Nervous times for managers

Fri, May 22, 2015

The Mayo club championship finally gets under way at the weekend and I have no doubt the two most nervous spectators will be Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly especially as the games are on a week later than planned as it will give their county players a week less to get over any niggles or strains picked up to be fit in time to face Galway.

Local pride and local passions to the fore this weekend

Fri, May 22, 2015

It's the first round of action in the Mayo senior football championship, with eight games taking place across four groups over the weekend we preview the action in the big games. 

Sledging a repulsive aspect of our games that must be stopped

Fri, May 22, 2015

If you or I went into our workplace this morning, and started giving serious verbal abuse to a work colleague, making snide, mean, degrading and personal comments, we would be in front of our HR manager or line manager or principal by this afternoon, and rightly so. Bullying is totally outlawed in most reasonable places of work. It's a mean spirited act carried out by people often to try to intimidate their victims, to gain some type of psychological advantage over the individuals they are bullying, or to hide their own limitations and inadequacies.

Two decades on from epic series Garrymore and Charlestown rekindle championship rivalry

Fri, May 22, 2015

Twenty years on from what was one of the most epic battles in Mayo club championship history, when Garrymore and Charlestown engaged in a four game classic in the county senior quarter-final that the south Mayo men finally won after 300 minutes of football, the sides will kick-start their 2015 championship campaigns against each other in Garrymore on Sunday. That series has gone down in folklore in Mayo football and there is even one man who played in that series for Charlestown still lining out today, with Aidan Higgins back for another year with the east Mayo men.

Big two meet again as Super League moves through the rounds

Fri, May 22, 2015

Charlestown Athletic v Ballyheane
Saturday, May 23 at 7pm

Ten things to look out for in the club championship this weekend

Fri, May 22, 2015

1. Almost everyone in matching kit
The first round of the club championship, will see plenty of teams breaking out the new kit for the summer, with everyone wearing matching shorts and socks. Well, almost everyone, there’s always a corner-coward who’ll either be wearing different socks or have forgotten the new shorts he was given on Thursday night after training.

Celtic edge Westport in netbusting weekend of action

Mon, May 18, 2015

There was no shortage of action in the Westaro Cup this weekend as the first round of games saw 23 goals hit the back of the net over the five games played. The big game of the weekend saw Castlebar Celtic grab the bragging rights over Westport United with a 4-3 win over their old rivals in Celtic Park. It was a thrilling encounter that saw both sides swap the lead on a few occasions and Westport United finish with ten men.

Mayo fall short against defending champions

Sun, May 17, 2015

Mayo’s interest in this years Christy Ring Cup came to an end in James Stephens Park on Saturday afternoon, when a storming Kildare second half performance saw the Lilywhites turn around a nine point deficit into a comfortable five point win.

Freewheeling Mayo claim junior crown

Sun, May 17, 2015

The Mayo juniors picked up what the county will hope is the first of a few Connacht titles this year in style in Sunday in Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada against Galway. Sean McLoughlin’s side edged out Galway in a free flowing contest that saw both sides play open and attractive attacking football. Killala’s Andrew Farrell struck the all important goal 18 minutes into the first half when he finished from close range after Belmullet’s Eoin O’Donoghue went on a ranging run through the heart of the Galway defence. The wing backs strike for goal came back off the underside of the crossbar into the waiting arms of Farrell who made no mistake when the chance presented itself. Mayo had to deal with the loss of their captain Cathal Freeman who wasn’t able to make the game after picking up an injury in a club game last weekend, but that loss didn’t phase them.

Coen's charges face tough task against the champions

Fri, May 15, 2015

There couldn't be a much tougher task for JP Coen's Mayo senior hurlers if they are to have any interest in championship hurling beyond the middle of May tomorrow. James Stephens Park in Ballina will be the venue for the meeting of Coen's side and last year's Christy Ring Cup champions, Kildare, in the winner takes all round 2b clash. Mayo lost out to Derry in Owenbeg a fortnight ago by two points, while Kildare were finally defeated by London in a replay in St Conleth's Park in Newbridge last weekend. Both sides finished level after extra time in the Emerald Grounds in Ruislip the week before, when Mayo were going down to Derry.

Club players have it tough enough to make plans without late changes

Fri, May 15, 2015

As a meticulous planner who maps out my summer so as there is no collision between family events, birthdays, nights out, holidays, etc, and football matches I was shocked to hear that the first round of the Mayo club championship was put back a week, 11 days before it was due to take place.

I know an unlikely chain of events occurred to require a postponement but this should have been thought of when the fixtures were drawn up. I can guarantee that quite a few club footballers have been badly put out and had alternative plans for the new dates set. Without doing much research I know that five Charlestown players had to cancel a planned break for the weekend that the games have been re-fixed for, and one Hollymount player has to loose a day from his planned foreign holiday and rebook a flight at a significant cost. A Tourmakeady player who also planned a holiday around the original fixtures is lucky that he is not in a predicament to make a decision as he is injured and ruled out for his club's game so he is free to go on his trip, otherwise a cancellation at a significant cost to the club would have ensued. I am sure there are plenty more in the same predicament. It is time to treat our club players with a little respect and set in stone the days that matches will take place so they can plan life around football. It surely cannot be that difficult.

Juniors look to take down the Tribesmen

Fri, May 15, 2015

The Mayo junior footballers will go looking to claim the first provincial title of the year for the county on Sunday lunchtime when they face off against Galway in the Connacht Junior Football Championship final in Carrick-on-Shannon. Seán McLoughlin's men booked their place in the provincial final last weekend thanks to a 2-10 to 1-10 win over the defending champions Sligo in James Stephens Park in Ballina. Sunday's game will be the curtain raiser to the senior championship meeting between Leitrim and Galway, the winners of which will face Mayo in the senior semi-final in five weeks time.

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