Kevin McLoughlin struck 1-2 from the bench as Mayo battled to a 1-9 to 2-5 victory over Meath in a Pairc Tailteann thriller.

The hosts were on course for a superb come-from-behind victory amid high winds and even higher tension when second-half goals from James McEntee and Ronan Jones propelled them ahead on 54 minutes with the gale-force diagonal wind behind them, last year’s league winners having led by six points at the interval.

But substitute McLoughlin’s 69th-minute major proved decisive in the end, giving Mayo their first win of the Spring and sending Andy McEntee’s men spiralling to a third successive top-flight defeat.

Having played with the considerable aid of the elements, the westerners led by seven points to one at half time, their lead owing as much to Meath’s wastefulness in front of the posts as their own prowess.

The Royals started purposefully playing into the strong wind but their good early work was undone as Bryan Menton and Shane Walsh both failed to find the target before Tommy Conroy punctuated Mayo’s first attack with a point between the town end uprights on four minutes.

James Carr added a pointed free and the Royals were punished for spurning another couple of presentable opportunities when Carr hammered over a fine strike from distance to make it three points to no score twelve minutes in.

Paddy Durcan speared over the fourth unanswered Mayo point from 45 metres midway through the first half and Fergal Boland made it 0-5, Menton finally opening the home team’s account ten minutes from the interval, only for Ryan O’Donoghue to reply instantly. Boland closed the first-half scoring as his side retired with a six-point advantage, having struck some wonderful scores.

Meath's Ethan Devine and James McCormack of Mayo. ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo.

As conditions deteriorated and the wind behind Meath strengthened, it took 13 minutes for the first score of the second half to materialise and it was a huge one as James McEntee fisted Donal Keoghan’s pass to the Mayo net to halve the deficit, 0-7 to 1-1.

Incredibly, after Bryan McMahon swung over a free, the hosts bagged their second goal in the space of five minutes as Jones buried the ball in the net at the end of a brilliant, flowing team move involving Menton and Keogan to give the Royals the lead for the first time, 2-2 to 0-7.

Cillian O’Sullivan restored Meath’s lead with an inspiration advanced mark after McLoughlin (free) had equalised seven minutes from time. McLoughlin – Mayo’s only second-half scorer - equalised again three minutes from the end and then netted in the 69th minute to leave three between the teams again, McMahon hitting back with a Meath point.

Thomas O’Reilly lofted over a late Meath free but it was too late as the holders dramatically claimed their first win of the campaign.

Mayo - R Hennelly; L Keegan, J McCormack, B Harrison; E O’Donoghue, M Plunkett, P Durcan (0-1); A O’Shea, D O’Connor; F Boland (0-2), S Coen, J Durcan; T Conroy (0-1), J Carr (0-2, 1f), R O’Donoghue (0-1). Subs: K McLoughlin (1-2, 0-1f) for J Carr, C Loftus for T Conroy, E McLaughlin for J McCormack, C Treacy for J Durcan, B Walsh for F Boland.

Meath - M Brennan; R Clarke, C McGill, D Toner; J McEntee (1-0), B Conlon, D Keogan; B Menton (0-1), R Jones (1-0); R Ryan, B McMahon (0-3, 2f), E Devine; C O’Sullivan, T O’Reilly (0-1f), S Walsh. Subs: E Wallace for E Devine, J Wallace for S Walsh.

Referee - S Hurson.

See the latest standings from the Allianz Football League here.

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