Mayo’s McStay Accepts Blame After Unexpected Defeat
Mayo manager Kevin McStay has taken full responsibility for his side’s surprise loss to Cavan in their All-Ireland SFC Group 1 opener. Despite a determined effort, Mayo came up short at MacHale Park, falling 1-17 to 1-14 in front of their home fans. The defeat puts extra pressure on McStay’s men, who now have to chase wins in their next two games—against Tyrone and Donegal—to stay in the competition. Even so, McStay isn’t losing hope and says his team will head to Tyrone looking for nothing less than victory.
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McStay Staying Positive
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, McStay acknowledged that Group 1 was always going to be tough, with four strong teams fighting for qualification. He emphasized that regardless of the result against Cavan, Mayo would have needed a big performance against Tyrone anyway. Now, though, the stakes are even higher. “There’s just a bit more edge to it now because we haven’t picked up any points, but we’ll be chasing two points in Omagh,” he said.
Reflecting on the Cavan Defeat
McStay didn’t sugarcoat the performance, admitting that his team never quite got into a flow. “It was a difficult game, kind of a stop-start nature to it,” he explained. “We just couldn’t get any rhythm or momentum into it.” While Mayo did create a few goal chances, it wasn’t enough to overcome Cavan’s sharp shooting and high conversion rate. He gave credit where it was due, acknowledging that Cavan were the better side on the day and deserved the win.
Cavan’s Big Statement
Cavan boss Raymond Galligan was delighted with his team’s performance and work rate. After being knocked out of the Ulster Championship by Tyrone, his team had clearly regrouped with purpose. “We really put the head down and focused on today,” he said. Cavan also had to overcome several injury setbacks, but Galligan praised the squad for digging deep and showing the hunger needed to win in Castlebar.
Eyes on the Prize
Galligan stressed how much effort had gone into improving the team’s fitness in recent weeks, knowing they’d be up against a physically strong Mayo side. With this big win, Cavan now remain in the competition with everything to play for. Galligan also acknowledged the challenges ahead, but said the squad was determined to stay confident and keep building momentum.
