Mayo secure Senior survival after seeing off Leitrim

Mayo have secured their place in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship for 2026 after seeing off Leitrim in the relegation play-off at Kilcoyne Park in Tubbercurry.

Leitrim made a bright start, scoring the opening two points through Muireann Devaney and Michelle Guckian, a free. While Mayo were scoreless for the opening eight minutes, the direct running of Sinead Walsh, Aoife Geraghty and Annie Gough was causing problems for the Leitrim backline, while Lynda Hanley was denied a goal in the opening 90 seconds after a great save by Michelle Guckian.

Gough opened Mayo's account thanks to a great run by Aoife Geraghty, followed by Walsh’s first of the afternoon, and the MacHale Rovers player scored Mayo’s first goal on 12 minutes.

Walsh added another point before Ailbhe Clancy stopped the rot for Leitrim with their first score for 11 minutes, with Clodagh Keane soon responding for Mayo.

Mayo missed a great opportunity for a second goal on 21 minutes, Hanley once again denied by Guckian.

Devaney then kicked two superb points from tight angles to make it a two-point game, but points from Kathryn Sullivan and Walsh either side of a Leah Fox score put Mayo 1-06 to 0-06 up at half-time.

Leitrim were unable to eat into that lead in the first ten minutes of the second half as efforts from Ailbhe Clancy, Leah Fox and Laura O’Dowd were matched by Ava McDonnell, Walsh (free) and Hannah Reape.

Michelle Guckian continued her heroics between the posts, this time saving a Gough penalty after Clodagh Keane was brought down, and Devaney’s fourth point for Leitrim appeared to give them the momentum but McDonnell, Erin Murray (two) and Walsh (free) gave Mayo breathing space with ten minutes remaining.

Any faint hopes of Leitrim rescuing this game were ended after McDonnell finished a flowing move into the net as Mayo secured senior football for 2026, while Leitrim now face Donegal in the relegation play-off final next weekend.

Mayo: J Gawalkiewicz; L Wallace, N O’Malley, C Durkin; D Caldwell, E Brennan, S El Massry; H Reape (0-01), S Lally; L Hanley, S Walsh (1-05, 3f), A Geraghty; A Gough (0-01), C Keane (0-01), K Sullivan (0-01). Subs: E Murray (0-03) for Brennan (ht), A McDonnell (1-02) for Hanley (ht), C Whyte for Gough (49), N Mooney for El Massry (57), L Keane for C Keane (59).

Leitrim: M Guckian (0-01, 1f); J Maye, C Tyrrell, E Quigley; D Beirne, C Owens, R McIntyre; N Tighe, A Quinn; M Devaney (0-04), V Egan, A Clancy (0-05, 1f, 1p); L Fox (0-02), S Quinn, L O’Dowd (0-01). Sub: C Dolan for Quinn (49).

Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).

Words: Stuart Tynan

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