Mayo’s players and management are bullish about their All-Ireland chances following their great escape in today’s drawn final.
The Green Above the Red conceded two own goals in the first half and trailed by three in injury time, but they still showed the heart and the football to come back and force the replay with holders Dublin on October 1, after it finished 2-09 to 0-15.
Manager Stephen Rochford and their most experienced player Andy Moran both insisted that they can and will improve.
“See you in 13 days,” was Rochford’s immediate reaction when he faced the media after the final whistle in a strange game of football.
“We’d be very disappointed with a number of aspects of the game. We contributed to the concession of two goals - some might say they were unlucky, but you make your own luck.
“There’s serious scope for improvement and we’re looking forward to coming back here in 13 days. It’s a case of a lot done, more to do. It’s half-time.
“You don’t feel sorry for yourself. We said we weren’t going to have regrets about certain things that would happen through the course of the year and the course of the game.
“Some days you get a decision, you get a lucky goal, things happen - it’s 70 minutes and it’s not a defining moment.”
Mayo manager Stephen Rochford reacts to his side's All-Ireland final draw with Dublin. #DUBvMAY #GAA https://t.co/yNoXHnE9NI
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 18, 2016
He admitted to mixed feelings despite the dramatic nature of Mayo's escape.
"These boys have plenty of resolve and resilience over the last number of years, not just this year.
"It's a little bit surreal in some ways. You're looking at the scoreboard, three points down going into injury-time, and then you think 'did we have chances to win the game overall?'"
Rochford, who won an All-Ireland club title with his native Crossmolina as a player and with Corofin as a manager, insisted that those own goals, from Kevin McLoughlin and Colm Boyle, which left Mayo five behind at the break, won’t be the talking point come the replay.
“At this moment in time, we’re still in the fight. It really doesn’t change our thought process. We had 13 turnovers in the fist half and that’s not particularly good. We have things to improve on and that’s what we’ll be doing.
"Everyone of our guys have scope for improvement and that's what we'll need in two weeks. We're going to have to show that in abundance when we reappear here in 13 days."
Moran, ever the optimist, took the positives from that first half, even though they conceded two incredibly sloppy goals.
“Dublin were two goals and no points for a lot of the game so there was a lot you can take out of that,” he said.
“We were probably more concerned about the way we were playing. Our transition play, back to front, wasn’t good enough, we weren’t offering ourselves enough in the forwards. We believe we can compete against anyone and we came out in the second half and showed that.”
