Mayo will be all-out to redeem themselves

JOHN MAUGHAN has been there before, a lonely figure on the sideline in Croke Park, watching his side’s dream of All-Ireland glory fade before his eyes.

And it almost happened again last Sunday in the first of the Bank of Ireland football championship semi-finals. It can be “a very stressful place,” he says - especially if your players are “under-performing.”

And under-perform Mayo certainly did against the competition’s “dream” team Fermanagh.

So, what went wrong. In short, too few of the Mayo players played up to standard, not enough of them came out on top in personal duels. And, of course, they were a man short for most of the second half (after wing-forward James Gill’s dismissal for two high tackles in the space of four. Most of all, the opposition put up a mighty challenge.

In a television interview immediately after the game, Maughan admitted that he prayed a lot in the closing minutes. “I was relieved. That was my initial reaction. I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t disappointed - just absolutely relieved that we got away with a draw,’’ he said yesterday.

Mayo supporters and most neutrals expected that Fermanagh’s luck would run out, that they wouldn’t be able to compete with the team which had impressed a lot of observers in their Connacht campaign. And which confirmed that promise in the win over holders Tyrone.

Not Maughan, though. “We had not underestimated the magnitude of the challenge against Fermanagh. We knew how good a team they are, exceptionally talented. They will feel disappointed.

“They had a fantastic opportunity to put us away the last day. They had four or five wides at the end of the game. Any of them, particularly the chances that Tom Brewster had, would have put us away.

“Luckily we survived. But one must bear in mind that we played the last 27/28 minutes with fourteen men.’’

As difficult as Mayo’s situation was entering the last quarter, Mayo didn’t agree with the view that things were starting to unravel on the field. “You have got to admire the opposition. They are a fantastic team. We knew we were really going to be severely tested in lots of positions and Fermanagh put it up to us in most quarters. They won lots of the head-to-head duels, so in that context, it wasn’t unravelling.

“It was just that people around the country - print, media and others - have underestimated how good a side Fermanagh are.’’

Likewise, Maughan insists that his team deserved to draw, that they did enough over the 70 minutes to earn it. “If right was right, I think the draw was the correct result,’’ he said. “We had a very good penalty claim not allowed (when Conor Mortimer seemed to be pushed). We also had a one-on-one situation with Pat Kelly that wasn’t converted (when the Fermanagh keeper stuck out his foot to divert the wing-back’s kick outside the post). We did miss a few 45s and a few other chances. The fact that Fermanagh missed those late chances, they were magnified because they were at the death of the game. But when you look at the overall context, eleven wides to nine would suggest that it was a close, intense affair!’’

Measured against Ronan McGarrity’s vital contribution, the Mayo manager agreed his midfielder’s fitness - after an early injury scare - was reassuring. And in relation to David Brady’s below-par display - alongside McGarrity - he had this to say. “David would have been disappointed obviously. As a footballing person he doesn’t need me to outline that, but there were others who under-performed. We had a few problems in one or two other lines where guys didn’t perform.

“Thankfully for them, they are all getting an opportunity to redeem themselves.

“From our perspective, we’re obviously focusing on the areas of our game that need improvement. I don’t know how they are going to feel.

“But I know that we were certainly relieved to get a second bite of the cherry.’’