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It may not be that long in the grand scheme of things and with everything else that is going on around the country, it may seem like a very trivial matter. But to those, who follow the fortunes of the Mayo senior team tomorrow night couldn’t have come quick enough. A new year, a new start and a new manager, a new season and a chance to start putting the memory of Pearse Park in Longford last June, well into the past.

Tomás Ó Flathárta will lead Galway into the first round of the National Football League on Sunday (2.30pm) against Monaghan knowing his side will have to improve on the form they showed in the FBD league if they are to collect the two points on offer.

The speculation as to who would captain Mayo this year was ended by Mayo manager James Horan who announced his team for Saturday nights’ encounter with Down in McHale Park on Wednesday afternoon. Ballintubber’s Alan Dillon was given the captain’s armband for the game, with Andy Moran the vice captain.

Mayo 1-11

While the FBD League in January is not somewhere that you can make an solid predictions of what is to come in the year ahead, there is one thing that you can take from this year’s early season jaunt around the province at this stage, and that is that James Horan was true to his word when he said he would be giving all his players a chance to impress during the competition.

Mayo 1-12

The visit of Connacht champions Roscommon to Ballyhaunis on Sunday gives James Horan another chance to have a look at the cast of hopefuls who are vying to nail down a place in his plans for the coming year. Horan opened up his inter-county management account last Saturday night in McHale Park, with a win over GMIT in the first floodlit game in the county ground. A healthy crowd of some 2,000 turned up for the game which, while it failed to light up the night on the field, was a good dry run for those involved in getting the ground ready for the visit of Down in the National Football League on February 5. However Horan was happy enough with how things went on the night in the most part. “It was a poor enough game, we came through it OK apart from Kevin Dolan who was very unfortunate. He was operated on Tuesday and hopefully he won’t be out for too long. It was good to get out there and see the guys in action on the field, it’s where you’ll learn what you are about and see mistakes that are being made and where you need to work on your game.”

Just over six months since Mayo last played a senior inter-county game the road is opening up in front of them for another year. On Sunday in Ballinamore in Leitrim the newest version of the Mayo senior team will take to the field under the guidance of James Horan for the first time. Since his appointment at the end of September, Horan has only been able to run his eye over his new charges a handful of times, the last time last weekend in a series of inter-squad challenge games and previous to that in a number of trial games in November.

The winter training ban for inter-county footballers and hurlers is officially over, even though some counties did not seem to know it was in place in the first instance; and the first bit of competitive action of 2011 in Connacht kicks off this weekend with the start of the FBD league.

The pride and passion of the Ballintubber GAA club in winning their first Mayo senior football title in 2010 is to feature in a special insightful documentary on TG4 this Christmas. Baile an Tobair – Bliain an Bhua relives the amazing journey of the Ballintubber senior football team from the desolate ranks of junior football a few years back to the exalted highs of Mayo senior football champions in 2010. This intriguing story unfolds as the club in the shadow of Ballintubber Abbey celebrates its centenary also this year, having being founded in 1910.  Baile an Tobair – Bliain an Bhua echoes and mirrors the life of every GAA club in the country with success and failure, heartbreak and jubilation, pain and passion all interwoven into one.