The first big test in this year’s football championship awaits for Mayo on Saturday evening, as they renew hostilities at provincial level with Roscommon for the first time since 2014. James Horan was Mayo manager first time round back then and he’s guiding the county’s fortunes once more now as Mayo seek to make it back into a Connacht final after a three-year absence.

In this episode of the Mayo News football podcast we preview the big game on Saturday evening. Co-hosts Rob Murphy and I gets things going with some chat about the occasion, in which James Horan’s League-winning side faces its first major hurdle of the summer campaign.

Mayo News sports editor Mike Finnerty then sits down with John Maughan, a man who in his time managed both Mayo and Roscommon and who is currently Offaly bainisteoir. Their wide-ranging discussion focuses both on Saturday’s game and looks all the way back to that iconic two-match Connacht final tussle between the counties in 1989. Yes, that really was thirty years ago now.

Next, Rob gets some tactics talk and big match analysis from Mayo News columnist Billy Joe Padden. Rob then tests the waters on the other side of the fence by checking in with Kevin Egan of the Roscommon Herald to see how the neighbours are feeling ahead of Saturday evening.  Finally, Mike catches up with Mayo captain Diarmuid O’Connor to get his thoughts ahead of what’s set to be a big day for him on Saturday.   

This latest episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Podomatic and Spotify. You can also listen to it directly on the Mayo News website as well as here on the blog using the SoundCloud player below or the one on the panel on the right.

The Mayo News football podcast’s championship coverage this summer is proudly sponsored by J Streicher. “When it absolutely, positively has to be financed on Wall St.” Visit our website at www.jstreicher.eu.