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The Super League enters its final stretch at the weekend and Westport United are three points clear at the top of the table. However Westport United manager Barry Kilgannon told the Mayo Advertiser this week that it is going to be a tough run into the title and he is taking nothing for granted. “We’ve got four very tough games left to play and any of those sides are capable of taking points off us on their day, so we have to be on top of our game from now on into the season.” While it will be a tough challenge to reclaim the title they surrendered to Ballina Town last season, Kilgannon would rather be where he is now than any of the other title chasers. “If you gave me this at the start of the season, top of the league with four games to go, of course I would have taken it, the season seems to have flown by to now. But now it’s time to push on and that starts on Sunday with Fahy Rovers. This is a local derby and they are fighting for their lives, so it’s not going to be just a matter of us showing up and collecting the points.”

Castlebar Celtic will welcome Bohemians to the Celtic Park on Sunday for their second game in the Newstalk A league on Sunday afternoon. Celtic opened up the their league campaign last Sunday with a 1-1 draw away to Sporting Fingal in Dublin. An under strength Celtic side saw manager Declan Kilkelly have to go between the sticks due to an injury crisis. Chris Rowland opened the scoring for Celtic after 20 minutes and went in at the break leading. Sporting Fingal had former Irish international Glenn Crowe in their ranks, and Kilkelly was very happy with the performance of his centre half, pairing against such an established League of Ireland performer. “Declan Flynn and Shane Moran, who it has to be remembered is only 18, did really well for us against Sporting Fingal,” he said. “They are a top side who have come on a lot since they came into the league a number of years ago.” Having to go into goal wasn’t something that Kilkelly wanted to do, and he hopes he doesn’t have to again. “It wasn’t something I really wanted to do, but you have to do these things and I did my best for the lads. I’m still a bit sore after it. I took a bang in the ribs near the end which is still a bit sore at the minute.”

Castlebar Celtic progressed to the semi-final of the Newstalk Cup on Wednesday night thanks to a 2-0 over Galway United in Celtic Park, setting up a last four showdown with Bohemians in Dalymount Park which is provisionally fixed for Wednesday May 19.

Castlebar Celtic will be pushing on for a place in the Newstalk Cup semi-final over the next six days, when they entertain both Sligo Rovers and Galway United in the group stages of the competition. Declan Kilkelly’s men have Sligo Rovers first up on Sunday evening at 7pm, with Galway United making the trip north on Wednesday evening in a rearranged fixture. It’s a hectic few days but Celtic manager Declan Kilkelly is hoping that his side will face into another tie the following weekend in the cup semi-final. “It’s good to have the games, we’ve had a break since the Finn Harps game in the league cup because the Galway game was put off, but I’d rather we didn’t. The semi-finals of the cup are down for the weekend after the Galway game and we’ll be looking to be there.”

Castlebar Celtic 0

The opening match of the new Mayo League season will be the Charity Shield final between the Elverys Super League winners Ballina Town and the Chadwicks Cup winners Manulla FC. This match will take place in Milebush Park on Easter Sunday at 3pm.

Castlebar Celtic got their season off to a winning start in the EA Sports Cup with a 1-0 preliminary round win over Salthill Devon in Celtic Park on Tuesday night. Peter Dravins was the hero for Celtic scoring an 87th minute winner over the Galway side who were promoted from the Newstalk A league to division one of the Airtricity league last season, a feat Celtic will be hoping to emulate this season. The win puts Castlebar Celtic into the first round proper of the competition where they will take on Finn Harps at home. A win over the Donegal men will keep Celtic moving in the right direction ahead of their kick off in the Newstalk A league in May.

The last chance of a Mayo side bringing national glory at junior level back to the county this season disappeared last Sunday when Ballina Town bowed out at the sixth round stage of the FAI Junior Cup. Shangan Athletic, who had seen off Straide and Foxford United in the previous round, came out victorious once again over Mayo opposition; this time they saw off Mayo’s top side. Despite going one up and being in control of the game early on Ballina conceded three first-half goals in quick succession and were never able to get back into the contest.

Friday January 29

This year’s Chadwicks Cup final (Mayo League FA Cup) sees the meeting of two Uniteds who have seen their historical positions flipped this year. Straide and Foxford United, one of the blue ribbon names in Mayo soccer saw themselves relegated at the death of the 2007 season to the Premier League, while Snugboro United surrvived and launched an all out assault on the higher reaches of the Super League this season. This assault proved ultimately unsuccessful but Johan Collins’s first year in charge of the side can only be marked out as a success so far. And if he is able to guide his men to pick up the Chadwicks Cup the season will have been an unqualified success.