Mitchels boss Filan plans to guide Mayo champions into provincial final

Castlebar Mitchels begin their AIB Connacht Club Senior Football Championship campaign tomorrow (1 p.m.) with an away tie against Fulham Irish in Ruislip.

This semi-final clash could be a potential banana skin for Castlebar as they are entering unchartered territories against a Fuham Irish side whose team can fluctuate every year due to emigration.

Mitchels manager Kevin Filan said he knows all about the potential pitfalls of such games.

“I remember being over in London back in 1993 when we (Castlebar Mitchels) played Tír Chonaill Gaels and that was a difficult game,” he said.

“Nothing is easy over in Ruislip. I think we only won by three points back then, and we definitely won’t be taking Fulham Irish for granted.”

Preparations have been going well, however.

“Training has been great since the county final and as a group we are really looking forward to the challenge in London. All we are thinking about at the moment is putting in a performance and hopefully getting the win.”

Filan said that Fulham Irish are a match for any team on their day. “We have been doing a good bit of research on them, and we know they are a good side.

"Their goalkeeper, Andy Walsh, plays inter-county football for London, and they also have the London corner backs in their ranks (Daire Rooney and Conal Gallagher).

"They also have players from Galway involved as well. They have some good footballers, and we will have to have our wits about us to get a result over there.”

The Mitchels manager said his side should have a clean bill of health for the game.

“There are one or two little niggles and fellas are getting treatment for those slight niggles. We probably won’t have clarity on those slight injuries until the end of this week. However, thankfully, there are no major scares at the moment.”

There is a great buzz in Castlebar Mitchels after the county final success and Filan was delighted for the supporters.

“It was great to see loads of kids after the game on the pitch wearing the club colours. They are the future of the club, and those kids would never have experienced a county title for Mitchels before.

Those youngsters will try to be the next Paddy Durcan or John MacMonagle.

“The reception we received in the clubhouse afterwards was brilliant. There was such a great feeling and buzz afterwards as we celebrated with family, friends and club members.

“I think the club are doing a fantastic job and pretty much all of the logistics about the trip to London have been sorted out now.

"From what I have heard there are almost 300 supporters travelling to the game, and it will be great for us to have that level of support over there. There will also be ex-pats living in London who will also attend the match.”

Filan concurred that the Mitchels defensive unit plays a key role in the team.

He explained: “When you have a number of defenders who play for Mayo then it gives you that foundation. They can all do a really good man-marking job but there are also a lot of other players pushing for positions as well.

“You have great experience with Donal Newcombe, young lads like Brian McDonnell, Joe Tuohy. Unfortunately, John Maughan will probably miss this game as he was out injured for the county final. Overall, we have a great defensive set-up.”

Mitchels will give it their best shot in the provincial club championship, Filan stated. “We know that if we beat Fulham Irish then we are into a Connacht final, and that it is a great opportunity,” he said.

“There is a lot of talk about facing St. Brigid’s or Salthill/Knocknacarra, and I know that they have strong panels. However, in this Connacht Championship we won’t fear anyone.

“We have a good tradition of giving the Connacht Championship a good shot, and that is what we will do again this year. We celebrated the county final, but since then we are focused on the task at hand.”

Mitchels selector Shane Hopkins is growing accustomed to his new role having played senior football with the club for 13 years.

He commented: “I am really enjoying the role. It is a different feeling to playing. I played senior football for 13 years and I had some great days during that time.

“When you have to retire then there is a gap in your life. However, I am grateful to Kevin Filan as he asked me into the intermediate set-up in 2021 and I just loved being back involved with the club once again.

"When you are finished playing and then become involved with the management team, it is incredible, and to win the county title was unbelievable.”

Castlebar Mitchels player Fintan Borotto said it was a dream come true to win the county title.

He stated: “We wanted to win the Paddy Moclair Cup as it had been a while since we last won it, and for it to come to fruition was fantastic. Since then, we have been working hard at training and looking forward to training every night. Overall, we are looking forward to this game.

“I played a handful of games last year with the intermediate side and worked my way up through the ranks. I then managed to get into the senior team for a few games at the start of the year, and then to end up playing championship football alongside the calibre of players that we have was a great experience for myself.”

Castlebar Mitchels wing-back Conor Mulroy said that after the defeat to Garrymore in the group stages, Castlebar regrouped and have been building momentum as the championship campaign has progressed.

“Things have been motoring along nicely, and we knew earlier in the year that we would have the Mayo senior players to come back into the team.

“After we suffered defeat to Garrymore in Hollymount in the group stages, we just reset and our momentum since then has led us to a Connacht semi-final,” Conor concluded.