Horan refuses to blame referee for Mayo’s woes

A game that began with Mayo as overwhelming favourites to maintain their unbeaten record ended with Down tearing up the form book and the referee being escorted from the field by local stewards.

It was one of those days at Elverys MacHale Park as Mayo were given a stark reality-check by the 2010 All-Ireland finalists.

The man in the middle, Barry Cassidy from Derry, left the field to a chorus of boos, following a series of contentious decisions. The red card he showed to Mayo midfielder, Aidan O’Shea, in the ninth minute changed the complexion of the game but manager James Horan refused to use it as an excuse.