All-Ireland SFC Semi-final/Fermanagh v Mayo Analysis: The reaction of the two sets of supporters in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday's drawn All-Ireland semi-final was interesting.

The Fermanagh fans felt they should have won the game at the first attempt and it was coupled with a fear they may have left their chance of a first appearance in an All-Ireland final behind them.

The body language of their players at the final whistle certainly gave out the latter message.

I have no doubt that by now, six days later and after a close examination and analysis, the Fermanagh team and management will have come to the conclusion they are still very much in it.

Furthermore, they will be determined if they have Mayo on the cliff again today, they will push them off this time.

The overwhelming feeling from Mayo after the game was that they were lucky to be still alive, even though, in the end, it was Fermanagh who had to come back to draw. On clear-cut scoring chances for points and, more importantly, goal opportunities Fermanagh should have won with a bit to spare.

There were at least three or four goal chances for the Ulster team, whereas Pat Kelly's attempt at goal, thwarted by Niall Tinney, was the only time Fermanagh's last line of defence was breached all day.

Having watched the game on tape again this week, it must be said that, though the action was very exciting and there was a lot of end-to-end football, the standard was not good, the last 20 minutes in particular lacking in quality.

At this stage, the game was being played at 100 miles an hour with both teams attempting to carry the ball from end to end by short hand-passing in order to hold possession.

The ball was inevitably given away or lost under pressure and the whole process was initiated again by the other team, only to break down in the same way.

One could draw parallels to a schoolyard game with all 30 players constantly chasing the ball. There was no shortage of effort and commitment, but what was needed was someone to calm the play down and to get some shape into the proceedings using a few long, accurate kick-passes to set up the opportunities.

With the defeat of Armagh and Tyrone in the championship, many proclaimed the demise of the defensive tactic of all players getting behind the ball.

However, that gambit was very much in evidence last Sunday, with both sets of half forwards back in defence and in the midfield area, as well as some of the full-forward line - Brian Maloney for Mayo and James Sherry for Fermanagh.

Mayo, for their part, have become very predictable in all their games this year by withdrawing Maloney and leaving the Mortimers as a twin strike-force up front.

This scenario was anticipated by Fermanagh last Sunday and they were able to deploy Niall Bogue on Kieran McDonald and allow Shane McDermott to pick up Maloney around the middle.

That certainly was advantage Fermanagh. It will be interesting to see how Mayo will react to this today and what would happen if they go back to a three-man full-forward line. John Maughan's side also need to keep Kieran McDonald closer to goal if they are to improve their scoring threat and provide a target for their defenders.

By doing so, McDonald in turn could increase his own scoring opportunities and provide a better service for the inside line.

Fermanagh dominated midfield last Sunday where - despite the best efforts of Ronan McGarrity - McBarron and particularly Martin McGrath held sway over the course of the game. Though David Brady was eventually substituted after giving a below-par performance the last day, much will depend on his response today.

For Fermanagh, a major weakness was their finishing. In short, they will need to be more clinical in front of goal. If a tight game such as last weekend's were to be repeated, a goal would provide a major cushion.

Interestingly, the Erne men have scored only one goal in six championship outings this year, whereas Mayo have hit the net five times in five games - albeit three of them against a weak New York side.

To call the winner of today's replay is a difficult task and one which would require knowledge of the mental state of both teams in the aftermath of the drawn game.

However, on a tactical basis alone, I feel Mayo have more to learn from the last day.

An improvement in the amount of possession they win in the middle third of the field and a commitment of more men in the attacking third would give Mayo a slight edge. This would have the effect of denying Fermanagh the platform they were allowed last week.

Furthermore, there is more room for improvement both individually and collectively on the Mayo side. If the likes of Brady, Dillon, McDonald and Gill can lift their performances, then the Connacht team should prevail.