Meet the Mayo Oscar Traynor team

They have already made history: The Mayo Football League team has qualified for the Oscar Traynor Cup final and Joe Kelly's boys are ready for the big final today in Umbro Park, Milebush Castlebar.

No opposition was able to stop Mayo on their way into the final. The team and the management are only one step away from Cup glory.

Meet the players:

Name: Darren Browne

Age: 31

Club: Westport United

Position: Midfield/Forward

Work or college: Manufacturing Technician

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Frank Lampard was up there and at the minute I enjoy watching Kevin De Bruyne.

Most difficult opponent: Always had a good battle with Chris Maughan and Colm Nevin

Earliest football memory: Being brought to first derby between Westport and Castlebar at a very young age. There were some great battles at that time.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? The preparation before games is huge, getting to know all the players more. There’s real togetherness within the squad.

What have you learned in the process? You have to work hard to get the rewards you deserve. Trusting each player makes it easier to play.

Name: Cormac Caulfield

Age: 21

Club: Kiltimagh/Knock United

Position: Centre Midfield

Work or college: Working as a law intern in Matheson LLP law firm Dublin as part of my third year of college. It is my seventh month with the firm.

Favourite team: Liverpool and Kiltimagh/Knock United

Favourite player: James Milner

Most difficult opponent: pearse Walsh (Swinford)

Earliest football memory: Playing football in Barnacarroll complex

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Positive - a huge privilege to play with such good players.

What have you learned in the process? Mentality is as important in junior football as quality

Name: Jamie Cawley

Age: 28

Club: Ballina Town

Position: Winger

Work or college: Pension Consultant with Irish Life. Studying for my Chartered Financial Planning Exams with the LIA

Favourite team: Liverpool

Favourite player: Mo Salah

Most difficult opponent: Last season it was Johnny Cocozza and Mark Cunningham of Castlebar Celtic

Earliest football memory: Playing ‘no foul football’ in the back garden with my three brothers - basically, football and wrestling combined!

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? I’ve loved it to be honest! Everyone in the squad has put rivalries aside and been getting on brilliantly and we’ve been consistently training since last September when we were brought in.

What have you learned in the process? When you’re 35 yards away from goal, give the ball to Andrew Shally for a strike.

Name: Lorcan Conroy

Age: 23

Club: Kiltimagh/Knock United

Position: Winger

Work or college: Student in Dublin City University (DCU) studying to be a Spanish and Irish teacher. I took a year out between school and college, so I’m going to be starting my fourth and final year in September.

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Lionel Messi

Most difficult opponent: Lee Lyons and Ruairi Henry

Earliest football memory: Playing football in the school yard in Craggagh NS

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s been a great experience. To be training with the very best players in our league, week after week has definitely helped me develop my own skills but also friendships with the lads from all the different clubs involved.

What have you learned in the process? I’ve learned that the quality of football in Mayo is obviously at a very good level. But the unity and all-for-oneness in this group of players is even better. Everyone celebrates together and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it.

Name: Raff Cretaro

Age: 42

Club: Ballina Town

Position: Anywhere needed

Work or college: I am currently working a football programme in schools across Sligo. I also do some work for the FAI delivering the emerging talent programme on Monday nights in the centre of excellence in Castlebar.

Favourite team: Liverpool

Favourite player: Roy Keane

Most difficult opponent: Brian Walsh for Celtic. He’s extremely aggressive in the tackle but also good in the air for a small fella.

Earliest football memory: Going to the World Cup quarter finals in 1990 Italy were Ireland were beaten 1-0 by the hosts

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s been a brilliant experience for me personally I’ve been made feel welcome from the start. I am grateful for been given the opportunity from the Joe and the staff to come in and play with these lads.

What have you learned in the process? The big learning for me as a coach is to get a good group of people together (talent irrelevant) and anything is possible. In our case we have good people but extremely talented also.

