Strong second half sees Pádraig Pearses ease past Mohill to secure Connacht SFC final spot
FINAL BOUND: Pádraig Pearses players Conor Daly, right, and Declan Kenny celebrate after their side's victory over Mohill. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Roscommon's kingpins Pádraig Pearses tuned in a power pack second half performance to chalk up a facile win and claimed Connacht final place when demolishing the challenge of double Leitrim champions Mohill, who played with 14 men for the final 20 minutes of the second half in Ballinamore.
A 40th minute second yellow for David Mitchell certainly put the Leitrim side on the back foot for the rest of the contest. It was an even-steven first half affair with Mohill drawing first blood when Keith Beirne converted a 6th minute free.
Initially Pearses found it difficult break down Mohill defensive set up. Following Beirne's opening score Mohill's Evan Harkin spurned a goal after being put through with only Pearses's goalkeeper, Paul Whelan to beat.
Pearses eventually opened their account when Ronan Daly split the Mohill uprights on the 18 minute mark to level matters. Daly again fired over a minute later to put his side into a lead they would never relinquish for the rest of the encounter.
Conor Ryan increased Pearses's advantage when after winning a mark eight minutes later he hit the target. A foul on Mohill's Evan Harkin just before the break was punished when Beirne tapped over the resulting free.
Pearses led by 0–3 to 0–2 at half-time. After the restart Padraig Pearses stretched their lead with a 32nd Ronan Daly point which was answered by a Harkin Mohill point four minutes later, which proved to be the Leitrim side's last score in the game.
The Roscommon side pulled further ahead by the 39th minute after Conor Daly shot over and and Paul Carey converted a free following a foul on Declan Kenny. Shortly afterwards Mohill went down to 14 men when David Mitchell was shown yellow for a second time in the contest.
Pearses used the extra man well for the rest of the game when they went on to crush the Mohill challenge. Points for Pearses by Conor Daly and Declan Kenny put them into a 0–8 to 0–3 lead as the at the game enter its last quarter.
Mohill managed to hold Pearses scoreless for the first five minutes of the final quarter but they were unable to mount any serious scoring threats at the other end during this period.
In the final ten minutes of the action Pearses upped their game again and kept adding to their tally with well hit points. Jack Tumulty and Declan Kenny split the Mohill uprights in turn to give the Roscommon side a seven point's advantage by the 52nd minute mark.
In the closing minutes of the game points from Ronan Daly, Jack Tumulty and Paul Carey put the icing on the cake for Padraig Pearses clear cut Connacht semi-final win.
: R Daly (0–4); C Daly (0–3), D Kenny, J Tumulty (0–2 each); P Carey, C Ryan (0–1each).
: K Beirne (0–2, f); E Harkin (0–1).
: P Whelan, G Downey, D Murray, R Daly, N Carty, C Keogh, C Ryan, N Daly, C Harley, D Kenny, A McGreal, S Canning, Colleran, J Tumulty, P Carey.
: C Lohan for Harley (40);E Colleran for Canning (41); J Nevin for McGreal (52); M Richardson for Downey (58); S Carty for Colleran (59).
: P Tighe, D Mitchell, J Mitchell, R Bohan, S Harkin, S Quinn, J Rowley, C Quinn, D Flynn, T Mulligan, K Keegan, E Harkin, F McGuinness, K Beirne, J Reynolds.
: R Gordon for McGuinness (51); C Canning for S Harkin (60); O Reynolds for Quinn (64).
: J Molloy (Galway).
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