Westport United defeat Castlebar Celtic to end nine-year wait for Mayo Super League title

Westport United were crowned Mayo Super League champions for the first time since 2017 following a 3-1 victory over Castlebar Celtic in front of a huge crowd at United Park on Sunday afternoon.

The result ended Celtic’s run of three successive championships, although the visitors had looked well placed to retain their title when Johnny Cocozza gave them the lead after 24 minutes.

Westport started strongly, as expected, but Celtic gradually settled into the contest and took their advantage into the half-time break. However, the game changed dramatically immediately after the restart when Celtic’s Oran Murphy received a straight red card, leaving the defending champions to protect their narrow lead with ten men.

Westport took advantage of the extra player and levelled after 60 minutes when Noah Massey powered home a header from a corner. The home side continued to press and took the lead twelve minutes later through an outstanding strike from Alex Halpin, who found the corner of the net from outside the penalty area.

Celtic struggled to respond as the demands of playing with ten men on the big pitch began to tell.

Veteran striker Darren Browne completed the scoring in the 90th minute, confirming Westport’s victory and ending their nine-year wait for the Super League title.

*See Tuesday's Western People for full coverage