Enda McGinley: Rusty Mayo have more positives than negatives

Enda McGinley believes Mayo will take more positives than negatives out of overcoming Monaghan in a turgid encounter in Castlebar.

Still missing key attackers, Mayo were wasteful in the final third and struggled to break down Monaghan's packed defence but still did enough to get home by four points at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.

After a sluggish start, Mayo capitalised on Conor McManus' early black card, rattling off 1-03, including Cillian O'Connor's converted penalty to establish an advantage they never really relinquished.

"The victory was the important thing," said Ciarán Whelan. "On the back of three defeats, the All-Ireland final, the league final, the Galway game - three big game defeats - they needed something to energise them.

"We've seen them in this position before. They get energy and they push on.

"But it's still that last third. They're still reliant on the Durcans, the McLaughlins, the Keegans to come forward and kick scores. Matthew Ruane kicked a good score, Aidan O'Shea was good around the middle.

"But that final third, they don't look too threatening."

For McGinley, there was mitigation in the lengthy gap between competitive games and, in that context, any sort of win over Division 1 opposition has to be commended.

"One caveat and it's a massive one. Mayo hadn't played for six weeks when losing to Galway until today," he said.

"Going into that as a manager, you're training away but you don't know where your players are at, where their form lines are at.

"It's hard to produce a really top-level performance, particularly when you're against as hardened a team as Monaghan are.

"So, we're looking at their shooting, that can be improved. But after six weeks, to get yourselves up and going again, to get a win over