Mayo welcome Galway to Milebush

He was one of the most talked-about soccer players in Mayo this year and a major addition to Mayo’s Oscar Traynor Cup panel, but Conor McCarthy has been ruled out for the foreseeable future without kicking a competitive ball for Joe Kelly’s side.

The Glenhest Rovers striker, who scored 22 goals as ‘Rovers bounced back undefeated to Super League soccer, has suffered a knee injury and will miss Sunday’s Oscar Traynor Cup clash with Galway in Umbro Park.

That aside, Mayo will boast a clean bill of health against a Galway side seeking revenge for last year’s humbling 4-1 defeat in Eamonn Deacy Park.

On that occasion, a Ben Edeh hat-trick iced the cake on a day when the future Connacht champions made a serious statement of intent en-route to a first Oscar Traynor Cup final since 1981.

READ: Mayo make history to reach Oscar Traynor Cup final

However, after a ‘rusty’ opening day victory against Sligo-Leitrim, Joe Kelly maintains this weekend’s clash is no forgone conclusion.

“We didn’t have any kind of warmup game coming into it, compared to last year. That’s just due to the calendar being so congested, so we had to go in there a little bit blindsided, so we were very happy with the result,” Kelly told The Mayo News.

“If somebody had told us we wouldn’t really play at the top of our game and we would win so comfortably you’d have grabbed it, but when you win and you look back you are always looking for the improvements. The performance could have been better and it’ll have to be better going forward but it was a good win and all the lads settled in well and they’ll have their game time and we’re happy overall.”

Galway, who defeated Roscommon 2-0 in their opening game, can call upon ex-League of Ireland talent like Padraig Cunningham and Timmy Molloy. Their ongoing domestic league also gives them match practice from soon-to-be-phased-out winter soccer.

Boasting players from heavy hitters like Maree Oranmore - who lost the Connacht Cup final to Castlebar Celtic - and Salthill Devon, Galway are formidable opponents.

“In terms of squad and squad quality, they are by far the most experienced and their players have played the highest level in the province,” said Kelly. “They're always going to be the biggest challenge to play against. They’ll be no different the next day.”

Being unable to get an appropriate challenge game contributed to Mayo’s round-one sloppiness in MacSharry Park.

But with nearly a full deck, a win under their belt, and a committed squad, a win on Sunday could well prime Mayo to retain the provincial title and then make another good fist at getting back to the Oscar Traynor Cup final.

FIXTURE:

OSCAR TRAYNOR CUP

MAYO V GALWAY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, UMBRO PARK AT 2PM