Mayo 3-16 Westmeath 1-8: While all eyes in McHale Park were on the proceedings in front of them, there was also much focus on the game in Killarney and it was a relieved John Maughan who greeted the news that Mayo had just done enough on the scoreboard to scrape through to the semi-finals of the league.
It was a nervous afternoon for the Mayo manager as he watched his side squander enough chances to have beaten Westmeath by at least another six points but an injury-time point from Andy Moran proved to be the decisive score when all the totting up was done, Mayo just edging out Kerry on score difference.
Such a margin of victory never looked likely as the sides did some sparring in the opening 10 minutes before Westmeath's David Glennon unleashed a powerful shot to the roof of the Mayo net and put the visitors three points clear, 1-3 to 0-3, but it proved to be a false dawn for the now relegated side.
Mayo's response to that goal was calm and deadly, nailing 1-7 without reply, while Westmeath failed to score for the remainder of the half.
Conor Moran, raiding from his wing-back berth, drilled the ball low to the corner of the net in the 17th minute and his namesake Andy finished off Conor Mortimer's effort in the 19th minute which was parried by the goalkeeper.
With the half-time news that Kerry were not having it all their own way in Killarney, Mayo kept the pressure up in a second half which deteriorated in quality, but not in intensity.
It was Mayo who were always the busier side, although goalkeeper David Clarke was called on twice to deny Westmeath the goal which just might have resuscitated their dwindling hopes.
The match did produce another goal, however, with Ciarán McDonald firing home from the penalty spot seven minutes from the end to put Mayo 15 points clear and within sight of reaching a margin that would head Kerry off in the race for the play-offs and, while Westmeath clipped two points back, Andy Moran scored what proved to have been the point which booked Mayo a meeting in the semi-final with Armagh.
MAYO: D Clarke; L O'Malley, D Heaney, K Higgins; C Moran (1-0), A Roche, P Gardiner; R McGarrity, BJ Padden (0-3); A Moran (1-5), C McDonald (1-0, penalty), A O'Malley; C Mortimer (0-4), T Mortimer (0-2), P Harte (0-1). Subs: D Munnelly (0-1) for T Mortimer (yellow card, 33 mins), D Geraghty for O'Malley (34 mins), M Conroy for Harte (51 mins).
WESTMEATH: A Lennon; J Davitt, D Mitchell, J Keane; M Ennis, D Kilmartin, D Heavin; J Brennan, D O'Shaughnessey; Denis Glennon (0-1), P Tormey, C Callaghan; David Glennon (1-2), M Flanagan, D Dolan (0-4). Subs: P Mulvihill (0-1) for Galligan (8 mins), J Fallon (0-1) for Tormey (20 mins), D Duffy for O'Shaughnessey (yellow card, 39 mins), T Newman for Fallon (58 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: Mayo: T Mortimer (33 mins). Westmeath: D O'Shaughnessy (39 mins), J Fallon (63 mins), J Keane (63 mins).
RED CARD: Mayo: A O'Malley (35 mins)
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).
