The pressure is firmly on Mayo to turn league campaign around
by Aiden Henry
WHILE we might only be entering the third round of the Allianz National Football League this coming weekend, for Mayo it is going to be a crucial fixture.
Not alone do they need the two Division 1 points on offer against Tyrone, but they also require a performance that would give their massive band of supporters some hope for the remaining rounds of the league and the forthcoming championship, which starts in early April.
Following the outcry by the county faithful after the loss to Galway last time out, a lot now rests on Sunday's game against Tyrone, which will be played in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar, at 1.45 p.m. today (February 16).
As it stands, Mayo sit at the bottom the Division 1 league table.
They are the only team without a league point in the top division. One would feel that a third defeat in a row would leave it very difficult for Mayo to hold on to their Division 1 status.
The burning question is this: Can Mayo, in a matter of two weeks, turn things around?
Few would consider their performance against Galway as anything other than one of the worst performances for a very long time.
They looked a bit all over the shop, displaying little in terms of a plan, tactics or leadership, and perhaps not fully familiar with the new rules and receiving little guidance from the management team on the sideline.
However, I am sure management and players are well aware of the shortcomings and will be going all-out to put a lot of the problems they encountered against Galway right against Tyrone.
For this alone I am sure the Mayo faithful will turn out in force in the hope of seeing a massive turnaround in their counties fortunes.
It would come as a surprise if they were worse than against Galway. It would be a disappointment too.
Of course, Mayo’s fortunes will be helped against Tyrone with the likelihood of a return of a few experienced players, such as Aidan O’Shea, Jordan Flynn and possibly Jack Carney, albeit none of them named to start.
The word on the ground is that another Mayo star player, Paddy Durcan, is also making great progress. His return would be another welcome boost.
However, we will have to wait just before throw-in on Sunday to see what 15 starts for Mayo against Tyrone. Then it will be a question of how they perform.
If anyone thinks Tyrone will be a pushover, they would be mistaken.
In their two games so far, they were defeated away to Armagh away and beat Derry by 2-13 to 1-9 at home.
The victory over Derry was achieved without the two Canavan brothers, who haven't featured in either of the two Tyrone games so far.
However, they are expected to be fit and ready for this round three clash with Mayo.
What are we likely to get from Mayo is anyone’s guess.
A victory will give some hope of staying in the top flight, but a Mayo win over Tyrone will only come as a result of a good performance. Tyrone are a pretty decent team and will take a lot of beating.
There is no doubt that the pressure is on Mayo in this encounter.
Will the management and players rise to the occasion?