Alan Dillon says Mayo will make “every inch” of home advantage count in Saturday’s showdown with Donegal.
Mayo have a patchy record in Castlebar in recent years and have already lost at home to Roscommon in this year’s Championship before sneaking past Armagh in the qualifiers at MacHale Park.
Nothing less than a win over Declan Bonner’s side will do, however, as they look to leapfrog them into an All-Ireland semi-final spot.
Former Mayo star Dillon said: “I suppose there’s a different nature when you're on the road and playing in different grounds — whether that’s Croke Park or around the country, where you have that siege mentality or bit of unity on tour.
“Castlebar has not been the most pleasant hunting ground for Mayo and, during the National League, they found it very difficult to get some wins there.
“I know in the Championship there is probably a different feeling. Against Galway last year, it was a game that Mayo let slip and the Roscommon experience this year — they’re hoping to get back to winning ways and make it a very hostile ground for the travelling Donegal team.
“This is a once-off game and the lads see a prize of getting back to Croke Park for an All-Ireland semi-final. So, I’m sure they’ll make every inch of Elverys MacHale Park and try to get off to a great start,” added Dillon, who was speaking ahead of the AIB GAA Roadshow in the Breaffy House Resort.
The Ballintubber man, who retired following the 2017 campaign, expects a “really tight” encounter.
“There won't be much space given and Donegal will make it compact and counterattack aggressively.
“Mayo need to be patient and dictate the pace of the game. They didn’t manage the game in Killarney very effectively and Kerry got that momentum and scores on the board early in the first half — it was over at half time really at 15-6.
“Mayo’s game management will need to be very strong, the kickout retention will be a huge aspect.
“They will have to nullify Ryan McHugh, Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty and if they can curb their influence, it will go a long way towards Mayo getting the result they need.”
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