Celtic crowned champions with win against Conn 

Daragh Coyle at Mount Falcon 

Castlebar Celtic won a first Super League title since 2019 – and a nineteenth Mayo League title over – after a comfortable win over Conn Rangers last Sunday.

Goals from Colm Nevin, Dylan Edwards and Oran Groarke in the first half had the result in little doubt from the interval.

Celtic thought they opened the scoring in the first minute through Johnnie Cocozza, the right winger getting around Aidan Gallagher and firing into what was the outside netting, drawing celebration from travelling supporters who thought the shot had gone in.

Jordan Loftus fired narrowly over five minutes later, when a deep cross from left back Mark Howley spotted the forward all alone but his volleyed attempt was sent far too high.

Celtic did open their account two minutes later when another Howley cross, this time less accurate, was lamped into the area.

It dropped for Cocozza, who spun Aidan Gallagher beautifully, and he fizzed a cross over to Nevin on the edge of the box, whose first-time shot rifled just inside the left post beautifully.

The game entered a slight lull after that, with the next big chance coming ten minutes later.

Brian McMahon fumbled a cross and it fell edge of area for Cocozza, who laid it back to Oran Groarke and he struck it first time from about 30 yards from goal and rattled the crossbar.

It was really one way traffic in the first half and Celtic crafted another opportunity. Near the half hour mark, Groarke went one better then last time and found the back of the net with his rocket of a strike.

Ben Murphy plated into Nevin centrally, and Nevin laid it off for Groarke to swerve the shot into the top right corner of the goal from well outside the box.

Conn’s fortune weren’t improving much but did find a rare chance from an Adam Gallagher set piece.

His delivery from the halfway line was a little far but Owen McNamara kept it in and Mikey McHale volleyed at goal, but he was blocked.

It was to be a trio of fantastic finishes for Celtic when Dylan Edwards found the right hand corner from a left sided free just outside the Conn box, his effort getting up and over the wall before dipping into the side netting.

Rangers almost replied just before the half was over when an Aidan Gallagher free was rifled at Hester who spilled it. Mikey McHale followed it in but it hit the crossbar.

The second half was far less eventful then the first, with a big emphasis on possession by the champions-elect.

Edwards did nearly make it four when a poor pass out from the back by Owen McNamara fell to him but his left footed effort dragged wide right.

Five minutes after that, Edwards again went close cutting in from the left and forcing McMahon to tip it around the post at full stretch after a genius Jordan Loftus through ball in the middle.

Loftus went close from another left sided free not far outside the area, and Darragh Holmes also rattled the bar from a very similar position the other way for Conn Rangers.

A few half chances created by Jason Hunt at the death made no difference to the scoreline and Celtic could start to enjoy the celebrations with their travelling supporters.

Speaking after the game to The Western People, Celtic captain Ioseph O’Reilly said: “It’s unbelievable really, the season we’ve had.

Just delighted to get it over the line. It kind of felt a bit long winded in the end but that’s out of everyone’s control with games being cancelled.

“It’s been a massive season so far. We’re still unbeaten with two games left, I don’t know if we’ve gone unbeaten before but our aim now is try to get as much points as we’ve got in our history.

“I don’t know the numbers but if we get two more wins I can’t imagine many teams have got more than that. That’s our goal and we haven’t stopped yet, so we’ll keep going for that.”

On the title race with Ballina, the captain said: “We were even talking about going back to the game down in Belleek.

We went down to 10 men and they equalised, Oran got a late goal and even then we knew it was a big goal. We kind of said it at the start of the season that with the squad we have and the squad they have, that they’d be the ones to push us and they did.

Castlebar Celtic: Stefan Hester, Mark Cunningham, Mark Howley, Ioseph O’Reilly, Brian Walsh, Ben Murphy, Colm Nevin, Oran Groarke, Jordan Loftus, Johnnie Cocozza, Dylan Edwards. Subs: Eoghan Hughes (for Murphy 70), Luke Kelly (for Cocozza 70), Fionn Mahon (for Groarke 78), Jason Hunt (for Edwards 78).

Conn Rangers: Brian McMahon, Brian Durkan, Aidan Gallagher, Tuan O’Horo, Owen McNamara, Ciaran Brogan, Mikey McHale, Darragh Holmes, Adam Gallagher (Tadhg O’Sullivan, HT), Ronan Holmes, Alan Dempsey. Subs: Tadhg O’Sullivan (for Adam Gallagher ht), Aaron Faughnan (for R Holmes 80), Oran Timlin (for Aidan Gallagher 80).

Ref: John Mulroe.