
CBL Preview: Intriguing Shield Semi-Finals will be Hard to Call!
ALL eyes will be firmly fixed on tomorrow morning’s Shield semi-final double header between two First Division opponents The Weigh Inn Dripsey and Longboats at The Regional Park, (kick-off 10.45am) and fellow First Division outfit DHF Grangevale and second place Premier Division side Swift across the city at Mayfield Park, (kick-off 11.30am), writes Finbarr Buckley.
The New Year should have got off to a great start as the two fixtures were scheduled to be played earlier in January, but the weather warning had other ideas. Re-fixed for this weekend, both games promise to provide two high quality games with goals aplenty between four teams longing to get their hands on the prestigious Mick Mooney Challenge Cup for the first time. It’s fair to say that no established top flight team has made it through to the last four for the first time, as Swift went straight from winning the second division title to the top of the Premier Division this season, a huge achievement for Rob Twomey’s charges.
First up is the clash between The Weigh Inn Dripsey and Longboats who both have shown a huge improvement on previous seasons to make it to the last four on merit. Dripsey qualified from Group E with wins against Croatia Fermoy (3-1), Stryker Macroom (4-0) and OBS (4-2). A Jamie Torpey hat-trick was the highlight of the Croatia win while Jake O’Brien, twins Cormac and Ronan Keane and Cillian Kearney shared the goals in the win over Stryker. Marlboro Trust were toppled in the knock-out round of sixteen courtesy of goals in each half from Ben O’Doherty and Ciaran Pitterino. In the last eight came the result which caught the eye when they defeated the highly fancied ISF Ballyphehane Celtic 2-1 with Conor Twomey and Cillian Kearney on target for the winners.
Last season’s CBL Second Division Frank Linehan Cup winners Longboats have scored eighteen goals in their four matches to date where they eliminated Premier Division opponents HELIO Inter Cork, 2-1, in the last sixteen and followed up by impressively putting five past Jay Bazz Barbers with Ray Murphy (3), Davie Scott and Sean Nagle among the goals in the course of the ninety in the last eight.
Dripsey will relish the chance to take Longboats out of their home surroundings of the all-weather surface and attempt to put the shakes on their opponents much vaunted front-line of ace marksman Sean Nagle, Stephen Dwyer and Ray Murphy. Home captain Ciaran Pitterino is an influential force in the centre of the park along with strikers Greg Reeb, Jake O’Brien and Cillian Kearney who can unlock any defence if given a decent supply. Experienced referee Denis Cronin will be in the centre to keep an eye on proceedings.
With the whistle about to be blown for half-time at The Regional Park, our CBL Game of the Week between DHF Grangevale and Swift will be kicking off at Mayfield Park in a tie sponsored by No Sin, Marina Market. The Vale came into the league on the back of a strong performance in the Premier Division of the Cork AUL last season. The club also contains a number of personnel who were part of the successful Premier A winning side of 2022/23 and the Corinthians and City Challenge Cup squads of 2021/22. Grange has one of the most experienced coaching partnerships in Diarmuid O’Neill and John O’Connell but will be fully tested when they face their opposite number Rob Twomey who has a wealth of experience in junior football with Business League and AUL clubs.
Despite losing to The LAB by the odd goal in seven in their Shield group, the opening day victory over HELIO Inter Cork, Corey Harris with a splendid individual goal, was enough to top the group and set up a last sixteen encounter with Cork Hospitals who the Vale had beaten the week before in the Munster Junior Cup. Harris was again among the goals in a 4-2 defeat but a successful objection sealed the Hospitals’ fate and sent Grange through to face Suro Cars in the quarter-final. The later Wednesday December 4th fixture was dominated by Suro in the opening half with Sean Philpott’s cracking strike the difference between the teams at the break. But for the brilliance of Vale keeper Jamie O’Sullivan in making three outstanding saves, the visitors could have been out of sight before the second 45 commenced. However, the home side turned the tie on its head with man-of-the match Luke Dennehy setting up two for Harris and Aaron Sullivan doing likewise for the in-form striker.
Swift recovered from the opening day 4-3 defeat to Andy Sull’s Hair to go unbeaten with wins over Satellite Taxis (3-1), AL Ukraine (6-3), Arc Rovers (3-2), in the last sixteen, and a revenge 3-2 victory over ASH in the quarter-final on Sunday, November 17th. Marque signing John Corcoran, who had played with a number of high profile AUL clubs, reigned in with an impressive ten of his team’s total of eighteen, the other scorers included Eoghan O’Sullivan (3), Morgan O’Connor, Dale Donoghue, Damien O’Mahony, Nathan Nolan and Daniel Kelleher.
Both clubs possess two of the best goalkeepers in the Vale’s Jamie O’Sullivan and Swift’s William O’Connor, whose father of the same name had been a medal winner with Bru Centra and Anglers Sporting Club. But, it is upfront where both teams have the firepower to win the trophy. Grange’s trio of the in-form Corey Harris and co strikers, the elegant Aaron O’Sullivan and the speedy Luke Dennehy are a match for any defence. Swift can look to talisman John Corcoran and fellow strikers Morgan O’Connor and Dale Donoghue to try to unlock Vale’s tight nit back four of full-back’s Timmy Hayes and Alan Buckley and centre-backs Brian Murphy and Ben Jenkins.