OPINION: Thrillers and forfeits - The paradox of Mayo soccer

Mayo soccer is one of the great frustrations in life.

Time after time, it can give thrilling storylines and more drama than you can shake a stick at.

Take, for example, the thrilling end to the League One season, where a 6-5 thriller between Snugboro and Swinford ensured that Ballina Town ‘B’ would be the ones tasting the sweet glory of silverware after a long and compelling title race.

Or some of the stupendous strikes that would be fit to grace any stage, such as Shea Benson’s wondergoal in the Manulla v Castlebar Celtic in late June.

Moments like this are a testament to just how much magic is woven into the parks and pitches around the county on a weekly basis.

However, all too often, we are writing about Mayo soccer for all the wrong reasons.

Just last weekend, The Mayo News were meant to be bringing you coverage of the last four of the Mayo Super Cup.

Instead, the pairing of Castlebar Celtic and Westport United in Sunday's final was decided off the pitch, as both Ballinrobe Town and Ballyheane conceded the semis.

This has been a running theme of late. You just have to look at Castlebar Celtic’s last six domestic fixtures. Three of them have been walkovers, and the other three have had a combined scoreline of 23-1.

The statistics on walkovers, as well as some of the damning scorelines, paint a poor picture of the local scene. The prime example of the struggle to even field came to the fore on April 27.

Kiltimagh/Knock United welcomed Westport United to CMS Park that Sunday, where they lost 17-0, in a result which I had to double-check when I heard it in whispers at another Super League game.

They were forced to play 80 minutes with nine men due to a lack of numbers, with three players who togged out for the ‘B’ side (that ended up withdrawing from League One entirely later in the season) pulling on the jersey again the day after their clash with Bangor Hibs.

Routine beatings, although none of this gargantuan nature, became too much for Kiltimagh/Knock United, who withdrew from the competition entirely.

It must be difficult to constantly keep motivation in a race where the front two are streaking ahead at breakneck pace, while there is no reward for even finishing in second.

It needs to be stressed that this is in no way the fault of Westport United and, more pertinently, Castlebar Celtic. Their brilliance is a testament to their work ethic, drive, and skills, which have reaped rewards.

It is at a stage where Castlebar Celtic and Westport United’s so-called ‘B’ sides would make a better fist of competing against their ‘A’ sides than some of the teams currently occupying the top flight, as evidenced by the Covies' second side lifting the Premier League trophy aloft.

However, the other side of the coin are the sides that are on the end of these 17-0, 14-0, and 9-1 batterings. The reason so many lace up the boots and head out onto the pitch, in any sport, is to have a chance of winning and making memories with those you’ve battled with throughout the season.

In Mayo, that’s not a possibility. The notion of even upsetting the odds and getting a result against one of the big guns seems tall.

For the sake of the players, the clubs, and the future of the game in the county, some solution must be found, because Mayo soccer, with all its glory and heartbreak, remains one of life’s great frustrations.