In spite of the usual air of anti-climax and depression which pervades a losing dressing-room, there were identifiable elements of hope as the Offaly players and officials came to terms with their defeat by Mayo. Manager Tommy Lyons said: "Naturally we were very hopeful after our performance against Meath in the Leinster final. We felt that we had an excellent chance of reaching the All-Ireland final and a match against Kerry, but the fact is that we simply could not break down Mayo's defence.

"The conditions did not suit us, but they were the same for Mayo. We had our opportunities, but we didn't make the most of them. In the long run I think that Mayo's experience of this kind of pressure was what stood to them. We do not have that kind of experience. Even so we played with great pride and determination and nobody could accuse us of being a poor side.

"We have a lot of potential. We have a young team which can achieve a lot. A few chances came our way, one in particular for Roy Malone early in the match, which might have swung the match in our favour, but it was not to be. We couldn't break them down in defence, no matter how hard we tried. Mayo made the most of their experience and physical strength.

"They are older and stronger than most of our lads and in the weather conditions which prevailed they made that pay. The surface was dicey from the start and we didn't cope with it as we might have done. "Mayo missed a lot of scoring chances as well, but they had created those chances. We did not succeed in creating as many chances. We never put Mayo under the kind of pressure which would have yielded us the scores we needed. "At half-time we were certainly in with a chance with only five points between the teams, but we needed to get to within two or three points to put them under the pressure that might have told, but they defended really well.

"We have nothing to be ashamed about," he added. "We came out of Division Four of the National League and gave a very good account of ourselves. The players supported each other very well. The lads are disappointed and so are the supporters. We have very loyal supporters and they will remain loyal to us. We are in a very competitive group in the National League which will give us the kind of competition which will improve the side. You will hear a lot more about Offaly before very long." Full forward Roy Malone was regretting the one that got away. "If that had gone in for a goal it would have given us the confidence we needed. We tried everything in the second half, but the Mayo defence cancelled out every move we tried and we couldn't break them down," he said.

The captain of the Offaly team, Finbar Cullen, spoke of his "bitter disappointment" at the outcome. "We really felt that we could reach the final and even win it. What we are proud of just the same is that we came a long way in a short space of time. I believe that we have the potential to go on from here. We have a young team and a lot of talent and with experience we can turn that to our advantage.

"Mayo made the most of their experience today. They made a lot of the breaking ball and although they missed a lot of chances, they kept us under pressure for long periods. When they got possession they held on to it and their greater strength was greatly to their advantage. We struggled to get possession and then gave it away too easily.

"I am looking forward to the new National League when we will be playing teams like Kerry, Dublin, Cavan and Tyrone. It is a brilliant opportunity for us to get the kind of experience that we needed today," he said.