Search Results for 'Aidan'

Athlone Town required a last gasp Philly Gorman goal to earn a point in a 2-2 draw from last Friday’s SSE Airtricity League First Division clash with Cabinteely at Lissywoolen.

If you dropped the needle on a seven inch copy of “Teenage Kicks” by some of Derry’s most famous sons The Undertones in Celtic Park on Sunday, when Barry Moran picked out Mikie Sweeney inside the Derry defence, by the time the track had had belted it’s way through it’s 2.28 running time you would have seen Mayo comfortably win and almost lose the game in a hectic epilogue at the end of normal time.

James Horan sprang a surprise with the team he announced for Sunday’s Connacht semi-final against Roscommon this week when he opted to hand Conor O’Shea his first championship start at centre-half-forward alongside teenager Diarmuid O’Connor who will be making his second championship start after making his debut against New York at the start of last month.

James Horan threw a curve ball with his team selection for Sunday's Connacht semi-final against Roscommon, by omitting his captain Andy Moran from the starting line up. The Ballaghaderren man's omissions from the starting 15 will be the big talking point ahead of the throw in, with Breaffy's Conor O'Shea coming into the starting line-up for his first championship start in a new look Mayo team that will see O'Shea line up alongside his two older brothers Aidan and Seamus. Conor will line out at centre half forward with Burrishoole's Jason Doherty on one side of him and Ballintubber's Diarmuid O'Connor on the other flank. The full forward line will see Alan Freeman return to the focal point of the attack with Kevin McLoughlin and Cillian O'Connor either side of him.

It’s been a hectic year for Aidan O’Shea that has seen him line out in the colours of his club Breaffy, his college DIT, his county Mayo, and just last weekend his country, in the first Ireland international rules test against Australia. This Sunday his focus is very much on one thing, winning his first and his club’s first senior county championship. The towering midfielder wasn’t long back from his international rules duty when he spoke to the Mayo Advertiser ahead of Sunday’s game and kicking things off he said the whole international rules adventure was an enjoyable experience. “It went our way, it was something different, something that I wanted to get ticked off. We were (better than Australia) in the first two quarters, but they seemed to come together a bit after half time and they were more competitive. But it was an enjoyable game.”

All eyes on Sunday will be on a new look Mayo front six as the Connacht Championship throws in for another exciting instalment. Injuries have forced the hand of James Horan into lining out without what most people would say are four of his chosen starting forwards. While it’s good news that Alan Dillon and Andy Moran have made sufficient progress to take their places on the bench for Sunday, how match fit they are and what kind of impact they will be able to have after prolonged lay-offs is yet to be seen. The loss of Jason Doherty in recent times has added even more to Mayo’s problems up front along with loss of Michael Conroy a few weeks ago for a good portion of the early summer at least. Stepping into fill the gaps on Sunday are two championship debutants, Cathal Carolan and Darren Coen. While Carolan has got some inter-county miles under his belt in this year’s league campaign from the first Dublin game on, the only game time that Coen has seen in the senior side in the league this term has been a brief blood sub appearance on Leeside. Joining Cillian O’Connor and Kevin McLoughlin and the pair of debutants in attack is the experienced duo of Alan Freeman and Enda Varley.

Andy Moran is on the way back

A Mullingar woman is launching her first, self-illustrated children’s book in Aras an Mhuillin on the Jail Hill this evening (October 28) at 6.30pm.

Ballina Stephenites 1-11

I discovered last Sunday that football does occasionally work to Hollywood endings and rose-red sunsets. Last Sunday’s game was a big occasion for Mayo football. Our reputation as a team of being able to compete with the big boys was under threat. However we should not have worried ourselves as Mayo delivered a fearless determined display which ranks up there with the very best we have witnessed heretofore and in doing so ensured that the integrity of Mayo football is back where it belongs after a disappointing couple of years.