Mayo manager focused on Oscar Traynor Cup semi-final amid Ballyheane players dispute

MAYO Oscar Traynor Cup manager Joe Kelly has said the sudden withdrawal of three Ballyheane players from his squad has ‘nothing to do with’ him or his players.

Speaking to The Mayo News ahead of Mayo’s upcoming Oscar Traynor Cup semi-final clash with Limerick District, Kelly said the dispute ‘has nothing to do with the Oscar Traynor squad’.

He also revealed that Mayo will be bolstered by a number of key players who missed their latest win over Donegal.

Ballyheane’s Ben Edeh, Nathan Reilly Doyle and Seán Fahy are not currently part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor Cup team.

The club withdrew all three players from the Mayo panel after the Mayo Football League refused to reschedule their recent Thursday night meeting with Castlebar Celtic, which ended in a 3-0 defeat for Ballyheane. Neither Ballyheane nor the Mayo Football League have publicly commented on the matter.

As it stands, no Ballyheane players will take part in Sunday’s Oscar Traynor Cup semi-final.

READ MORE: OPINION: Cool heads needed to sort Mayo soccer stand-off

“As a management team, it affects us more than it affects the players. The players are really concerned about themselves and who is in the group,” Kelly said when asked to comment on the matter.

“I want to put on record, this has nothing to do with the Oscar Traynor squad. The most important thing for me to state is this is not something that the Oscar Traynor squad created, or the management created, it’s a dispute between a club and an authorising body. Unfortunately, none of the three parties are going to be the losers in this; it is going to be the three players that are going to be prevented from playing.

“These lads have been integral for the past twelve to eighteen months, they are good lads and I know they are in a position that they don’t want to be in,” Kelly added.

“It’s just unfortunate but we just have to move on, we have to keep preparing as best we can and concentrate on the football side of it and let others concentrate on resolutions.”

Mayo, who were without several key players for their recent win over Donegal, have been boosted by the return of Darren Browne (Westport United) and Conor McCarthy (Glenhest Rovers) from injury.

Castlebar Celtic striker Jordan Loftus is also likely to feature after an injury lay-off. His Celtic teammates Ioseph O’Reilly and Jason Hunt, who missed the Donegal game, will also be available.

A win on Sunday will see Mayo make their second Oscar Traynor Cup final in two years.

Kelly’s charges beat Sligo-Leitrim in last year’s semi-final before losing 4-2 to Waterford in the final in Umbro Park.

Their upcoming opponents, Limerick, beat Waterford 2-1 during an unbeaten run to the semi-final. They needed extra-time to overcome the Kilkenny league by the same score in their quarter-final.

Limerick’s panel includes players from Pike Rovers, Janesboro and Fairview Rangers, who have reached FAI Junior Cup finals in recent years.

“It’s probably put them up as one of the strongest leagues in Ireland,” commented Kelly, who predicted ‘a very tough game’ against the Munster men.

FIXTURE

OSCAR TRAYNOR CUP SEMI-FINAL

MAYO V LIMERICK

SUNDAY, MARCH 23

UMBRO PARK AT 2.30PM