Roscommon challenge not to be underestimated

Mayo travel to Lecarrow on Sunday to face the Roscommon and District League in their third outing in this season's Oscar Traynor Cup campaign. Mayo were sluggish against Sligo/Leitrim in the opening fixture but still won comfortably. It took them an hour to settle into their rhythm and play like they had all played together before.

A month later, they almost held out for a 1-0 win over Galway in the second match, only to be denied the three points when the guests deservedly equalised, six minutes into stoppage time. Mayo played a risky strategy that day; sitting in and inviting Galway on. They sort of got away with it, but it was a different game to the one in Galway last year, which Mayo won handily – scoring four times in the process.

Mayo will want to win the final game of the provincial part of the competition comfortably to ensure a home draw in the opening round of the national knockout phase of the competition. They will want to hit their true stride in the process.

Mayo had a comfortable win when these sides met in January, in last season’s competition. Goals from Ben Edeh, Adam Nugent, Darren Browne and Dylan McKee were enough to see off a poor Roscommon side in an unmemorable match in Castlebar.

On the face of it, Mayo should win this game easily. But anything can happen in football. If Mayo are sluggish, like they were for much of the game against Sligo/Leitrim, then Roscommon might feel they have an opportunity. That’s if Roscommon have it in them.

Mayo manager, Joe Kelly, is likely to rotate his squad a bit and that could mean a start, or at least game time, for Owen McHale of Iorras Aontaithe, Jack O’Connor and Cormac Caulfield of Kiltimagh/Knock United, Nathan Reilly Doyle of Ballyheane and Westport’s Kevin Kitterick.

Kelly will also need to give game time to key players, especially those who are not in cup action with their clubs. The Ballyheane, Castlebar Celtic and Westport United players are involved in the cups but other players from the other clubs involved run the risk of becoming match-rusty.

Manulla’s Andrew Shally immediately comes to mind. Manulla, and Kiltimagh Knock United, haven’t had matches for weeks - their season being over - and while their players might be training with Mayo, they lack the competitiveness of a full match. The problem is minimised somewhat by the availability of so many Castlebar Celtic players and the fact that Joe Kelly used so many of them in starting line-ups this season - seven versus Sligo/Leitrim and eight against Galway. It seems unlikely he will repeat his dependence on the Mayo and Connacht champions for the Roscommon game. As ever it is a balancing act between the need to win and the need to keep the squad match sharp. At the final whistle, however, Mayo should be well on top.

Possible starting line-up: Stefan Hester; Cillian McGlade, Owen McHale, Mark Cunningham, Andrew Shally; Oran Groarke; Johnny Cocozza, Cormac Caulfield; Ben Edeh, Jack O’Connor, Kevin Kitterick.

FIXTURE

OSCAR TRAYNOR CUP

ROSCOMMON V MAYO 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8

LECARROW AT 2PM