Ballinasloe still 'the team to beat' in Ros' league

The real fairytale story of 2011 in the Roscommon League surrounds Dysart Football Club. Originally formed in 1971, the red and blacks were relegated from the Premier Division (Roscommon's highest division) three years ago, but bounced back in some style during the 2010-11 campaign. They won promotion from Division 1 with plenty to spare, going the entire league season unbeaten, and winning 15 of 16 matches. Not only that, they upset the odds to also win the coveted Roscommon Challenge Cup, beating Premier Division Skyvalley Rovers in the final thanks to a solitary goal from John Coyne. Now in his fourth season as manager, David Kelly looked back on a hugely profitable year for the South Roscommon village side, as they marked the club's 40th anniversary in style. "It was a fantastic year for the club," David said. "It was the first time the club did a notable Double, winning Division 1 and the Challenge Cup, while we also won the Division 1 Cup. It was well over 20 years since Dysart won the Challenge Cup, and I suppose everything just clicked into place for us. The players gave a commitment at the start of the season and it paid off. The league win was very fulfilling. To go the whole season unbeaten is no mean feat, and we can look back on that with pride. We beat three Premier Division teams along the way to winning the cup (Castlerea Celtic, Shiven Rovers and Skyvalley Rovers), and it was a remarkable achievement for a Division 1 side," added Kelly. Since then, Dysart have found the going a little tougher, with the loss of a handful of players, mainly due to work commitments, hampering their Premier Division hopes for the current season, but they should still have enough to achieve a comfortable mid-table finish in the top division. The machine that is Ballinasloe Town also keeps ticking along nicely, with Enda Concannon's side clinching a fifth Premier Division in six years at the end of the 2010-11 season. The yellow and blacks, based at the Curragh Grounds (opposite Ballinasloe's Portiuncula Hospital), also reached last season's Connacht Cup final, where they lost to a strong Athenry Utd. In the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup, Ballinasloe contested a tight affair with Athlone side, St Peter's, before losing 1-0. A quarter-final exit in the Roscommon Challenge Cup was somewhat surprising, but so far this season Ballinasloe look to have strengthened further, and Enda Concannon believes they're capable of competing on several fronts this season. "We had a very successful season in 2010-11, but we're looking to get better," he said. "We last won the Connacht Cup in 2004, and would dearly love to win it again. Last season, we reached the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup, and that's the furthest we've ever gone in the competition, so it would be nice to better that. Our main priority though, is retaining the Premier Division league title, and we never lose sight of that," added Enda. It wasn't all plain-sailing in last season's league, with Ballinasloe needing a play-off win over Skyvalley Rovers to secure the title. Ballinasloe are well positioned to retain their league title this time around, but will be desperate to see influential centre-back and captain, Peter Keighery, recover from a horrific knee injury picked up near the start of the season. Keighery is probably not due back until around March, said Concannon, whose son, Darragh, continues to be a creative influence in attack for Ballinasloe, along with powerful centre-forward Liam Lynch. Skyvalley Rovers, who were unfortunately the unlucky bridesmaids of last season, finishing runners-up in both the league and cup, are hoping to go one better this year. Committee member and long-serving club-man, Ollie Brooks, managed the team last season, which is now controlled by Athlone native, Declan Holohan. Brooks said Skyvalley were inches away from having "a superb season" in 2010-11, but were unlucky to finish in second-place in both league and cup competitions. "We gave it everything but just fell short. We actually finished level on points with Ballinasloe in the league, and had a superior goal difference, but were required to contest a play-off, and lost it 3-2. We played poorly in the cup final (against Dysart), but also did well to reach the quarter-finals of the Connacht Cup, before losing on a penalty shoot-out to Oranmore. This season, with Declan in charge, we've managed to stay near the top end of the league, but Ballinasloe are definitely the team to beat," said Brooks. Moore Utd, managed by Fergal McCormack, are the other South Roscommon club currently competing in the Premier Division. They had a very good season in 2010-11, finishing a very respectable fourth in the top division. Athlone native McCormack, involved with Willow Park schoolboys for several years in the past, is hoping the team can repeat last season's league form this time around, and possibly claim silverware in one of the cups. "The facilities out here in Falty are second to none, at this level, and the club deserve credit for it," said Fergal. "We're trying to build a young and enthusiastic team, but we've a fairly small area to draw from. We have some talented lads, the likes of Darragh Pettit, Enda Kenny, Alan Duffy. I'm here three years and concentrate a lot on the schoolboy section, but hopefully the first-team can have a good second half to the season," he added. Moore's abilities were best illustrated by a stunning 5-0 win at Skyvalley Rovers in mid-December, and they also recently secured the return of former St Peter's player-manager, and current Athlone Town youth boss, Mickey Collins, as a player. Moving on up... Three other clubs - Cam Celtic, Rahara Rovers and St John's Athletic - are presently vying to move up the Roscommon League ladder. Last season, St John's (based in Lecarrow) added to a 'yo-yo' reputation by getting relegated from the Premier Division. They had previously been promoted from Division 2 in 2006, and then Division 1 in 2008, but got relegated back to Division 1 in 2009. Another promotion back to the top tier followed (in season 2009-10), but last season saw them slump back to Division 1. Manager Peter Tiley has been at the helm for all of St John's recent trials and tribulations, and this season is merely looking for his side to retain Division 1 status. "It's been a tough year for St John's. We've been consistently missing players, and that makes it very difficult for a club our size. Like lots of other clubs in Roscommon, we've been up and down a few times over recent years, but the most important thing this season is to avoid a relegation battle in Division 1," said Peter. The highlight of the year for Division 1 Rahara Rovers was undoubtedly the official opening of new facilities at Clover Park. In August, Football Association of Ireland (FAI) President, and Athlone native, Paddy McCaul performed the opening of the club's newly developed pitch, which was the culmination of major work over the previous 15 months, including major drainage and re-surfacing work on the pitch. Rahara Rovers, nestled between local soccer clubs Cam Celtic, St John's Athletic and Dysart, was only founded in 1998, but has made noted improvements and progress since, with former Monksland Utd manager, Philip Marshall, now currently at the helm. They presently look on course to achieve a relatively smooth mid-table position in this year's second tier. Brideswell outfit Cam Celtic are also moving in the right direction. Promoted from Division 3 last season, the Kiltoom and Cam side look like they're on the cusp of another promotion. "Strokestown Utd are our main rivals for the Division 2 title this season," said manager Adrian McDonnell. "We've a great bunch of young lads, and they're fully committed to the club. Hopefully, we can achieve another promotion, and possibly win the Division 2 title," he added. Apart from achieving promotion last season, Cam Celtic also made a notable impact in the Roscommon Challenge Cup, twice winning against teams from higher divisions, most impressively against Premier Division Cloonfad Utd, before eventually exiting the competition after a last minute extra-time goal against Ballymoe. "The Challenge Cup run was a great experience, and hopefully we can do well in the cups again," said Adrian.