Mayo junior champions bid to reach Connacht decider

Kiltimagh will set sail on their journey to add the AIB Connacht GAA Junior Football Championship title to their Mayo crown when they face Roscommon junior champions St. Croan’s in the semi-final on Sunday (November 16, 130 p.m.) in Ballyforan, writes Aiden Henry.

While it will be Kiltimagh’s first game in the Connacht championship, their opponents, St. Croan’s, have already played a game, defeating highly rated Sligo champions Cloonacool by eight points (2-12 to 1-7).

After a bit of a downturn in their football fortunes over the past few years, Kiltimagh are back in full flight again following their eye-catching displays, especially in the latter stages of this year's Mayo’s junior campaign. After a poor start, they regrouped to win the Mayo title – and it was in the decider against Eastern Gaels that Kiltimagh produced a top-class performance before emerging winners with a fair bit in hand.

As we have many times in the past, once they get the bit between their teeth, Kiltimagh are a very tough side to beat. Now that they have secured the Mayo crown, they will be going all-out to win the Connacht title.

With a bye into the semi-finals, they have had time to prepare for this next step in their quest to put the club back among the top teams in the county. One would be of the opinion that winning the Mayo junior title was the injection needed to drive on what is becoming a fine side, and it should give them a great chance of doing well in the Connacht club championship.

But Kiltimagh will be well aware that winning any club title in Connacht is never easy. As such, they will be giving their Roscommon opponents their due respect as they prepare for the semi-final clash.

I am sure they will have watched their opponents last Sunday against Cloonacool and know that nothing less that a top-class performance from them will be required if they are to have a chance of coming out on top.

The one thing we can expect is that this game is going to be a very close affair. The Roscommon side will feel they have a very good chance to beating Kiltimagh, especially after their display in the quarterfinal. They are a well-balanced outfit and have plenty of forwards capable of turning possession into scores.

However, I feel Kiltimagh are getting better and better with each outing, and we can expect more improvement against St. Croan’s. If they can make good use of their scoring chances and reproduce their Mayo junior final display, I think they will come out on top with a few points to spare.