Higgins back Mayo U-21s stars to step up

Keith Higgins hopes Mayo’s U-21 stars can make the step up to inter-county level and help end the county’s 66-year All-Ireland drought.

Mayo secured their fifth U-21 title in April, scoring five times in the final against Cork in Ennis, and Higgins says he expects some of Michael Solan's young charges to feature in this summer's Championship campaign.

"That’s always what you wish for when you have success with underage teams. You want to be maybe getting three or four players coming through to add something to it," Higgins, 31, told the 42.ie.

"When you come so close and you want to tweak a few things to get them right, hopefully it can bring you a step further next year. Hopefully some of those lads can come on, push for places and add something next year that maybe we were missing before.

"That could make the world of difference for us."

Higgins, who captained Mayo to their fourth All-Ireland U21 football title in 2006, says the pain of September's All-Ireland final replay defeat to Dublin persuaded him to commit to a 12th season of inter-county football.

"There was such disappointment after the All-Ireland that you probably question things for a while," he continued.

"But with the opportunity we have playing for Mayo, it’s always going to drive you back. Coming so close last year, you realise that you’re not very far away. You kind of have to go back just in case something does happen.

"When you get to this stage you kind of nearly have to make the most of what’s left.

"You’re just hoping to get the most out of the next year that’s ahead of you. You don’t want to be putting all your eggs in one basket and saying, ‘This is it, now or never’, but you just take it year after year and hope to make the most out of it."

Photo (Inpho/ Tommy Grealy)

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