First half
Mayo won the toss and elected to play against the wind in the first half. Nicky Roe put Louth ahead within the first minute. Mayo responded through Éamonn Mongey and took the lead when a well-placed shot by forward Peter Solan beat the Louth goalkeeper Thornton. [3]
Mayo were forced into making a substitution with Billy Kenny being withdrawn following a collision with Louth midfielder Frank Reid. They increased their lead however with successive points from Mick Mulderrig and Joe Gilvarry. Nicky Roe then goaled for Louth who raised another white flag with a fisted point from wing-forward Jimmy McDonnell. [3]
Mayo then replaced their starting goalkeeper Durkin with Seán Wynne. Nicky Roe kicked a free and scored the last point of the half on 32 minutes, to leave Louth a point in front at the interval.
Second Half
Roe continued where he had left off by pointing a free early on. Louth corner-forward Mickey Reynolds subsequently had an excellent goal chance but shot over the bar with the Mayo keeper Wynne beaten.
With the wind now more of a factor, Mayo replied with another point from the outstanding Éamonn Mongey. [3] His midfield partner Pádraig Carney spurned two scoreable opportunities before the prolific Nicky Roe restored Louth's two-point lead.
Louth's cause was not helped with Roe having to leave the field due to injury and with five minutes remaining came the key moment of the match. Mayo snatched a freak goal after Seán Flanagan charged down a Seán Boyle clearance. [4] Mick Flanagan took up possession and fisted to the Louth net after a twenty-yard run. [5]
Mayo, finishing the stronger of the two sides, added a further point through Mick Mulderrig to lead by two (2-5 to 1–6) as full-time approached and there would be no response from the Wee County men.
