Search Results for 'Gerry McLoughlin'

It’s wagons east for Westport United and their loyal band of supporters on Sunday, as they look for a place in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup. Standing in their way is the imposing figure of Sheriff YC from the capital. The hooped side from Dublin won the competition last June in the Aviva Stadium when they saw off fellow Dublin side Kilbarrack FC. They are currently sitting in third place in the AUL Premier A table in the capital, but have four games in hand on the league leaders Kilbarrack United.

Sunday morning will see a mass exodus of football supporters from Westport, but rather than heading south to Galway they’ll be pointing their wagons east, in the direction of the small Roscommon village of Lecarrow about 17km west of Athlone to the home of the Roscommon and District Football League. It’s there that Westport United will be looking to put together a historic back-to-back pair of Connacht Junior Cup victories. Last years rain-sodden penalty shootout victory over Athenry in Terryland Park will go down in history as one of the great days in the famous junior club’s history, but if they manage on Sunday to bring the trophy home for the second time in as many years, they’ll be telling tales of this side for many, many years to come around the town.

On Sunday in Terryland Park, Westport United will go looking to make it lucky number seven when they take on Athenry FC in the Connacht Junior Cup final. Standing in Westport United's way will be the defending champions who are going for their third Connacht Junior Cup win on the trot. Picking up the title would be quite a coup for the relatively inexperienced management duo of Kieran Mulchrone and James Fahy who have taken over in the United hot seat this season. While the management duo may be inexperienced at this level, there is plenty of experience to draw on with the likes of Kevin Joyce, Martin Geraghty, Danny Schaill, Gerry McLoughlin, Dave Cameron, Dave Hoban and Pat Fitzgerald all with plenty of big game experience under their belts over the years.

There is a busy weekend of action in store on the local junior soccer scene in Mayo. Four Mayo sides will be in action in the FAI Junior Cup fifth round, with two more in Connacht Junior Cup third round contests and one side in the Connacht Junior Shield.

Ballina Town striker Michael Duffy has been called up to the Irish junior side, the north Mayo hit man has already picked up one international cap in 2008 against the USA, during a period when he was in a rich vein of goal scoring form. But over the past two seasons he has suffered from a number of bad injuries which curtailed his playing time. He did come back last season to help Ballina Town finally claim the Super League title. Duffy has been called up for a quadrangular tournament involving the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man which will take place in County Down from next Wednesday April 21 to Saturday April 24.

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 annual general meeting of the Galway Hurling Supporters Club will be held next Thursday (February 25) at the Lough Rea Hotel, Loughrea, Co Galway at 8pm. The club, which was set up last year, already boasts more than 600 members, and chairman Eamon Bradshaw is hoping this will increase to more than 2,000 this year. Bradshaw is calling on everyone interested in hurling to attend the AGM where officers will outline its activities during 2009, financial support for the Galway hurling reams, members aspirations for 2010, planned events during 2010, and benefits for members. The club has its own website, www.ghsc.ie, which has attracted hits from all over the world.

Mayo Oscar Traynor team manager, Declan Kilkelly, announced his squad of players for the forthcoming group one games in the National Oscar Traynor Trophy competition. The panel includes four new players (Emmet Peyton, James Jennings, Paul Walsh and David Reilly) receiving their first call up along with another three players who have been added to last year’s squad (Ronan O’Boyle, Andy Neary and Gerry McLoughlin). Mayo will be competing in group one with the Inishowen League (away) and the Galway League (home).

Mayo will make the long trip north this weekend to take on the Inishowen league in their opening game in this season’s Oscar Traynor Trophy. For the second year in a row Castlebar Celtic manager Declan Kilkelly will be taking charge of the side and after narrowly missing out on qualifiying from the group stages last year Kilkelly will be hoping to at least improve on that this season. This year’s competition sees Mayo in a three team group with this weekend’s opponents the Inishowen League and the Galway League and with only one team to qualify for the next round of the competition.

Inishowen League 1