The last of the trophies will be handed out by the Mayo League on Sunday afternoon when the Connacht Gold Cup and Shield finals take place in Milebush. With the league season coming to an end last weekend (with the exception of the three-way play off in the Welcome Inn League 2 for second place and relegation matters in Premier A ) all eyes will be on Milebush on Sunday. For Westport United it could be a weekend of double celebration as their A side are going for the Mayo League treble when they take on Castlebar Celtic B in the final of the Connacht Gold Cup and their B team take on Iorras Aontaithe in the shield final.
United’s first team are looking to add the main cup competition in Mayo to go with the Super League title and FCS Cup (divisional cup ) they have already claimed. If they win on Sunday it would complete a historic year for the club, which also claimed the Connacht Junior Cup this year.
United wrapped up their league campaign last Sunday with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Sunday’s opponents Castlebar Celtic B’s A side in the Sports Park and you cannot look much further than a United win again on Sunday. While United cruised to the Super League title, Celtic B did not really get near the championship race in the Premier A this year finishing in fourth place, 10 points off the top.
However Celtic will be relishing the opportunity to have a crack at United. Meetings between these sides in any grade are always games neither side is happy losing. Celtic will be looking to the likes of Terry Maughan, Mark Rowland, Stephen Jennings, and Colin McDonnell to lead the side into battle in Sunday’s game.
Westport United are the runaway favourites for Sunday’s game and after the year they have had under Kieran Mulchrone and James Fahy it is almost impossible to argue against. Three trophies already in the bag and fourth up for grabs, they will not want the chance to make history slip by them.
Iorras should be too strong for United’s second string
In the shield final, United’s B team will be taking on last year’s cup champions. This time last season Iorras Aontaithe were getting ready to defeat Ballina Town in the cup final, but 12 months later it is the shield final they find themselves in as they look to bring home a bit of silverware for the winter. Much like the cup final, the shield final looks to be a cut and dried affair as a super league side takes on a lower division opposition. While only one division separates the sides in the cup final, there are two divisions between Iorras Aontaithe and Westport United B in the shield final. Both sides had contrasting semi-final wins, with Iorras putting six past fellow super league side Manulla and United having to go to penalties to see off Conn Rangers in their semi-final showdown. While their A side should be celebrating long into the night on Sunday, it is very hard to see Westport United B causing an upset in the shield decider.
