Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath has accused Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea of diving to win a penalty that he feels was the defining moment of the game as Fermanagh’s championship campaign ended in controversial circumstances in Castlebar.
Playing with a strong breeze at their backs in the first half, Fermanagh built up a six point advantage by the interval as they went in with a 1-10 to 1-04 lead at half time.
Mayo though dominated matters on the resumption as they took a grip on proceedings around the middle of the park and started to eat into the Fermanagh lead.
However, Fermanagh still had a one point lead as the game moved into the final six minutes but then came the decisive moment in the contest.
Aidan O’Shea threw himself to ground close to goal and referee Joe McQuillan awarded a penalty which was converted by Cillian O’Connor as Mayo took a lead they were not to relinquish.
And McGrath was in no doubt that the Mayoman dived to win the penalty.
“I thought at the time it looked very soft. 
“The referee indicated some kind of a jersey pull which if it was the case was minimal but RTE are just after showing it to me there now and before Che Cullen made any contact, Aidan O’Shea was diving. 
“I was amazed when I saw it, it was an absolute dive,” he said.
Indeed, McGrath believes that this was the defining moment of the encounter.
“After us playing so well in the first half and dominating the game to a large extent, Mayo did turn the screw in the second half around the middle third as we knew they were going to. 
“We knew they were going to start to push and come at us but we were generally managing it. I know they were chipping away and chipping away but with six minutes to go we were still a point ahead. 
“The penalty then was the defining moment of the game because they had the bit of a breeze, they had the crowd behind them, they then get a penalty to go in front with six minutes to go. 
“We had to respond very quickly but they got a quick point,” he stated.
McGrath admits that the Westerners power and strength in the middle of the park was a major problem for his side in the second half as Mayo battled their way back into contention.
With Fermanagh playing into the breeze, time and again Mayo claimed possession from kickouts which pushed Fermanagh on to the back foot for long periods of the half.
And Stephen Roachford’s men were able to strengthen that area further when they went to the bench.
“They had physical strength in that area and then they bring on Barry Moran who is another big man and that narrows down kick out options again. Wherever we fired the ball they had really big men and our energy in the middle of the field subsided in the second half where in the first half we were rampant in that area.”
Having put so much effort into the game, McGrath admits it was a disappointed changing room after the game. And he felt it was also another game that Fermanagh have possibly left behind them. The Fermanagh boss had spoken on a number of occasions in recent weeks about his side failing to push on against the big teams when they had got themselves into a position to possibly go on and get the win, and Saturday was another one of those games.
“The players are devastated, even though we were playing one of the top three teams in the country, and they are a top three team, we feel that it is another one that we maybe have left behind,” he stated.
Overall though progress has been made in 2016. Fermanagh consolidated their place in Division Two and lost to two big hitters in Donegal and Mayo in the championship. 
McGrath says that the challenge for the squad though is to take things to the next level.
“There has been progress, there is no doubt about that. 
“I said that to the players, we talked about putting the jersey in a better place and they did that today. 
“It’s just having that facility to make that next step. It’s a mini quantum leap from say the middle of the middle tier to the top of the middle tier and maybe be touching the guys at the very top. 
“That’s the challenge, and it’s a serious challenge for any county team,” said McGrath.