Name: Gary Cunningham

Age: 32

Club: Westport United

Position: Goalkeeper

Work or college details: Business Development Executive with Edward Dillons, covering Connacht

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Thibaut Courtois

Most difficult opponent: Ben Edeh

Earliest football memory: Indoor football in Rice College on a Saturday morning. I used to love it.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s good to play with lads that you’re normally cursing every other week.

What have you learned in the process? James Costello loves a good corner

Name: Mark Cunningham

Age: 20

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Right-back or centre-back

Work or college details: Plumbing apprentice

Favourite team: Arsenal

Favourite player: Brian Walsh

Most difficult opponent: Jack O’Connor

Earliest football memory: Playing football with my brothers in the garden

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? I’ve only been in for one game, but good so far

What have you learned in the process? Anything is possible

Name: Dan Duffy

Age: 23

Club: Kiltimagh/Knock United

Position: Centre-back

Work or college details: Barman

Favourite team: Arsenal

Favourite player: Bukoyo Saka

Most difficult opponent: Kevin Kitterick

Earliest football memory: Claremorris Blitz – winning on penalties.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Going out with the team after the semi-final.

What have you learned in the process? The Mayo League has some quality players and is very underrated.

Name: Ben Edeh

Age: 22

Club: Ballyheane

Position: Winger/striker

Work or college: Third year in Sport and Exercise Science at ATU Galway

Work: Tesco Westport customer service

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Thierry Henry but I model my playstyle after Gareth Bale

Most difficult opponent: Mark Cunningham

Earliest football memory: Playing football with my grandmother

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Adjusting to training with players who I would normally be competing against.

Name: Oran Groarke

Age: 20

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Central midfielder

Work or college: First year in Arts at University of Limerick

Favourite team: Chelsea

Favourite player: Cole Palmer

Earliest football memory: Going to a charity shield match at Wembley

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? A good mix of lads and great craic.

What have you learned in the process? I gained experience on how to win games playing at a higher level

Name: Stefan Hester

Age: 20

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Goalkeeper

Work or college: Work in the castle leisure club for the Mulroy family and I’m a gym instructor.

Favourite team: Aston Villa

Favourite player: John McGinn

Most difficult opponent: Jamie Cawley

Earliest football memory: Playing in Celtic’s academy

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s been brilliant,; a great squad and good craic.

What have you learned in the process? It’s been a great learning curve for experience and playing at a higher level

Name: Jason Hunt

Age: 27

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Winger

Work or college Baxter Healthcare

Favourite team: Glasgow Celtic

Favourite player: Bernardo Silva

Most difficult opponent: Aaron Cannon

Earliest football memory: Playing in the estates.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? The togetherness in the group of fellas. It feels like a club team, almost.

What have you learned in the process? Enjoy it.

Name: Kevin Kitterick

Age: 18

Club: Westport United

Position: Right wing

Work or college: Leaving Cert student, Sancta Maria college, Louisburgh.

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Garnacho

Most difficult opponent: Ioseph O’Reilly

Earliest football memory: Under-8 Clew Bay United training

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s a really enjoyable experience.

What have you learned in the process? I’ve learned loads off the experienced members of the squad, especially discipline and what it takes to win big football matches.

Name: Benny Lavelle

Age: 34

Club: Ballina Town

Position: Striker

Work or college: Hollister ULC

Favourite Team: Sligo Rovers and Celtic

Favourite Player: Kevin De Bruyne

Most Difficult Opponent: Ioseph O’Reilly

Earliest football memory: Watching the 1998 World Cup Final

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? We have a top quality group, great atmosphere and togetherness, which is seldom when in a Mayo group, but everyone has really gelled. My most enjoyable time playing with Mayo despite my injuries.

What have you learned in the process? To always believe in yourself and others.

Name: Jordan Loftus

Age: 28

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Striker

Work or College Details: Salesman at Doherty For Men, Castlebar

Favourite Team: Liverpool

Favourite Player: Jermain Defoe

Most Difficult Opponent: Mikey O’Brien of Westport. Read the game so well and technically very good, could do everything very well.

