PLENTY of water has passed under the bridge since Mayo last visited Ruislip in the Connacht Senior Football Championship.
Back then, James Horan had just inherited Mayo’s managerial reins from John O'Mahony and brought the county from the lows of an All-Ireland qualifier defeat in Longford to the cusp on ending their long, torturous wait to claim another Sam Maguire Cup.
Along the way, they stitched together a five-year unbeaten run in provincial football, a record they continued under Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly's brief one-year tenure. The fall-out from their departure was well documented last winter, with Stephen Rochford taking on a role a little earlier than many believed would eventually be his in time.
Continuing that provincial dominance is the next task on the Ballinrobe resident's 'to-do list' after a topsy-turvy National League campaign that brought plenty of pressure moments. Cork gave them a trimming first day out, while fixtures with Dublin and Donegal brought narrow defeats, but defeats nonetheless.
With their backs to the wall, however, they pulled out results against Monaghan, Roscommon and Down in their last four matches and ended the spring on a positive note.
"I think it's a balancing act," reflected Rochford. "You're trying to balance the expectation around getting results, while at the same time you're trying to balance that with specific circumstances.
"We'd a very serious injury situation. We also had a situation whereby Castlebar were on an All-Ireland club campaign. They were certainly challenges. But on the flip side when results had to be achieved towards the tail end of the League we won three out of our last four.
"Reflecting back on it, a better scoring difference could have had us in the National League semi-finals or the kick of a ball in that Dublin game or the Donegal game, which were pretty tight two-point losses."
The county's recent U-21 success provided another shot in the arm, but Rochford feels that graduating from the grade takes time and shouldn't be rushed.
"A lot of people are saying you bring in the U-21s," said the AIB bank manager in Castlerea.
"There is a big step-up from going from U-21 Championship into Senior County Championship. And then you've got to understand some of the guys are 21, but some of them are still 18 and have another two or so years left at the grade. All of those players are naturally on our radar. They may not appear in 2016 but if they retain their level of performance that they've had, it won't be too long before a number of them will play for the seniors."
And what of London, their opponents on Sunday? Rochford, a manager known for his meticulous preparation, admits that research has been difficult but it's a fixture that Mayo will approach with the utmost professionalism.
"We have been able to get a couple of videos of them but we haven't been able to see them in the flesh. We are very focused on ourselves and getting ourselves right – mentally, physically and game-structure wise. We would be very respectful to the fixture, but at the same time we have a level of confidence in the group and know if we perform to the level we're capable of that we expect to win the game.
"I say that in total respect to what London will bring. It's a big day for them and for London GAA. They're looking for another scalp like they took against Sligo a few years back. We were over there with Corofin and went on to win All-Ireland, but had a very tricky afternoon in Ruislip (against Tír Chonaill Gaels) so we know that's the nature of going to a venue where none of our lads have played for five years."
