IT'S NOT often that the main focus of the day falls on the Connacht championship but yesterday's rare top billing turned out to be thoroughly justified. Before a crowd of 18,500, last year's All Ireland finalists Mayo made history.

They had come to Tuam Stadium with an irritating jinx hanging over the county. That they hadn't beaten Galway at the venue since 1951 was only a post script for their general anxieties about defending the Connacht title and trying their hand at the All Ireland again, but consigning that detail to the past iced the cake nicely.

Into the winners' excited dressing room came Padraig Carney, a legendary member of the last team to achieve the distinction which was followed later that summer by an All Ireland win. Resident in the US, he had travelled specially for yesterday's encounter.

"I was so impressed with you guys last year," he told a hushed audience, "I had to come back. It was a tough game today and there were a few little improvements that could be made but you played as a team and I was proud of you and I will be back to see you in Croke Park."

It had been an exceptionally good match. Mayo tore into Galway from the start and had bolted 1-4 to nil clear by the 10th minute, with a third minute goal from P J Loftus. Faced with obliteration, Galway's young team somehow recovered and with a breathtaking display of fast, intelligent football, levelled the match by halftime.

Mayo's experience and a spirit tempered in last year's tempestuous All Ireland final and replay helped them regroup and take the match 1-16 to 0-15.

"I don't think it was complacency," said manager John Maughan about Galway's forced reentry to the match. "We had difficulty in our half forward line and weren't winning any breaking ball for about 15 minutes.

"We were also launching some ridiculous ball into our full forward line which was not part of the script and we had to change that. We battled well in the last 15 minutes and played particularly well."

Galway counterpart Val Daly had seen the action close up. Having started the match at centre forward, he moved to the wing in the first half and went off in the 54th minute.

"Two of our senior half forwards, Shea Walsh and Jarlath Fallon, were injured and we decided we needed some experience in the middle," he said of his selection. "It didn't work out that well. The pace of the game was tough and the conditions were hot."

He spoke highly of Michael Donnellan who started his first championship match on the wing but moved on to the 40 to great effect in the first half.

"To move a lad of 19 into the heat of a championship match at centre half forward is asking a lot and I'm very, very proud of him. He has great potential and I hope that Michael himself realises the potential he has.

"We'll have to work harder, get a couple of our more experienced players back from injury and pick it up from there."