McStay talks honestly and asks, 'Can we push on?'

It is by far the most frank, and dare we say critical, that Kevin McStay has been when he discussed on Saturday evening just where stands his Mayo team in the inter-county pecking order.

After a third championship match this summer whereby Mayo won none despite leading all three in second-half stoppage time, the manager was asked if he saw it as a problem, that the team has not learned how to kill a game.

“It takes skill to do it. The best teams, the best players kick those points in those clutch moments and maybe we’re not quite there yet, we don’t quite have that level,” admitted McStay. “But we believe we have the potential to get there, and they’re hugely committed to playing for Mayo and I know the effort to practice that skill and get better, that won’t be the issue. But can we push it on will be the big question.” 

While it is true that Mayo coughed up a two-point lead at the end of normal time, it is also true that they scored four of the last five points of extra-time to take this All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final to penalties. Derry, however, perhaps showing their experience of winning this year’s National Football League Final and last year’s Ulster Final on spot kicks, held their nerve best.

“We’re just bloody disappointed now because our season is over and I’m fairly sure we’ve been fairly competitive in every single match we’ve played this year. We lose a Connacht final by the last kick of the game, we draw with Dublin with the last play of the game and we go out tonight on penalties, with the last penalty of the game, so that’s tough, that’s the fine margins that are involved,” said a clearly frustrated Kevin McStay. “That’s the only sense I can make of it, that we’re getting the wrong side of those margins too often and until we are a little more ruthless and clinical and can stretch out our leads when we should stretch them out, we give everybody a chance to catch up with us. So maybe there’s the work on.” 

The Ballina man said it was hugely disappointing that the group would not be contesting next weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-finals in Croke Park but that reflecting on the year overall, he was “awful proud” of the players.

“They don’t know any other way but the effort they put in trying to win these matches, so I’m going to reflect and say we were hugely competitive but we’re not at the top, top level yet, and that’s where we want to get to. And until we do, that’s where we’re at.”