Mayo won't mind quality of the scalp

National Football League Division One A/ Mayo 1-15 Kerry 1-14: In Kerry they know well that the evidence gathered in February league matches is so degraded by summer sessions as to be virtually inadmissible. Still, the tightness painted on the Kerry faces as they trooped off the field in Tralee on Saturday night suggested that for once they'd like to be given the benefit of the doubt.

This was the fourth year in succession Kerry have lost their opening league encounter, and each time it happens the prophets of doom dip their nibs into the inkwell and prepare for business.

At the other extreme are Mayo, the eternal romantics of the west. They came here and secured their first win in 10 years over the Kingdom. They'll do well if the happy tidings of their potential aren't advertised in skywriting all over the county next week.

Reduced to 14 men for the final, inevitable siege on their goal, Mayo played with passion and some savvy.

Mickey Moran expressed himself pleased that the extensive trials held in Mayo before Christmas had provided the county with a platform to build on.

It is early February, and both sides introduced enough fresh faces to be able to excuse themselves as being in an experimental phase, yet the game was played at an unseasonably helter-skelter pace. Apart from a certain gingerlyness in the physical exchanges, the game showcased two sides with serious championship ambitions.

The game opened with a showstopper. Kerry tore at the Mayo goal, and whisked a good chance wide. Mayo careened back up the pitch, found Billy Joe Padden lurking with intent under a high ball and - bam - that was it. Goal. No winter cobwebs. Two minutes gone.

Mayo quickly added a point to underline their intent, but Kerry produced a dazzling move, weaving a string of passes together from midfield before Declan O'Sullivan found the net.

There were perhaps six minutes gone at this stage and many in the congregation leaned towards their brethren and whispered "game on".

And lo, it came to pass that the many in the congregation were wrong. Dead wrong. Mayo tore away. Kerry stood mute.

Poor Eamon Fitzmaurice had one of those evenings which any defender hopes to avoid in the course of the career. His consolation was that this happened in a league game in February at a time when Kerry have less than three weeks' training in their system.

Pitched in at centre back, Fitzmaurice saw his man, Ger Brady, rip four points from play and open up a causeway through the centre of the home defence.

Fitzmaurice will point out that the blame doesn't rest solely with him. He is right. The experiment of playing the Ó Sé brothers, Darragh and Tomás, together in midfield was a worthy one, but in the circumstances it didn't work.

At least it didn't work quickly enough. After 20 minutes Mayo led by six points and had the luxury of regretting a good goal chance blazed wide by Austin O'Malley. Jack O'Connor had seen enough.

In times of crisis, nine out of 10 experts recommend having a Gooch (Colm Cooper) on the bench. The glass casing was duly broken and Gooch was released on to the field. Aidan O'Mahony went off and Tomás Ó Sé scampered happily to the right half back position. Everything started to look a bit more balanced.

Kieran Donaghy, 6ft 6in of basketball player whom Kerry presumably need somewhere in the spine of their team, was called in from his mysterious wing forward posting to partner Darragh Ó Sé at midfield. Kerry scored the next four points.

By half-time there were three points in it and one wondered if Mayo would need smelling salts to revive them for the second half should they ponder too much the improbability of having scored 1-10 in a half against Kerry in Tralee.

They came out, though, and scored the first two points of the second half, and now Kerry knew they were in a game. Padden and James Gill at midfield were starting to struggle under the aerial antics of Darragh Ó Sé and Donaghy, but the Kerry forwards lacked the fluency that brings the punchlines. Seven of their scores for the evening would come from Mike Frank Russell frees, and in the second half, despite having the bulk of possession, they scored only three times from play.

Two of those points came in the final 12 minutes when Mayo had lost their snappish young corner back Trevor Howley for a second yellow card.

Howley had performed well, but Kerry's best chance came just before his dismissal. Eoin Brosnan and Cooper exchanged passes as if telepathically linked and found Russell, who hit the side netting as he came from the left.

If Mike Frank showed flashes of his old self on Saturday, the same could be said for his teammates. They aren't long back at the grindstone and the pace which Mayo brought to Saturday's game caught them a little by surprise. For Jack O'Connor there was much to be pleased with, but the critical work of filling a couple of spots through the spine will continue all spring.

For Mayo, there were two points they hadn't counted on and a unity and spirit they'll hope to count on later in the year. Mickey Moran headed for the bus and the long road home with a rare smile on his face.

MAYO: F Ruddy; T Howley, D Heaney, K Higgins; P Kelly (0-1), J Nalen, P Gardiner; BJ Padden (1-2), J Gill (0-1); A Dillon (0-1, a free), G Brady (0-4), A Moran (0-2); C Mortimer (0-3, frees), A O'Malley, P Casey (0-1). Subs: D Geraghty for P Gardiner, B Moran for A O'Malley (both 58 mins), L Brady for P Casey (60 mins).

KERRY: K Cremin; P Reidy, M McCarthy, M O Sé; A O'Mahony, E Fitzmaurice, M Lyons; D O Sé, T O Sé; K Donaghy, E Brosnan (0-2), P Kelly; Darren O'Sullivan (0-1), Declan O'Sullivan (1-2), MF Russel (0-7, all frees). Subs: C Cooper (0-2) for O'Mahony (20 mins), P O'Connor for Kelly (h-t), T O'Sullivan for Fitzmaurice (50 mins), K O'Leary for Darren O'Sullivan (69 mins).

Referee: T Quigley (Wexford).