Mayo inflicted a heavy defeat on Tyrone at Healy Park to make it two wins in the NFL Division One.

A second successive defeat leaves the Red Hands facing into a relegation battle, but for Mayo, a fresh new era beckons with the return of James Horan to the western hot-seat.

Keith Higgins smashed home a 32nd goal to give Mayo a 1-7 to 0-3 lead, and Fionn McDonagh netted a second 12 minutes from the end to cap a performance laced with power, pace and passion, as the Red Hands slumped to their heaviest league defeat in five years.

In front of a crowd of 6,448, Darren McCurry and Lee Brennan were on target early on as the Red Hands got some attacking momentum going, but they were to add just one more points in the remaining two minutes of the opening half.

Mayo’s effective tackling and strong running put the home side on the back foot, and a series of turnovers sent them surging into opposition territory at pace.

Mattie Donnelly got in a couple of turnovers to halt the westerners, but they were building strongly, and it was only a matter of time before the scores would come.

Newcomers Fionn McDonagh and Ciaran Treacy landed excellent scores, and it was Treacy’s second that brought the sides level in the 24th minute.

Peter Harte used his power to burst through for a point, but landed another couple harmlessly into the arms of goalkeeper Rob Hennelly.

Andy Moran belied his 35 years as he proceeded to step up his influence on the contest, scoring from an offensive mark and sending over a fisted effort after Aidan O’Shea and Keith Higgins sliced through the home defence.

And it was Moran who provided the pass for Higgins to smash home a brilliant 32nd minute goal, with McDonagh’s second sending them in with a 1-7 to 0-3 interval lead.

The westerners, with Paddy Durcan driving from deep, maintained their attacking momentum as McDonagh, with his third, and Jason Doherty fired over points to push them nine ahead.

Tyrone, with a raft of substitutions made, responded through McCurry and Conan Grugan, but they lacked potency and incisiveness and saw attacks easily repelled.

And another spell of direct football saw James Horan’s men restore their nine points advantage with scores from Hennelly (free) and Jason Doherty, with his third.

Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan did create a stir by scoring from play, but there was little else to excite the home support.

Tyrone were struggling to compete physically with their opponents, and living off scraps, Peter Harte’s point coming only after a spell of hard, unrewarded graft.

But that preceded Mayo’s second goal, a brilliant McDonagh effort, buried in the bottom corner as they opened up an 11 points gap.

Tyrone needed a response, but it just wasn’t there either in the legs or the heads, and Durcan broke from deep after another spell of Red Hand pressure to fire over a brilliant late point.

Tyrone: N Morgan (0-01); M McKernan, R McNamee, HP McGeary; T McCann, R Brennan, M Donnelly (0-01, f); B Kennedy, D McClure; P Harte (0-03, 1f), N Sludden, K McGeary; D McCurry (0-02, 2f), F Burns, L Brennan (0-02, 1m).

Subs: C Grugan (0-01) for McClure (h-t), P Hampey for HP McGeary (h-t), K Coney for Burns (40), C McCann for McCurry (45) C Meyler for K McGeary (60)

Mayo: R Hennelly (0-02, 1f, 1 ’45); S Coen, B Harrison, K Higgins (1-00); P Durcan (0-01), M Plunkett, L Keegan; D O’Connor, D Vaughan; F McDonagh (1-3), A O’Shea, C Treacy (0-02); A Moran (0-02, 1m), B Reape, J Doherty (0-03, 1f).

Subs: C Diskin for Reape (48), K McLoughlin for Moran (66), D Drake for Coen (69), M Ruane for Treacy (72)

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).