Allianz National Hurling League Division 2B: Roscommon v Mayo on Sunday in Athleague at 3 pm
In a strange turn of events Roscommon will face Mayo two weekends in a row over the next two weeks in Division 2B. This Sunday is a regular season game while next weekend the sides will meet again in a relegation play-off to see who stays in the division.
While the result on this Sunday’s game will not alter the relegation picture, it offers Roscommon a great chance to build on what was a very encouraging display against Meath last week in which Johnny Kelly’s men ran the table-toppers to just three points.
This is an eminently winnable game for Roscommon who have been improving in recent weeks. Roscommon manager Johnny Kelly says that the display against Meath is a big boost to his side.
“We showed a massive improvement against Meath and hopefully now the tide is turning in our favour. This game on Sunday won’t affect the relegation situation but it is a great chance for the lads to win a league game and put two points on the board. It would also be good to win it as we have to play Mayo again the following weekend.
“We will be operating from much the same panel as we have had for the past few games and the lads are gaining in confidence. At home in Athleague this will be a good chance to get a win on the board and I will be looking for a good performance again. If we can improve on what we did against Meath then we should have a good chance,” he concluded.
In recent years Mayo moved ahead of Roscommon in the pecking order but in the past year or two there looks to be very little between the teams. With their talisman Keith Higgins on duty with the Mayo footballers on Sunday, Roscommon have a great chance to put down a marker ahead of the relegation play-off on Sunday week. At home Roscommon should win it.
Prediction: Roscommon
