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Ballyheane will make their return to action in the Elverys Super League on Sunday and will face into a 100 mile plus round trip to Carenash to take on a Iorras Aontaithe side who were well turned over on the opening day by Manulla in Carramore. The side from Quigley Park were one of the Super League’s permanent fixtures for years, before they finally slipped out of the division a couple of years ago, but they regrouped last year and aided by a good winter in provincial competition where they won the Connacht Shield they kept their foot down and won the Premier A title by the narrowest of margins. On Sunday, Ballyheane will be hoping their experienced players like Peter Burke, John Kelly, Theron Coghill, David Sheridan, along with Terry and Chris Maughan will supply the solid foundation they are looking for to start the season well. As teams have found out at the bottom and the top of this eight team Super League in the past, you can be out of contention for either the title or safety before you are even up to full speed.

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.

Sunday sees the Mayo league kick off the season with the Charity Shield meeting of Elvery’s Super League champions Ballina Town and Chadwick’s Cup winners Manulla in Milebush Park at 3pm. With the league ready to get back into the swing of things for the new season, Sunday will offer Ballina Town manager Brendan Kenny and the Manulla management duo of Sean Kavanagh and Damien Ansbro a chance to run the rule over their sides ahead of the league kick off. Ballina, who won the title last season after coming close a number of times in the previous seasons, will be looking to put back to back titles together to stamp their authority on the Super League, while Manulla rounded off a good 2009 after they claimed the Chadwicks Cup with a 1-0 over Swinford back in December. However they will be striving to improve on the fourth place in the Super League last year where they finished a full 12 points behind their opponents in the final standings.

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.

The first weekend in December will see the Mayo league finally wrap up the business end of its competitions when Swinford and Manulla clash in the Chadwicks Cup final in Milebush.