In truth there was a touch of the men and boys about this encounter as Mayo's physical strength and general know saw them dominate a game which probably should not have been played due to the state of the pitch.

Roscommon did stage a late rally hitting 1-2 in the last ten minutes to narrow the gap to three points before a late free from substitute Cillian O'Connor eased the frayed nerves of their fans in the big attendance.

Mayo still need to beat relegated Down in their final fixture at home next Sunday to secure their place in the top flight for 2017.

Roscommon, meanwhile, will probably still make the semi-finals regardless of how they fare in their last match against Dublin.

But this was a serious wake-up call for Rossies. They still have a lot of learn about life in the top flight and ironically, they were far more handicapped by the appalling underfoot conditions than Mayo.

After heavy showers in Roscommon, a pitch inspection was required to determine whether the flood prone Dr Hyde Park was playable but after speaking to the two managers, referee Maurice Deegan gave the contest the green light.

The interest in the contest was reflected in the fact that the stand was full 40 minutes before the throw-in. Once the contest began it was Mayo who totally dominated the exchanges, though there was numerous puddles on the pitch.

A measure of their early control is reflected in the fact that they led 0-3 to 0-0 after 13 minutes despite kicking six wides and Diarmuid O'Connor fluffing a goal chance.

In the very demanding conditions the physically stronger Mayo side dominated, though they had the advantage of a very strong wind. Roscommon finally opened their account with a 22nd point from Conor Devaney to reduce the deficit to three (0-4; 0-1) though by then Mayo had kicked nine wides.

Two brilliant reflex saves from Roscommon goalkeeper Geoffrey Claffey – the latter effort denied Lee Keegan a certain goal – kept the home side in the game though they trailed by four points towards the end of the first half.