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The Connacht Championship will throw-in, in three weeks time when Galway cross the Atlantic to take on New York, but Mayo are now in a holding pattern for the next nine weekends, until they in all probability take on Galway in Pearse Stadium in the Connacht semi-final. By that stage the Tribesmen should have two wins under their belts as they are down to face Leitrim a fortnight after their Big Apple adventure.

There is one thing for sure about Sunday’s National League game against Tyrone and that is Mayo will not be underestimating the challenge facing them when Tyrone come to town.

Not to long ago the list of Mayo’s walking wounded looked like it could not only derail James Horan’s stated aim of going for league title, but could have made the first step in achieving that goal, being in with a chance of making the semi-final, very difficult. After Mayo lost out to Tyrone in Omagh a few weeks ago, Horan pointed out that he was short some 20 players due to injury and club-commitments. But the past few weeks have seen that number come right down with only Alan Dillon and Chris Barrett on the long term list, and Cillian O’Connor very close to a return to action, according to the Mayo boss after last weekend’s victory over Kerry in MacHale Park. The Castlebar Mitchels contingent are still concentrating on club duty ahead of St Patrick’s Day.

After the breakneck start to the year with five games in 31 days, the past fortnight would have come as a welcome respite for James Horan and his management team as they had two weeks to work with their panel without having to prepare for a game at the same time.

It may not be that long in the grand scheme of things and with everything else that is going on around the country, it may seem like a very trivial matter. But to those, who follow the fortunes of the Mayo senior team tomorrow night couldn’t have come quick enough. A new year, a new start and a new manager, a new season and a chance to start putting the memory of Pearse Park in Longford last June, well into the past.