After the warm up of the cup competitions over the past few weeks, the real action of league football gets up and running this weekend with all the different divisions in the Mayo League getting up and running.
With the leagues not being completed last year due to Covid restrictions, it is the same ten sides in the top flight this year once again, with Castlebar Celtic the defending champions with no league winner last year.
They will get their title defence up and running on Saturday evening when they make the trip to Concannon Park to take on Claremorris. Both sides head into the game on the back of defeats last weekend in the Calor Gas Super Cup, with the Hoop's loss to Swinford the one that really caught the eye.
Swinford came out on the right side of a 3-2 thriller in James McEvaddy Park last Sunday morning having been well beaten by Claremorris the previous week in the Westaro Cup. Joe Slevin hit three first half goals to put Swinford three clear at the break, but Celtic battled back and goals on the double from Jason Hunt put them right back in the game. Celtic even had a man advantage for the closing exchanges but they managed to hold on to pick up the win.
Claremorris for their part were involved in a seven goal thriller against fellow Super League outfit Manulla that saw both sides share four goals evenly between them in the opening ten minutes. With Mark Maloney getting both goals for Claremorris and Aiden Dunleavy netting a brace for Manulla. David McCraken put Manulla in front early in the second half only for Andrew Peters to level it up once more and send the game to extra time. The seventh and vital goal came from Manulla's Cian Benson to give Declan Kilkelly's men the win.
Manulla will be looking to use that victory as a lunch pad for their league season which gets underway on Sunday afternoon away to Ballyglass. Ballyheane were the other side to book their place in the Super Cup semi-final last weekend putting six goals past Premier Division outfit Iorras Aontaithe in Quigley Park. The goals coming from a Nathan Reilly Doyle hat-trick, a Ben Edeh brace and the final goal coming from Matthew Fox. They will be making the trip to north Mayo to take on Ballina Town on Saturday evening in what should be a very keenly contested affair.
Swinford will be looking to back up their surprise win over Castlebar Celtic when they travel to Station Rise to take on Ballyhaunis Town on Saturday evening. The final game on the opening round of fixtures will see perennial contenders Westport United host Glenhest Rovers in the early game on Sunday in United Park.
Super League Fixtures
Saturday, July 17 at 7pm
Ballina Town v Ballyheane
Claremorris v Castlebar Celtic
Ballyhaunis Town v Swinford
Sunday, July 18
Ballyglass v Manulla at 2.30pm
Westport United v Glenhest Rovers at 11am.
