The sun has just come out here in the West – we made the journey down in the late afternoon yesterday on near-empty roads – and it looks as if the weather should be fine, though maybe a touch on the blowy side, for this afternoon’s League match with Derry at MacHale Park.
Although it’s a shadow Derry side we’re facing today, the job that the lads have to do remains the same. Win the match and we’re into a semi-final this day week at Croke Park, most likely (though this won’t be confirmed until all the various results are in) against the same opposition. It doesn’t matter a jot to us if we get no kudos for winning against weakened opposition today and it won’t negate in any sense the satisfaction we’ll get from having qualified for the League play-offs for the third year in a row. Providing we do qualify, of course.
We’ve all seen how well Derry (their first team, that is) have done so far in this campaign. Beating Kerry down in Killarney was a significant achievement and sending the Dubs home with a six-point defeat in their hand luggage was more impressive still. We may get to cross swords with the lads who made all this happen next weekend but first we need to battle our way through the largely unknown team they’re fielding this afternoon.
And that’s exactly what we should do today. James has sensibly gone with a small number of changes from the team that started last weekend and the aim has to be to make the League points secure as soon as possible this afternoon. Then, and only then, should we be thinking about ringing the changes, not least as we know to our cost from the last few matches how upsetting mid-match personnel switches can be to our rhythm.
First and foremost, we need a win today and hopefully there’ll be a big, noisy hometown crowd at MacHale Park this afternoon to see us get it. With the sky having turned blue and set to stay that way for the rest of the day, Club ’51’s decision to head for the bleachers across from the stand seems like it might be a well-timed one and I think that’s where we’ll be heading too. Here’s to a loud, boisterous and winning afternoon at MacHale Park today. Up Mayo!
Your comments there are so on the mark, priority number one, win the match, anything after that is a bonus, and hopefully no black cards or injuries….
Very strange decision by Derry making that amount of changes, I’d be surprised if they have the strength in depth to field 2 teams. Hope they aren’t playing “rope a dope” and line out a full strength team. Not that it should matter to us either way, just don’t see how getting a hiding off of us can be of any benefit to them next week.
Maybe Derry are just out to preserve what they have and be ready for a league semi, and since there’s only 2 national trophys on offer its rare enough for Derry to be in a position where 2 more wins hands one to them.
Either way, Mayo will need to go and do their best and above all protect that bloody goal and Robbie Hennelly. If we don’t conceded goals we will win, simple as that.
A one point win is enough but of course that’s unlikely given the competition for jerseys up front.
All that matters is a win. Would be fairly confident against a full strength Derry team. Prefer if they had fielded their strongest team as we sometimes are a bit complacent when us winning is seen as foregone conclusion. Anyway just win and qualify and we ll see what happens then.
Job done – and now to Croke Park for the real game next Sunday !!!
great job lads, made some heavy work of it, but we’re in the semis. Freezer is the man! hopefully nothing serious with Cillian.
Btw, ya gotta hand it too the Dubs, great heart going to Omagh and getting the win.
The less said about mayos performance the better. Sounded like we were flat and listless for long period against a reserve team. Listened online and the mid west boys were very unimpressed. Worried about next week now coz we are primed for an ambush by Derry, massive improvement needed. Similar to a situation we had against cork a few years back. Had an eye on the Dublin game on tg4, boy you gotta hand it to them in fairness. digging out a league semi final place with an outrageous injury time winner from Connolly, despite surrendering what was at one stage a ten point lead in the 70th minute of the match and playing the last 8 minutes with 14 men. I hate Connolly but he is a quality player capable of anything if given space. I hope Cillian is ok it’s difficult to imagine us beating Dublin without him if we meet again this year.
have to agree Mac…thing is, he didn’t have ANY space for that shot…see the pivot he made? making the space…class pressure kick.