Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty

Like the FAI Junior Cup, the Oscar Traynor Cup has struggled to land on Galway soil and while there were a few close calls over the years, in reality a league the size of Galway should be winning and not just making an occasional challenge for the biggest honours in junior football on a regular basis.

A month ago, the Galway League kicked off this season’s campaign with a 5-2 away win over Roscommon. It was less than perfect as the visitors found themselves two down at the break, before a five-goal blast on the resumption turned matters very much in their favour.

They take to home turf this Sunday when they take on Mayo League in Eamonn Deacy Park (4pm). One other matter that went in the home sides favour in the opening round, was that Mayo were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Sligo-Leitrim.

The top two sides advance to the knockout stages, and the advantage for the group winners is a home quarter-final, but that was of little use to Galway last season when they lost to Waterford in Drom. In the meantime, group runners-up Mayo made it all the way to the final, but were beaten by Waterford in the decider.

Last season’s meeting between Galway and Mayo ended in a 1-1 draw in Castlebar, with the visitors the better side for the majority of the game, but still needed a late equaliser from Calym Crowe to secure a point.

Manager Brendan O’Connor has selected a 25-man squad and it includes Marc Ludden and Joe Collins, who were not available for the Roscommon game.

Galway League squad: Calym Crowe, Cathal Coyne, Timmy Molloy, Enda Curran, Marc Ludden, and Joe Collins (Salthill Devon); Luke O’Gorman, Milo O’Malley, Tom Kidd, Kody McCann, and Adam Healy (Mervue United); Conor Winn, Liam Murray, Donnacha McNamara, Ger O’Riordan, Colm Whelan, Gavin Smyth (Maree-Oranmore); Nathan Ward, Jackson De Silva, Tom Daly, and Callum Browne (Colga); Kieran McDonagh, Aidan Coyle, and Padraic Cunningham (Moyne Villa); Adam Molloy (Athenry).

Premier League

There was nothing predictable about the results in the top-flight over the weekend, as new leaders emerged following Colga’s 7-1 victory over Moyne Villa on the Friday night, but on Saturday afternoon came the big shock as Maree-Oranmore inflicted a 4-1 defeat on defending champions Salthill Devon.

Local defeats are rare for Devon but on this occasion they can have no complaints about the outcome as an impressive home side gradually build their authority in the game, with two early goals, before two more on the resumption secured the win.

It is the second season in succession that Maree-Oranmore turned over Devon in the league and they got proceedings under way with a cracking long-range Colm Whelan free-kick. Donnacha McNamara put them 2-0 up before the break, before the visitors pulled one back in the opening minute of the second-half when a goalmouth scramble produced an own goal.

Devon attempted to push on from this, but it never happened, and McNamara was to add two more goals to complete his hat-trick in a 4-1 success. The win has changed the dynamics at the top of the table and may have offered a slender hope that the likes of Mervue United and Maree-Oranmore might get back in the title race.

Meanwhile unbeaten Colga are the new leaders as they turned a 3-1 interval advantage into a 7-1 demolition of Moyne Villa in Clarinbridge. Tom Daly struck a hat-trick for the home side as Lucas De Paula (two), Calum Browne, and Neil Greaney also added to the home side’s tally. A retaken Padraic Cunningham penalty was the visitors’ reward.

Renmore trailed to an Eoin Shield goal at the interval, but following a Killian Bolly cross, Leon Daly notched a second-half equaliser as the visitors shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Craughwell United.

Pictured: Mervue United’s Mark O’Halloran controls possession as Jason Coffey of Athenry looks on in Monday night’s U-21 Premier Division game between the sides in Mervue, which the home side won 5-1. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.