Mayo ease past Westmeath

Mayo 1-13 Westmeath 0-8

Bottom side Westmeath slumped to their third NFL Division 1 defeat on the trot as a first half goal from Trevor Mortimer helped Mayo on the way to a 'double scores' win at Charlestown.

Mortimer netted on the rebound in the 19th minute to set the Connacht side up for their first victory of the campaign, after losing to Derry and drawing with Donegal.

There was some enterprising football from both sides in the opening stages but defences were very much on top.

The game was eleven minutes' old when Michael Ennis kicked the opening point for Westmeath, which was quickly followed by a pointed free from Mayo's Conor Mortimer.

Denis Glennon put the visitors back in front, but Mayo then snatched the only goal of the game which came after a goalmouth scramble.

Trevor Mortimer thumped a 20-yard shot towards the midlanders' goal, the ball bounced back off the crossbar and while Conor Mortimer tried in vain to fist it past goalkeeper Gary Connaughton, his brother Trevor followed up to squeeze the ball home.

Points from Conor Mortimer, Austin O'Malley, Tom Parsons and Mark Ronaldson saw Mayo turn on the style as they moved into a 1-6 to 0-2 lead for half-time.

Westmeath kept the gap at seven points, on the restart, when Mikey Sweeney and Glennon exchanged overs and the second half turned into a rather listless affair.

Tomas O Flatharta's side lacked the quality to mount a serious challenge to the hosts' lead and Mayo were content to keep the scoreboard ticking, with Trevor Mortimer, man-of-the-match Ronaldson and Parsons adding to their tallies.

Tom Cunniffe collected Mayo's final point, they scored 1-10 from play in a workmanlike performance which sent the majority of the 1,760 crowd home happy but mindful that bigger challenges lie ahead.