United hope not to be miscast as the Villains in Milebush
Westport United will hope to win provincial silverware this weekend when they take on Moyne Villa in the Connacht Shield Final.
Westport United will look to win their first silverware of the year when they take on Moyne Villa in the Connacht Shield final this Sunday in Milebush.
The club are no stranger to success in this competition, with their ‘B’ team winning it in 2022, and the Connacht FA’s ruling that clubs in the top leagues around the province were allowed to enter should they exit the early rounds of the Connacht Cup have added a new dimension to the competition this year and it is one that United have taken full advantage of.
After being beaten by eventual Connacht Cup semi-finalist Colga, United were immediately placed as the hot favourites for the competition and they have enjoyed near-serene progress.
They hammered Manulla 7-0 in Round 2, Oughterard 4-1 in Round 3, before beating Claremorris 3-1 to set up a semi-final with Cloonfad United.
The semi-final was their most challenging game to date. Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, United could not find a way past Cloonfad in the first half and the Roscommon & District side went ahead through Neil Morris.
But United, who were playing less than 72 hours after a Super League game with Claremorris, regrouped in the second half and one of their brightest young talents in Jack Dawson scored a brace in the second half - the second goal was a wonderful left-footed volley from almost 20 yards - to send them to the final.
Dawson is one of a special group of young players to have come through the club over the last couple of years, which include Noah Massey, Harrison Quinn, Fionn O’Hora, Cillian White, Cian Halpin, Kevin Kitterick, Dylan O’Malley, Alex Halpin, Cillian McGing, Dylan O’Malley, Adam Nugent, Fionn Ó Ruain and Evan Durkan.
Even for such a young age, they are no stranger to big occasions. Four of those players – Dawson, McGing, Durkan and Alex Halpin – started for Rice College’s U17 team that won the FAI Schools Tom Ticher Cup final last year, while Cian Halpin, Massey, O’Hora, McGing, O’Malley, Ó Ruain and Nugent were all involved for Rice College in the 2022 final. White, Quinn and Nugent were also part of the Mayo Oscar Traynor Cup squad that reached the decider.
“They’re very experienced,” head coach Kevin McNamara told the Western People. “They’ve used to playing Inter-League and big finals. They love it. With a couple of days rest, they’ll be ready.” Coupled with the experience of Cillian McGlade, Gary Cunningham, Joe Lawless, Darren Browne, many see United as the coming force in the Mayo Super League and as a team that can threaten Castlebar Celtic’s dominance.
While a Super League title challenge this season may be too soon, they will go into this Sunday’s final as favourites against Villa, but McNamara knows Villa’s position in the Galway FA Championship (the Galway League’s second tier) is deceiving.
They will be playing in the Galway FA Premier Division next season and will pose a stern test for United. They boast an array of attacking talent which includes Mayo man Adam Barrett, known in Gaelic football circles for his exploits with Kilmaine.
Another player Westport will need to be wary of is former Galway United forward Padraic Cunningham, who was part of the Galway League’s Oscar Traynor squad and has played for Galway’s senior Gaelic football team.
“The championship (Galway’s second tier) is a competitive division. When sides go up to Premier, they tend to compete and they’ll hold their own. Cunningham is a proper number nine. He’s physical, good on the ball and will cause us huge issues. There’s not many like him around.” After a tough schedule the last month which saw them play nine games in 23 days across Super League and cup commitments, United have a full week to recover and prepare for this final. On the injury front, Adam Nugent remains out and McNamara said he is still ‘six weeks away’ from a return but Caoimhín O’Toole, Aaron Cannon, Alex Halpin and veteran Joe Lawless are back and McNamara hopes to bring more silverware to United’s growing cabinet.
“It’s very important. Any season, the first trophy you can put on the board is the most important one. It solidifies everything you’re doing and you can move on from it. It’s a great learning curve for the younger players in the competition.”
