Search Results for 'Aidan Flatley'

It’s not too often you see a team short of up to eight guys who could be considered starters run out five goal winners and score seven in a game, but then not many teams are Westport United. Last weekend there was no mercy shown by the Covies when they steamrolled Charlestown Athletic in the Sportspark, thanks to a four goal return from injury time in the first half until the ninth minute of the second half.

Even with eight regulars missing from their starting line-up, Westport United showed no mercy to Charlestown Athletic in the Sportspark on Sunday. No less than seven different Westport United players got on the score sheet in their 7-2 route of the east Mayo side. Westport struck four goals on the bounce from injury time in the first half until the 56th minute of the contest, to turn at 1-0 lead into a 5-0 lead and sap the fight out of a Charlestown Athletic team who up until that point had been doing their best to hang in with home-team.

The big game of the opening weekend of the Mayo League Super League last weekend was the meeting of Westport United and Castlebar Celtic in the Sportspark only seven days after their Connacht Cup semi-final clash in Castlebar. The Covies came out on top this time around, despite going in trailing 1-0 at half time thanks to a Jason Hunt goal. But three second half strikes from Martin Geraghty and a Dave Hoban brace gave the hosts a 3-1 win.

Cup finals are well known for surprises across the globe, but before even a ball has been kicked in this year’s Mayo FA Cup final there is a big surprise already and that is the two teams who will be taking to the field on Sunday. When the season began, there would not have been many punters out there willing to take a punt on both Fahy Rovers and Straide and Foxford United winning the competition, let alone both of them making it all the way to Milebush on finals day. Sunday will offer some kind of redemption to whichever side comes out on top as both teams get used to the fact they will not be playing in the Super League next season, as both sides failed to escape from the bottom four which dropped through the trap door. Next season they will be competing in the newly formed Premier A league.

Iorras Aontaithe stayed top of the Mayo Super League last weekend after they came from two goals down to beat Snugboro United in Carne last weekend, while champions Ballina Town were surprisingly overturned by Castlebar Celtic in Celtic Park. Iorras have a 100 per cent record from their six games so far and are now four points clear of Ballina and have a game in hand. But they had to do it the hard way last weekend; Sean Curry put the visitors one up earlier on and they doubled their lead shortly after when David Colleran headed home their second.

When the Super League kicked off a few weeks ago, Straide and Foxford were still playing out the last throws of their season from last year in the Connacht Cup. Once that dream died there was no rest for the Green Road side, who went straight into league action and they have kept up their good winter form. Wins over Ballyheane last weekend, Castlebar Celtic and a draw with Fahy Rovers see them sitting on seven points from four games in fourth place. Their solitary defeat so far came at the hands of Ballina Town the defending champions, and even then the result on that day didn’t justify the performance, according to Straide and Foxford manager, Aidan Flatley. “The Ballina game was a disappointment, they’re a good side but the scoreline didn’t really reflect the game as a whole.” Also coming out of that game Straide and Foxford lost two players to injury which could start to mount up over the league season as players feel the effects of the long winter cup campaign. “We lost Paul Fitzpatrick with a broken wrist in that game which could have him out from six to eight weeks and Shane Hughes picked up a shoulder injury. We’ll be hoping that the lads are able to keep fit over the season as we haven’t had a break really since the end of the Connacht Cup.”

At the start of every season winning the title is the ultimate goal for most sides, but in this years Elvery’s Sports Super League avoiding the drop is a big a concern for a lot of teams. This year will see four sides dropping out of the top division before it becomes a more compact and competitive eight team league for the 2011 campaign. Last year only one team (Kilmore) dropped out of the top flight with Swinford replacing them this season, after Westport United B won the Premier Division title but were not allowed to come up. But this year if you finish between 10th and seventh place in the league and you are dropping through the trap door.