Kevin McStay: ‘Very hard one to take because we know we had the chances to win it’

HARD TO TAKE: Mayo manager Kevin McStay before the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship final match between Mayo and Galway at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

This was there for Mayo. Level with ten minutes left, at home, with the wind and several opportunities. Still, they couldn’t do it.

A two-point defeat saw Galway climb the steps in Castlebar to celebrate a four-in-a-row of Connacht senior championships for the first time since the 1963-1966 era.

Mayo boss Kevin McStay isn’t sure if it is one that got away, but he knows they had their chance.

“I think that might be a bit unfair to Galway to summarise it like that, but certainly one where we had chances, some great chances and a sore one to take now obviously.

“Lost another big game down the stretch that we feel we could have won and until we start taking those chances and putting the pressure on our opponents that's going to be our lot.

“So it's a very hard one to take because we know we have the chances to win it.”

Some big calls went against them. Matthew Ruane was penalised for a tug on Johnny McGrath that resulted in a Matthew Tierney penalty. A Ryan O’Donoghue two-point free became a one-pointer after Connor Gleeson touched the ball, although it did look over before he made contact.

Only direct kicks over the bar from outside the 40-metre line are worth double points.

“I don't have a TV obviously on the sideline, so I don't know. But what I'll say is in the pre-match commentary I said we'd have no excuses and we don't, all these things would have been irrelevant if we looked after those moments you're talking about.

“So the Cup is presented, there's nobody going to say hang on a minute now we'll play another five minutes for the Cup, it's done and dusted, Galway are the champions and we're not, we have to suck that up now and get on with it.

But that's our job is to kind of put a bit of shape on the next fortnight, we were going to have to play the round robin anyway. It's not like if we won, somebody was going to give us a pass to the quarter final.” 

Diarmuid O’Connor was taken off at half-time due to injury. Paddy Durcan was included in the matchday 26 but did not play. McStay said they wanted their captain to lead them through the weekend and that the Sam Maguire group stages is his target.

Mayo face Cavan next. Their task now is to improve how they finish out matches.

“That is an issue for the group. We're not going to run away from it. We'll be talking about it again next Friday night I'm sure.

“We had three of them last year, if you remember, big matches and we didn't see them out and here's the first one of this season again now that we feel we've left it behind, but I know Galway will argue otherwise.

“I mean they had a big part to play in the second half too. But yeah it's a sore one, I won't shy away from that; we put an awful lot into this, this was a date in the diary 12 months ago, whenever the draw was made we thought this was a day we could get back.”