HYDE & BLEAK FOR MAYO

Westerners won't be found in the latter Championship stages after new hard luck story in Roscommon

- BY PAT NOLAN

THE last time that Mayo's season ended this early, 'Newbridge or Nowhere' was daubed on walls outside St Conleth's Park.

And that defeat to Kildare turned out to be Stephen Rochford's last game as Mayo manager.

Until, of course, unfortunate circumstances forced him to don the bainisteoir bib again two weeks ago for a spirited win over Tyrone that offered them a pathway back into the Championship.

But that was closed off in dramatic circumstances at the conclusion of this All-Ireland series Group One game.

Ciarán Moore kicked the winning point seconds after the hooter had sounded, when Fergal Boland looked to have secured the draw that would have done Mayo seconds before the horn.

"I actually was looking at the clock when Shaun Patton was [retrieving the ball] saying, 'Is he going to get the ball out before the hooter? but he did,' said Rochford. "And were out of the Championship.

There's no other way to put it." With Tyrone strolling to victory over Cavan, a draw would have been enough for both sides to go through.

A win would have put Mayo top of the group and straight into a quarter-final but Rochford insisted that there was awareness of all of this on his players' part.