Unlucky Mayo can still make their mark in qualifiers

ANOTHER big game leaves Mayo fans wondering what might have been. That seven-year curse for breaking all the mirrors must nearly be up. Or maybe just some counties were born unlucky in football.

They have honed post-mortems of big football games into an art form in the county. They have had a lot of practice. This was another match where they just didn’t seem to get those breaks.

There was the missed penalty, but also the loss of Fergal Costello and Gary Mullins, who was having an excellent game, both to accidents.

There was Brian Donoghue’s wonderful save as Stephen Carolan almost redeemed his miss with a goal in the second-half and the bounce of the ball here, the bounce of the ball there.

John Maughan brought a young team to Salthill yesterday, full of energy and brimming with ambition. And they gave a performance that promises bigger things on the horizon. Maybe, that was why Maughan didn’t appear too crestfallen after it all.

“Galway were worthy winners, they have exceptional talent up front, we were well aware of that but I thought our defence played well.

"People might point the finger at Mayo forwards again, but that was a game we could have won. So, we are not as bad as some people made us out to be.”

Certainly, the Galway dressing-room was suitably impressed. Matthew Clancy felt this Mayo side “going to be a test for whomever they meet in the back-door.

"They are a very good footballing team, very well organised and I wouldn’t like to meet them again. They are a team on the rise and it is only the couple of breaks we got that took us over the line.”

Whether the silverware-laden future that their opponents predicted for them materialises or not, they will certainly be a handful for any side in the coming weeks.

Conor Mortimer was lively again yesterday, and but for a few last-ditch tackles could have got that goal his team craved.

Trevor Mortimer troubled Gary Fahey more than a lot of full-forwards have in the past few seasons, while David Heaney manufactured a way of keeping Padraig Joyce quiet at the edge of the square.

So much so that Joyce, growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of ball, was brought out to centre-forward.

Maughan isn’t wearing shades yet, but the future does look bright.

“They are a young side. I genuinely believe that Mayo team will do well, they are enough talented players coming through the system and that gap between the eventual All-Ireland winners and the contenders is getting smaller every year. There is hope for the future.”

While they may have to do without Fergal Costello, who thankfully regained consciousness on the way to hospital after his nasty, accidental collision with Paul Clancy, in the next round, they will certainly have to do without Fergal Kelly who saw red late in the game.

Maughan felt that the referee was slighty impetuous.

“I thought the sending off was harsh, Fergal Kelly is not a dirty player. We are without him now and we are not blessed with midfielders in the county at the moment, and it is just another blow.”

As for the back-door: “Teams in the back-door system have better preparation. Nothing helps the confidence of a team like winning games, those that are left have won three, that creates momentum and belief.

"We have two weeks to get back up, fellas are down, but it is a challenge and one we are going to respond to.”