There is pressure on the players to deliver

SECOND chance. Sudden death. Call it what you want.

One way or the other this Saturday, Mayo embark on a mission that will ultimately define their season, writes Martin Carney.

Successfully negotiating the qualifiers is phase one of the process. There is pressure on the team to succeed. Defeat at any stage before the August weekend would spell disaster.

If the team fails to reach the last four in the All-Ireland championship irreparable damage will result. Undoubtedly it will hasten the end for many from the most successful squad of players to have represented Mayo in decades.

Home advantage is always a bonus in the qualifiers and just as fortune smiled favourably on the team last year with games against Fermanagh and Kildare in MacHale Park, once again fate has been kind.

A home tie is usually worth two or three points and backed by their fanatical support Mayo can sometimes resemble a team playing with an extra man.

In what frame of mind Derry arrive is anyone’s guess but from what we have seen in the league and in their defeat to Tyrone they are a team in crisis and with a clear confidence deficit. Few away fans will travel.

Their sense of disconnect with the team is noticeable. Despite the best promptings of their manager Damien Barton many of their better players have declined to commit.

It’s alleged that some are critical of the boring, formulaic style that has become their norm while others simply don’t want to be part of a setup that demands the commitment levels expected from inter-county players today.

This indifference to the county jersey may also be due to the fact that club football in the county reigns supreme and players claim to get more enjoyment representing their parishes than their county.

My own view is that their recent decline can be traced to the departure of influential players like Enda Muldoon and Eoin Bradley over the past few years. The latter in particular was an exceptional forward but in recent times he has forsaken the pastures of Celtic Park for a sporting career with Coleraine FC and Glenavon, with whom he won an Irish cup medal. The void created by the loss of this mercurial genius remains.

Their record over the last three seasons has been particularly dismal. Relegation to Division 3 of the national league this spring was their latest setback and since 2011 the team has recorded just a single win in the Ulster championship - against Down in 2015.

Consequently they have had plenty of experience in the qualifiers and their two back door wins last year against Meath and Louth were followed with another one against Waterford recently. Defensively, they had the worst record of any team in Division 2 of the league but in attack they have quality players in James Kielt and Danny Tallon who specialise in long-range point kicking.

Mayo are at a crossroads and everyone will hope to see evidence of recovery at the weekend.

I believe that the team has had sufficient space since the setback in Salthill to address and iron out their deficiencies. Thankfully, there was little lacking in focus, energy or ambition in the defeat to Galway so in many ways the fundamentals are sound. Team selection in contrast may cause headaches as doubts persist about the fitness of Ger Cafferkey, Lee Keegan and Aidan O’Shea.

That aside, I hope to see Colm Boyle restored to the team as his infectious spirit is something that inspires his colleagues to greater heights.

Although they fell short of their normal standards against Galway I still expect Seamie O’Shea and Tom Parsons will man the engine room. Both will be glad of the opportunity to rediscover their drive and influence.

Diarmuid O’Connor is another whose form dipped somewhat the last day. With an insane schedule of club, college, underage and senior commitments over the last three years is it any wonder?

Given his importance let’s all hope the blip is temporary.

Another conundrum Stephen Rochford must address is to what extent should he give some of the more inexperienced members of the panel game time.

Circumstances will dictate this but if the team looks comfortable the occasion should be used to accommodate the less experienced. Stephen Coen has responded well whenever the opportunity beckoned but, for all their promise, Evan Regan, Conor Loftus and Danny Kirby have yet to make the impact up front that the team could do with.

A successful Mayo team needs forwards like these to maximise their potential at every opportunity afforded and stake their claims for the starting fifteen.

It won’t come as a surprise to the players that they will have to face down a stubborn though not particularly well organised defensive blanket. Derry will pull a minimum of 12 men behind the ball with the intention of frustrating Mayo, yet a weakness in this approach is that they seem to concentrate on covering space rather than going man to man with their opponents.

I’d like to see Mayo’s half-back line having a greater licence to attack as I think that the tactic would stretch and pressurise the Derry defence. Tyrone set the template in their recent outing with Derry as their defenders, when they attacked, drew numerous fouls from the Derry defence and consequently scored a total of 11 points from frees.

With Keith Higgins suspended, Lee Keegan and Patrick Durcan possess the fleetness of foot to cause most trouble by surging from the back. I hope they do it effectively and frequently.

In order to banish any lingering hangover from the Galway defeat let’s hope that the team wins and wins handsomely.

Reacquainting themselves with winning ways on the back of an impressive performance is the required antidote to the semi-final defeat. That the team comes through unscathed is another element in the wish list.

With games due on a week by week basis injuries are one thing the team can ill-afford. It won’t be pretty but Mayo on form should enjoy a comfortable win.

It’s time to see the snarl once more.