Tuesday, 26 March 2013 14:07

03Cathal Carolan keeps the ball from DOnegal's Leo McLoone in Sunday's national football league clash at Elvery's McHale Park, Castlebar. Pic Michael DonnellyTHE rot has finally stopped.

Mayo manager James Horan paid tribute to the ‘character’ and ‘spirit’ of his side, who turned around a four-match losing streak to beat Donegal and get their national league wagon back on track.

Nobody was mentioning the All-Ireland final defeat at the hands of Donegal at sub-zero MacHale Park, Castlebar, on Sunday, but the warm gusts of confidence could be felt all around the stand as Mayo produced their best league performance to date to record a four-point win over their All-Ireland nemesis (1-10 to 0-9).

“It was a victory for the character and spirit of the side,” said Horan, who was delighted that his team had finally ended that losing streak which threatened to undermine the confidence of the side and bring his own management tactics into question.

“We turned over a lot of Donegal ball for a change and we probably should have won by more, but we are glad to get the win.”

However, Horan was quick to point out that they still face a big game in Cork in two weeks’ time before the national league lottery is finally sorted, but there was no denying both he and his team are now in a better, if not altogether a safer, place.

Ironically, after just two wins, a third would catapult Mayo into the semi-finals, but should they lose to Cork they could also be demoted.

Other results, notably the meeting of Kerry and Tyrone, could well decide Mayo’s fate.

“It won’t be the end of the world if we lose to Cork,” said Horan, who was very proud of the team’s overall performance. And rightly so. The muchmaligned midfield of Barry Moran and Seamus O’Shea came good, but, at the end of the day, it was a priceless goal from Michael Conroy that untimely swung it for Mayo.

The Davitts man got a boot to a Keith Higgins pass after the Ballyhaunis man had run the length of the pitch to set up Mayo’s second league goal in six games, the upright helping the ball into the net.

The goal put Mayo 1-7 to 0-7 ahead and when Donegal were reduced to 14 players after a second yellow card saw Anthony Thompson leave the scene, the outcome looked inevitable.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 14:04

Mayo 1-10 ..... Donegal 0-9..... NOTHING like a goal to warm the cockles of the heart and a win to keep the circulation going as the biting cold at MacHale Park, Castlebar, on Sunday was forgotten about - momentarily at least - as Mayo metaphorically basked in the glorious warmth of a win over Donegal, their All-Ireland final nemesis.

It may be only two league points in mid-March, but the significance of this win will not be registered psychologically until further down the championship track but, at least, the rot of defeat has been stopped, the tide of losing has been stemmed, and Mayo are back on track towards national league redemption.

What Giovanni Trapattoni would pay for the strike of Michael Conroy, which came 16 minutes into the second half of what was, and was always going to be, a serious dogfight over a very important national league bone.

Significantly, the man who set up the goal was Keith Higgins, a player who was the scorer of Mayo’s only other goal in this year’s campaign when he found the net against Tyrone.

It was a typical scorching run by Higgins after a ball had been stolen by the hard working Cathal Carolan from a Donegal handbag, and was posted first class via the heavy transport machine of Seamus O’Shea to Higgins, who found Conroy, the Davitts man swinging his boot to connect with the loose ball and finding the net with the help of the upright.

It came at a critical stage, with the sides locking horns at 0-7 apiece, and it was then that Mayo finally began to believe they had the winning of this game. They were helped slightly by the dismissal of Donegal’s Anthony Thompson on a second yellow card, but Mayo were getting on top before Donegal were reduced to 14 men.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 13:56

IF for nothing else, Mayo’s win over Donegal on Sunday stopped the rot of losing national league games, along with restoring confidence in the team.

The two points gained throw a much better look on the league table as far as Mayo are concerned and although they still have relegation worries, they could also still make the semi-finals of the national league.

The league has thrown up some very strange and surprising results so far. Mayo have certainly been involved in a lot of them, albeit for the wrong reasons. But after losing four games on the trot, this deserved victory over reigning All-Ireland champions Donegal is a very welcome boost.

Next Sunday week will decide everything, in the final round of the group stages in the league. Mayo make the long journey to Cork where victory would give them a great chance of making the semi-finals of the league, especially as their points difference is pretty good.

However, a loss will leave them depending on other results in order to stay in division one for next season. Save

Until the final results are in, it’s a case for now of ifs, buts and maybes.

I am sure manager James Horan will have slept a lot better on Sunday night after seeing his charges produce a much better performance and a victory which keeps them in with a good chance of staying up and possibly winning a league semi-final spot.