Earliest football memory: First training session with Castlebar Celtic with borrowed neighbours football boots down by St Gerald’s College in a (now) vintage Glasgow Celtic jersey. Great memory!

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? I’ve loved every second of it. Making friends with ‘rival’ club players and the relationships we’ve built has been amazing - a testament to each individual. It’s a really good group of human beings, never mind footballers.

What have you learned in the process? When people come together with a common purpose, you can achieve anything!

Name: Cillian McGlade

Age: 33

Club: Westport United

Position: Centre-back/right back

Work or college: The Legal Aid board.

Favourite team: Barnsley

Favourite player: Roy Keane

Most difficult opponent: Jordan Loftus, Benny Lavelle and JP O’Gorman

Earliest football memory: Match of The Day on a Saturday night

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s been brilliant. We have become a really close group both on the pitch and off the pitch. Joe and the management team deserve huge credit for the work they have put in this year. To captain the team has been a huge honour for myself personally.

What have you learned in the process? How invaluable team spirit, camaraderie and togetherness is amongst a squad.

Name: Dylan McKee

Age: 27

Club: Ballina Town

Position: Midfielder

Work or college details: Warehouse operator, United Drug, Ballina.

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Wayne Rooney

Most difficult opponent: Oran Groarke

Earliest football memory: Rooney’s bicycle-kick against Manchester City.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? I’ve enjoyed playing with the best players in Mayo.

What have you learned in the process? If you put in the effort, you’ll see the results.

Name: Owen McNamara

Age: 32

Club: Conn Rangers

Position: Centre Back

Work or college details: It’s been a great learning curve for experience and playing at a higher level.

Favourite team: Liverpool

Favourite player: Dan Duffy

Most difficult opponent: Jordan Loftus

Earliest football memory: Getting jerseys with our names on them for Conn Rangers as a kid.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? A experience training at a good standard for six months. A good bunch of lads for pints in the Castle Inn

What have you learned in the process? Ben Edeh doesn’t share pizza. Joe Kelly loves a sauna in Achill. Cillian McGlade Is loud.

Name: Adam Nugent

Age: 19

Club: Westport United

Position: Striker

Work or college: In ATU Galway studying sports science

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Wayne Rooney

Most difficult opponent: Ioseph O’Reilly

Earliest football memory: Man United vs Stoke 2010

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Best experience is scoring against Roscommon to help win us the Connacht title.

What have you learned in the process? Learned from the best strikers in the county.

Name: Jack O’Connor

Age: 22

Club: Kiltimagh/Knock United

Position: Forward.

Work or college: Final Year in construction at Technological University of Shannon

Favourite team: Arsenal

Favourite player: Kylian Mbappe

Most difficult opponent: Joe Lawless

Earliest football memory: My first blitz in Claremorris

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Good experience playing with the best in the league

What have you learned in the process? There’s a lot of top players in Mayo

Name: Ioseph O’Reilly

Age: 35

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Centre-half

Work or college: GISC as an incident creation representative based in Davitt House in Castlebar

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: In my earlier years I would’ve been a striker or a winger, and was obsessed with Ryan Giggs, and through Dad then we would’ve seen a lot of old games of George Best, so probably those two.

Most difficult opponent: Ben Edeh of the present-day players. In the past, Dave Cameron or Phil Keegan.

Earliest football memory: Parents would say I had a ball at my foot once I started walking, whether it was my choice or it was thrown at me! Regarding Celtic, my earliest memories would be on the grass pitch where the new Astro has just gone in, in Celtic Park, where Joey Bourke was passing down his knowledge.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? I have played Oscar Traynor over the years under a few different managers. There just a different vibe in this year’s squad. There’s no cliques and it feels more like a club team than anything else, which is testament to Joe, Brendan, Jesper, Chris and James.

