Pearses 2-17 Liam Mellows 1-11: Despite a slow start Pearses were comfortable winners v Liam Mellows yesterday in Ballymacward. Following a wet morning the pitch was in good shape and the rain, thankfully, stayed away.Mellows were without David Collins, Tadgh Haran and Aonghus Callanan. Pearses too were without the services of three influential players: Cormac Ward, Cyril Donnellan and Kerrill Hardiman.
Mellows lead by 0-3 to 0-0 after nine minutes, when Enda Cunniffe got Pearses on the board from a free. Two Seandamp;aacute;n Hardiman points sandwiched an Adrian Morrissey pointed free for the city men, 0-4 to 0-3. Then came the turning point of the game, in the 19th minute, when an excellent Emmett Ward pass from the right wing found Tomandamp;aacute;s Flannery on the 21 and he buried it to the net. Ward added a point of his own soon after to open a three point lead for Pearses.
In the remaining ten minutes of the half Pearses hit 1-4 to Mellows 0-1. The points from Enda Cunniffe (free), Jimmy Gelston (2) and Tomandamp;aacute;s Flannery. The second goal arrived in the 29th minute, finished to the net from a tight angle by Paul Moore. Half time score: 2-8 to 0-6.
The second half was a shootout between Tomandamp;aacute;s Flannery and Mellows’ young corner-forward, Adrian Morrissey. They shared the first eight points of the second half, Flannery with five. On the three quarter mark Tommy McDonagh and Mellows’ Shane Minton were red carded by Referee Christy Browne.
Emmett Ward pointed from play on 48 minutes, following a good Pearses build-up andamp;mdash; 2-13 to 0-9. Pearses then seemed to take the foot off the pedal as Mellows hit 1-2 in a ten minute spell, to cut the gap to six. The goal was their last score of the game and seemed to jolt Pearses to life as they hit the last three points of the game andamp;ndash; Emmett Ward and Flannery (2f).
Best for Pearses were Flannery (1-8), Emmett Ward and Jimmy Gelston. Mellows’ top performers were Adrian Morrissey (1-7) and Niall McInerney. Pearses have further League games to come against Killimordaly, Carnmore, Athenry and Portumna.
Pearses:andamp;nbsp;F Flannery; A Kenny, T Kenny, R Lally; T McDonagh, R Bellew, S Raftery; J Gelston (0-2, 1f), A Bellew; S Hardiman (0-2), T Flannery (1-8, 4f), E Cunniffe (0-2f); P Moore (1-0), E Ward (0-3), Candamp;nbsp;Raftery. Subs used: B Sweeney, G Lally, N Gelston, E Daly, P O’Brien.