The 'curse' that prevents Mayo from getting their hands on Sam Maguire has never been put to the test in the month of October.

If you believe in such things, Mayo are cursed since they last won the All-Ireland SFC in 1951. Legend has it that as the winning team returned from Dublin 65-years ago, the cavalcade boisterously passed through Foxford while a funeral was taking place. The priest is said to have cursed Mayo footballers that day.

Two own goals in the drawn game would make even the most staunch Doubting Thomas give some credence to the possibility of a curse.

Some say that Mayo won't win an All-Ireland until all the members of the 1951 team have passed away - that's a macabre view if ever there was one. Just two of the 1951 side are still with us and hopefully for a long time to come.

Now there is a new train of thought, what if the curse was that Mayo would never win an All-Ireland final in September?

This year's replay takes place on Saturday 1st of October, the first time that Mayo have played in final that is not in September.

Since 1951 there have been five replayed All-Ireland finals with all but one of them taking place in October. The only one that didn't involved Mayo, as they lost to Meath on 29 September 1996.

Saturday week will put the curse to the test.

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