Mallow's blend of youth and experience proves too much for St Nick's

Mallow 3-13 St Nick's 1-6 

MALLOW are back in the race for the SFC after blasting their way past St Nicks at Glantane on Saturday evening.

Goals from Ryan Harkin, Eoin Stanton and Richie Willis were the major nails in the St Nick's coffin with the City side finding the net on just one occasion – Glen Kennefick inside 90 seconds.

The young guns impressed for Mallow with Sean McDonnell, Shane Merritt and Jack Dillon all showing their wares while Harkin, Mattie Taylor, James Loughrey and Andrew Cashman all provided experience and security throughout.

St Nick's got the perfect start when Dave Dooling and Kennefick linked perfectly to set the latter through to finish brilliantly.

Mallow, playing against a strong breeze, settled to the task and rattled off a brace of points from Kieran O’Sullivan and Mike O’Rourke before corner-forward McDonnell was brought down to earn Mallow a penalty – an opportunity that centre-forward Harkin wasn’t going to squander.

Credit to St Nick's, they responded with a pair of points themselves as this one settled into a genuine championship contest.

Three more points from O’Rourke and one from Kennefick sent Mallow in at the break ahead: 1-5 to 1-4.

Mallow were much more clinical with the wind to their backs and added three quick points on the resumption to open up the game’s first two-score gap.

A point from St Nick's substitute Rory Byrne kept them in touch but a superb individual goal from Stanton pushed Mallow well clear and the Avondhu side were on their way to victory.

Substitute Willis rounded off proceedings with the game’s final goal as Mallow now set their sights on Newcestown and a chance to make the last eight of Cork’s premier club competition.

Scorers for Mallow: M O’Rourke 0-5 (0-1 f); R Harkin (pen), E Stanton, R Willis 1-0 each; K O’Sullivan, J Dillon 0-2 each, S McDonnell, K Sheehan, S Merritt, P Herlihy 0-1 each.

St Nick's: G Kennefick 1-1; L Coughlan 0-3 f; D Brosnan, R Byrne 0-1 each.

MALLOW: J Murphy; M Quirke, J Loughrey, E Barry; A Cahill, A Cashman, M Taylor; E Stanton, S Merritt; P Hennessy, R Harkin, M O’Rourke; S McDonnell, K O’Sullivan, P Herlihy. 

Subs: O Carroll for E Barry (29 inj), K Sheehan for P Hennessy (40), J Dillon for S McDonnell, K O’Mahony for M Quirke (both 51), R Willis for A Cahill (54), S Coughlan for A Cashman (57).

ST NICK'S: E Fuller; A Hosford, A Evans, D Dunlea; A Lynch, A O’Donovan, J O’Brien; R Downey, D Brosnan; L Coughlan, S Kennefick, D Morris; G Kennefick, D Dooling, D Busteed. 

Subs: R Byrne for A Hosford (43), R Long for J O’Brien (45), R Brosnan for A Evans (54).

Referee: P O’Driscoll (Bride Rovers)