A different ball game awaits Mayo in the Hyde - Billy Joe Padden

You always get the same thing from Roscommon.

They always believe, even if they are much weaker than Mayo or Galway, they always believe they can turn either team over on a given day.

That’s the mindset they brought when they beat us in MacHale Park last year. Sunday in Dr Hyde Park won’t be any different.

For me, Roscommon’s approach over the last six or seven years has been similar.

I think you have to dominate them at midfield. That’s something that Mayo haven’t done well over the last three or four seasons, probably since Seamie O’Shea, Barry Moran, Tom Parsons, players like that are no longer available.

I think we’ve played really good football in that area of the field. We’ve shown athleticism, work rate and a will to get forward, but we need to bring more physicality against Roscommon.

It starts by putting pressure on their kickout, to deny them the opportunity to dominate possession.

It really comes down to two things; set a platform midfield, get lots of bodies back when you can and keep in tight at the back.

Roscommon also have good forwards. Whether it’s Enda Smith, or Diarmuid Murtagh driving forward with the ball, they have fellas that can score.

But if you get on top at midfield, starve them of possession, put them under pressure on their own kick outs and put pressure on their own defence, you’ll be successful.

SLIGHT FAVOURITES

LAST year’s defeat came on the back of a league final win over Galway the previous Sunday that left Mayo emotionally and physically drained.

We probably went into last year’s Connacht on a real high and feeling really confident. But at the same time Mayo supporters recognised that a week’s turnaround wasn’t going to be easy.

Coming back from New York presents its own challenges in terms of fatigue and getting back into the swing of things after time changes and travel. But still, you have an extra week and I think that’s more than sufficient time to recover and prepare.

Despite that, I think people see this as much more of a 50-50 game or Mayo as slight favourites. I think, generally, Mayo supporters will be a lot more apprehensive going into the game. In some ways, for Kevin McStay, it might be easier to get the team mentally prepared for this game.

Sometimes it’s harder to prepare a team when you are coming off a win. But, on the other hand, Mayo have not been in great form going into this game.

When you go back through the league, there were 15- 20-minute periods where Mayo went totally out of the game. That can’t happen against Roscommon.

It happened against New York when we conceded two goals. In last week’s column, I gave Mayo the benefit of the doubt, given that the game was already won and complacency had probably set in.

But if you looked back at that game and - forgot about the colours they were wearing - and you compare the goals conceded against Derry, there were similar situations where you had runners off shoulders not being picked up. That is a concern, and the management will definitely focus on that.

As I said last week, Ryan O’Donoghue – who scored 1-13 in Gaelic Park - cannot be left to do it all on his own against Roscommon.

My advice to Aidan O’Shea, Cillian O’Connor and Tommy Conroy would be the same to all three - go out there and try and make something happen.

We know what Cillian O’Connor can do considering his record. There were opportunities in the second half against New York where he got the ball maybe 35 yards out and he went backwards with it, where I would be thinking, ‘Just make a yard and have the shot.’

Regular readers will know I always felt Aidan O’Shea best work was done around the middle of the field.

Tommy Conroy is a bit more different. He seems to be struggling coming back after injury. He just seems to be a bit short of confidence in terms of willing to take something on.

But if I was in the setup I’d be encouraging him, saying, ‘Take your man on. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake, don’t be afraid of kicking a wide, do everything you can with conviction and really back yourself.’

Roscommon did way too well around the middle of the field for my liking last year.

Like I said before, we need to bring more physicality to get the win in the Hyde.