What have you learned in the process? Just to enjoy the minutes spent on the training ground and pitch. At my age now you don’t know when might be your last time in and around the set up, so appreciate it while I can. We have a massive occasion to look forward to now on the 21st in Milebush.

Name: Harrison Quinn

Age: 20

Club: Westport United

Position: Defender

Work or college: Second year in ATU Galway studying Business Studies.

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Ji-sung Park. A baller

Most difficult opponent: Jamie Cawley. He is frightening. His speed and strength are something I’ve never played against before

Earliest football memory: Going to the Sports Park watching Westport United men’s games when I was four or five years old.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? We have been together since August and I’ve had a great time with this squad, getting to know the lads who I’ve hated at club level and then becoming mates with them.

What have you learned in the process? I’ve been given the chance to play in every game from June 2023 until now, which has been huge for my confidence as I’ve struggled with believing in myself and my football ability.

Name: Cillian Redmond

Age: 22

Club: Ballyheane

Position: Centre-half

Work or college: Second year student in financial maths at University of Limerick

Favourite team: Chelsea

Favourite player: Cole Palmer

Most difficult opponent: Benny Lavelle

Earliest football memory: Being in Croke Park for first leg of Ireland vs France 2010 play offs

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Enjoyable.

What have you learned in the process? It’s easier to play with the lads than against them.

Name: Nathan Reilly-Doyle

Age: 22

Club: Ballyheane

Position: Striker

Work or college details: Final year of arts in University of Galway

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Kobbie Mainoo

Most difficult opponent: Stefan Hester

Earliest football memory: The glory days of Manchester United

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? A good group of lads that want to win

What have you learned in the process? Mayo are on the rise.

Name: James Robinson

Age: 21

Club: Castlebar Celtic

Position: Goalkeeper

Work or college: Two years into a Professional Masters of Education in business in University of Limerick. I’m also a student-teacher at St Gerald’s College, Castlebar.

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Jordan Pickford/ Andre Onana

Most difficult opponent: Jack O’Connor. He always seems to get a goal or two on me

Earliest football memory: Scoring my first competitive goal for Castlebar Celtic u12C team vs Manulla in a 6-1 loss. I came on in the second half as I wasn’t supposed to be going to the game that day as I was too young. It was a strike from outside the box on the right hand side, drilled into the far left top corner.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? One thing I tell everyone is the togetherness and common desire that everyone in the group has. We all work extremely well together and all understand the importance of the Oscar Traynor to all of us.

What have you learned in the process? I’ve learnt how so many players come from so many different backgrounds with their own clubs, different styles of play, different goals, but how we can all come together on the same page and create a style of play and mindset that everyone understands, and is willing to carry out. Whether you’re playing or not playing, you can contribute to the team in so many ways, on and off the pitch.

Name: Andrew Shally

Age: 31

Club: Ballina Town

Position: Left-back

Work or college: Social care worker, Compass Child and Family Services in Co Clare, working with young people in residential care

Favourite team: Manchester United

Favourite player: Luke Shaw

Most difficult opponent: Ben Edeh

Earliest football memory: Playing football in the estate from morning till night with friends. Playing football in the estate from morning till night with friends

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? It’s been a great experience being part of this squad getting to know the lads you’d go to war against in the league and now having the chance to go to war with them is something

What have you learned in the process? I’ve learned that in this game the squad is everything and the togetherness of a team goes a long way.

Name: Cillian White

Age: 19

Club: Westport United

Position: Midfield

Work or college: I am currently doing a QQI Level 6 animal science course in GTI college in Galway.

Favourite team: Southampton.

Favourite player: Lionel Messi

Earliest football memory: Playing football for my local club Clew Bay United on the football pitch at the back of the Louisburgh secondary school.

What has been your experience of being part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor squad? Great so far. Playing at a high level with the best players in the county drives you on to become a better player yourself and playing against the best players from other counties has been an invaluable experience.

What have you learned in the process? What a team must do on and off the field to become one of the best squads in the competition, and the discipline needed and the drive to want to win the competition,