Kevin McStay: Two sides to Mayo approach for New York mission

Last week's two-point Allianz league win over Monaghan sealed a satisfactory spring campaign for Mayo manager Kevin McStay.

However, he says all eyes have quickly turned to the impending championship visit to New York on Sunday week.

Whilst ensuring a good flow of results and spread of players during the league, McStay says that planning has also been vital for the journey to the Big Apple.

"It’s not a trip," he states, "It’s a Connacht championship quarter-final and we will pay it all the respect and due diligence that it deserves.

"So there have been two sides to our approach to this game. The logistical side and the football side.

"Due to the work of Sean Finnegan and the support of the communications lads and the county board, a lot of the heavy lifting has been done in terms of the logistical side. We had a good briefing recently and that leaves us with the full focus now on the football side.

"And that’s purely what we are concerned with - the football side."

On that score, players like Padraig O’Hora and Paddy Durcan have been welcome returnees to the Mayo line-up in recent times.

The likes of Rory Brickenden, David McBrien and Jack Carney have staked their claims and there is also a healthy infusion of young blood in the squad.

Experience is still key, with the county's all-time top scorer Cillian O’Connor hopeful that his injury woes are behind him, and Aidan O'Shea set to make his 186th appearance for the county against New York.

Reflecting on the past few months, when the team finished their top-flight league campaign with eight points, McStay says he is satisfied with 2024 to date.

"We kept our Division 1 status and that was a key objective," he said.

"We did it with two games to spare and that was very