Charlestown roll into town for league game

Mike Finnerty

ALL roads lead to Flanagan Park on Saturday evening (April 16) as the Ballinrobe senior footballers get back down to business against Charlestown in Division 1A of the Mayo GAA Senior League (throw-in at 7pm).
Ballinrobe will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing away to Ballaghaderreen in the first round but they will get very little easy from the 2009 county champions.
These two teams have met in the early rounds of the senior league quite a lot in recent years and, for some reason, Ballinrobe always seem to have the measure of the Sarsfields.
Even last year, our lads managed to dig out a 0-7 to 0-5 win in Charlestown.
This weekend, Norman O’Brien is hoping to be able to use Donal Vaughan at some stage as the Mayo panellist continues his recovery from a serious groin injury.
Donal hasn’t played competitively since last August but has been training for the last few weeks and is almost ready for his return to the playing fields.
Ronan Macken is also hoping to be fit after picking up injury against Ballagh’ first day out.
All the other usual suspects are available for selection and Ballinrobe will need big performances from the key men — David Killeen, Sean Grimes, Peter Staunton, Sean Burke and Micheál Keane — if they are to pick up their first league points of the season.
Charlestown, who are now managed by Sean Higgins and Stephen Healy, will be without a few of their familiar faces as the likes of John Casey and David Tiernan have not yet returned to training.
Tom Parsons, who was dropped from the Mayo panel earlier this week, remains their ‘main man’ while Aidan Higgins, Dermot Higgins, Richard Haran and Tony Mulligan are all very talented footballers.
The team could really do with all the support they can get so, if you have no other plans for Saturday evening why not head to The Lough and get behind the lads.
And bring your friends!

PLUS, you can read a full report of the Ballinrobe v Charlestown match here on www.ballinrobegaaclub.com on Saturday night.