Championship Preview: Huge task ahead but plenty to learn as Louth head to Mayo

It was not to be for the Louth Footballers last week in Navan.

Leaving themselves chasing a deficit for large periods of the contest, in the end they came up agonisingly short against Cork. A strong finish not enough to negate a poor first half. A gifted goal giving Cork a cushion that was hard to fight back from.

But as always, following any setback they’ve faced, manager Mickey Harte was pragmatic in his post-match media briefing. He gave Cork the praise they warranted for winning, but was still able focus on what his players did right, stressing they deserved plenty of credit for their hard work.

“It really is a game of two halves these days” he stated.

“Maybe you have to be conservative a bit in the first half and we would’ve been conservative enough if we hadn’t conceded that goal and were still very much in the game.

“There was another moment where Ciaran Downey did a lovely solo dummy and kicked the ball wide, which when you take the goal out of it and take that out of it, it was a drawn game at half time. That would’ve fitted perfectly into the script we wanted for the game.

“But it didn’t end up that way so therefore we still had a lot of things to do in the second half. I said to the players that while we are disappointed by the result, we are certainly not disappointed by their effort and the energy in their game and some of the great football they played too.”

That energy was in abundance in the second half, as the Wee County bounced back into life. A Liam Jackson goal saw them fight back. Yet the Rebels were getting the scores when it mattered most. Be it three in a row after falling behind or injury time scores to stay in front and ultimately win.

The Tyrone was happy by the way his charges stayed in contention throughout. And had a certain decision gone in their favour late on, he feels they could’ve at least secured a draw.

“Right up until the last free we were in contention. We felt at that stage we had bottled that man up who went to ground and he ended up getting a free which ultimately led to them going two up. If that was a free to us instead, we were in a position to attack that game again and maybe get a draw.

“Even though you want to win these games, a draw would’ve been some consolation today, but I’m afraid we just have to lick our wounds now.”

They will have very little time to reflect on the loss as they are back in action this weekend.

It will be new territory for the vast majority of Louth supporters, as they head west to see their team collide with Mayo in McHale Park Castlebar (Throw in 2PM).

Kevin McStay’s troops will be one of their toughest tests to date. The men in green and red have already won national silverware in 2023, having beaten rivals Galway in the Division 1 League Final.

Along the way there was wins over Kerry, Tyrone, Roscommon and Donegal, alongside draws with Galway and Armagh. Their only league loss coming in the final round against Monaghan. They averaged around 18 points a game and bagged nine goals, showing their ability to notch high scores.

However they have had one slight setback. They began the Connacht Championship with back in April when they hosted Roscommon just a week after lifting the league trophy.

A hard working and highly disciplined defensive display was the key to the Rossie's victory, as was two first half goals. In the end they ran out 2-8 to 0-10 winners.

That doggedness in defence being a trait Louth could easily bring to proceedings in Castlebar on Sunday. A characteristic which will be needed in abundance to have any hope of causing a shock.

But having had a long break to regroup and recover, Mayo got their act together for a clash with All Ireland Champions Kerry in Killarney. Having been off for 41 days, Kevin McStay made five changes, as they ended the Kingdom’s 39 nine game unbeaten championship run in Kerry.

Whether or not it was their freshness or in fact their hunger to bounce back with a bang, Mayo outclassed Kerry all over the field. They were first to every ball, fought much harder for everything. An early Eoghan McLaughlin goal decisive as they recorded a memorable 1-19 to 0-17 victory.

Could Mayo have peaked for Kerry and possibly taken their eye off the ball when it comes to Louth. Mickey Harte has been in their situation of producing a huge win and then taking on a so called ‘weaker team’ afterwards. From his experience, he doesn’t expect Mayo to take anything for granted on Sunday.

“Their bounce back was a game against Kerry and the form they were in against them was very impressive" noted Harte.

"I’d believe there was enough experienced people around them to be guarding against any degree of complacency.

“I expect them to be up for the fight, try and make a statement of intent to the other top teams who have aspirations to win Sam Maguire. That is what they are doing at this stage of the year.”

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Of course this game see’s Louth filling the underdog role once again. Very few, if anyone really expects the Wee County to pull off the shock of the championship.

However, Harte stressed he isn't worried about being underdogs. They will give the tie all they’ve got, knowing there is plenty for the group to take from playing some of the best sides in the country.    

“The world and his mother know that we are not at the standard of Mayo or Kerry at this point in time. It is what we aspire to be at given enough time, but I think it is too fast to be expecting us to compete at that level.

“But that doesn’t mean we should give up and not try. Obviously the next two teams we will play are going to be strong favourites and we have to try and stay competitive. As even if we don’t get the results we want, we need to show ourselves what it takes to get to this next level.”