Relieved Mayo regroup to ponder performance puzzle

RELIEF wasn’t the only emotion loose in Mayo’s dressing room after yesterday’s lucky escape at Croke Park.

Annoyance was rife too as players and managers expressed their disappointment at a woeful performance.

"I would say it's our players and our management that are relieved, not Fermanaghs," said straight-talking selector Liam McHale.

"Charlie Mulgrew will be a very disappointed man, I would imagine.

"They hit wide after wide after wide in that second half and maybe it was a case of two inexperienced teams being on a very big stage that they're not used to. There were lots of mistakes out there and, personally, I'm very disappointed with how we played."

John Maughan too was a man with much on his mind when he finally emerged from the changing area.

Half an hour after the final whistle and he still couldn't work out what had gone wrong.

"Fermanagh are definitely a better team than people have been making them out to be," said Mayo's manager.

"I've been saying that all along but it's difficult to put your finger on what exactly what went wrong out there.

"The coaching was right, the training was right, the players right hopefully we'll rectify that mystery in the week ahead."

Where Mayo obviously struggled was in midfield. Two weeks ago David Brady kicked three points from play in a superb all-round performance against the All-Ireland champions.

Yesterday he was called ashore with 16 minutes still to play. Whether it was clean ball or scrappy, second-hand possession, Fermanagh seemed better in the midfield exchanges.

"It's different opposition in every game you play," said Maughan.

"Fermanagh are elusive and pacy, a bit like ourselves. It was difficult to predict what they might do but you have to give them great credit for the way they played. I'd like to think we'll play better the next day.

"Did I learn anything today? I learn something every day."

For long stretches, it just didn't seem to be Mayo's day. The dismissal of James Gill, Pat Kelly's fluffed goal chance in the first half and Trevor Mortimer's penalty appeal, which was waved away.

"I didn't see it clearly from the line, to be honest," said Maughan of the challenges on the elder Mortimer by Ryan McCluskey and Raymond Johnston.

"I felt it was a free at least but until I see it on the video later I won't know for sure. I saw a guy going down but those sort of things come and go.

"I thought the sending off was harsh. It was a clumsy tackle rather than anything malicious. It was difficult for players out there because the footing wasn't very good in the conditions.

"James Gill has no record to suggest he would deliberately do anything like that. I won't criticise the referee though, it was just unfortunate."

Maughan isn't one of those people to proclaim that Fermanagh has missed its chance of All-Ireland glory.

Anything but.

"The Fermanagh boys will be disappointed not to have won it. It was always going to be a 50/50 game and it will be the same again next week."