his starting 15 for Sunday’s league showdown with Roscommon on Sunday afternoon on Friday night. The team named from one to 15 shows three changes from the side that started against Kerry a fortnight ago with Chris Barrett, Evan Regan and Conor Loftus coming into the side with Donal Vaughan, Kevin McLoughlin and Cathal Carolan making way.

In any other league campaign Roscommon defeating Mayo wouldn't bother me. We could use the usual excuses like Mayo were tired after a long campaign last season, Mayo tried out new tactics and tried to blood players while trying others in different positions. We could all tell ourselves that the game was Roscommon's All- Ireland, why wouldn't they be up for it?