All-Ireland SFC Group One: Kerry 0-17 Mayo 1-19
Mayo manager Kevin McStay was keeping a strong lid on things for the Allianz Football League winners after their surprise victory over Munster champions Kerry ended a 28-year unbeaten home Championship run for the Kingdom on Saturday afternoon in Killarney.
“Obviously I'm very pleased with the performance. And the performance obviously led to the victory. It gives us two points," McStay said.
"I said in the build-up that that's all that was on offer here: two points in this group. They're valuable ones. We'd have taken one at one stage if we had to.
"Getting two gives us a good start in the group so we're very pleased because the performance was good. We worked very hard obviously after the last reversal. It's lovely to see that come out on to the pitch."
McStay's side were coming into Saturday's game having exited the Connacht Championship at the hands of Roscommon on April 9, a week after defeating Galway in the League final. Although devastated by the defeat, McStay revealed they used the six-week break to their advantage after a punishing schedule of matches.
“In the first two weeks we didn't do a whole lot , but we had to come up with some sort of a reaction. We were very disappointed with our Connacht Championship. It certainly wasn't the way we had planned it. But we worked well, got a nice block of work in and prepared well for the trip,” McStay said.
The manner of their victory stood out for many given how they led on the scoreboard for practically the entire game.
From Ryan O'Donoghue's point in the fourth minute, they were never behind and Eoghan McLaughlin's 61st minute goal put the seal on an impressive win. Victory could have been confirmed sooner than that, but for the heroics of Shane Ryan in the Kerry goal, saving efforts from Diarmuid O'Connor and James Carr.
However, Mayo still held a comfortable 0-12 to 0-7 lead at half-time, thanks largely to the scoring of O'Donoghue, Carr and Aidan O'Shea.
David Clifford did rally the Kindgom in the second half but Mayo were always able to keep their opponents at arm's length before McLaughlin's goal effectively settled matters.
McStay added: "I would just say it was strong running by our boys. I don't think we had any specific plan to do that. We just got a lot of good footballers out on the field, who we think are tidy players, and they really wanted to perform in this Championship.
"They felt that they slipped back a bit in the previous match and they had a bit to prove to themselves perhaps. They certainly did that. The very pleasing thing for management is that there was consistent application right throughout. There weren't too many valleys and we kept the scoreboard ticking, which is important down here obviously to keep the pressure on."
For Jack O’Connor it was a Kerry performance that they as a management team would have to take as much responsibility for as the players.
“We just seemed to get no momentum in the game. Mayo’s long kick-outs gave us trouble, particularly in the first half. Every time they won a long kick out they appeared be in on us. Even when we tried to press the kick-out, they won the long kick-out so that is something we obviously have to revisit,” the Kerry boss said.
“We have to look at the way we set up tactically as well, we obviously conceded too much and it appeared as if we did not put enough heat on their middle third of the pitch to slow them down. They are a very athletic team and powerful running team and I thought we hung out our full-back line a bit and we are going to have to look at that,” he admitted.
“I think we have to take as much responsibility as the players because we obviously did not get it right either.”
Kerry: S Ryan; D Casey, J Foley, T O'Sullivan (0-2); G O'Sullivan, T Morley, G White; D O'Connor, J Barry; D Moynihan (0-1), Seán O'Shea (0-3, 0-2 frees, 0-1 45) P Clifford; T Brosnan, D Clifford (0-8, 0-3 frees), P Geaney (0-3)
Subs: P Murphy for Casey (h-t), A Spillane for Brosnan (h-t), R Murphy for Moynihan (46), B Ó Beaglaíoch for Morley (59), S O’Brien for Barry (64)
Blood sub: P Murphy for Morley (25-28)
Mayo: C Reape; J Coyne, D McBrien, S Callinan; P O’Hora (0-1), C Loftus, D McHugh (0-1); M Ruane (0-2), D O’Connor; J Doherty (0-1), J Carney (0-1), J Flynn (0-1); A O’Shea (0-3, 0-2 frees, 0-1m), J Carr (0-3), R O’Donoghue (0-5, 0-2 frees)
Subs: P Durcan (0-1) for Doherty (48), E Hession for Callinan (48), T Conroy for Carr (53), E McLaughlin (1-0) for O’Hora (56), S Coen for Coyne (60)
