It’s back to the day job in the Mayo Super League this weekend, and with four games to go Ballina Town sit three points clear at the top of the table. Brendan Kenny’s side have a very winnable game this weekend when they make the short trip to Green Road to take on a Straide and Foxford United side who are bouncing around in the bottom two of the league. After last year’s highs of a cup double and claiming the Premier Division title the Green Road side have struggled to make an impact in the Super League. But with their survival at stake they will put it up to Ballina on Sunday, but the visitors’ desire and greater need should see them through.
Ballina have been there or thereabouts over the past few years but have not been able to make that final push to the top, with Westport United holding their nerve in the closing stages. This year Ballina have worked themselves into a position where their fate is completely in their own hands, with only four games to go, and they will be going all guns to claim the Super League title. Second place Westport United face into what in previous years would have been one of the clashes of the year against Castlebar Celtic but, with Celtic now concentrating on the League of Ireland A League and the u2O league, this weekend’s clash looks like an easy win for the defending champions. Early on in the year Westport were coursing through the league, but a mid season sticky patch saw them hand the initiative to Ballina Town, and with games running out they cannot afford another slip up or the game will be up for them in the race for the title.
Third placed Iorras Aontaithe, after battling it out with Manulla for that spot at the end of the season, have a north Mayo derby against a Kilmore side who are stuck to the bottom of the table with only two wins from their 14 games so far. It’s hard to see anything other than a win for the men in red and black. The other two games in the Super League this weekend have a real end of season mid table feel about them. Manulla, who are chasing Iorras for that third place spot in the table, welcome Fahy Rovers to their patch. Fahy have been a strong and tough side all season and will put it up to Manulla on Sunday. While the final game is the derby of the suburbs of Castlebar with Snugboro United hosting Ballyheane, both sides have shown this year they are capable of mixing it with the big sides and taking scalps on one-off occasions, but lack of consistency has once again been their problem over the course of the season.
