CBL Game of the Week: DHF Grangevale progress to the CBL Shield Final after fiery matchup in Mayfield

Game of the Week Sponsored by No Sin at the Marina Market

CBL Shield Semi Final: Dennehy’s Health & Fitness Grangevale 3 – 1 Swift

Man of the Match: Ben Jenkins

CBL First Division side DHF Grangevale pulled through after a highly contested match with CBL Premier Division outfit Swift in the Mayfield United Astro to book themselves a place in the CBL Shield Final, writes Donncha Noonan.

It only took three minutes for the first goal of the game to be scored, and it was Grangevale who got it. They swung in a corner which hit off the crossbar and fell onto the head of Brian Murphy, who guided his header into the top right corner.

Set pieces proved to be a serious weapon for Grangevale as they doubled their lead fourteen minutes later from yet another corner. Another tasty delivery was met, this time by the head of Ben Jenkins, who was able to rise highest and glance his header into the top right corner.

Swift will feel hard done by as they were denied two contentious penalties which they felt should’ve been given. Despite this, Swift dominated the ball but couldn’t create a big chance with the Grangevale backline staying strong and restricting Swift to shots around the edge of the box.

Grangevale were able to see their lead out to half time and go into the break two to the good.

The second half began much the way the first half ended; Swift having the majority of the possession and attempting to break down the solid Grangevale backline.

The mountainous task got harder for Swift as they went down to ten men with twenty five minutes to play. A low cross from Grangevale flew towards Ivan Skellington who looked to clear the ball, but his swing at the ball caught the face of Aaron O’Sullivan, who had gone to head the ball. The referee gave Skellington his second yellow of the game with no hesitation and put Swift a man down.

Despite the disadvantage, Swift found a goal back courtesy of talisman John Corcoran. A long ball over the top from Adam Cambridge landed on the boot of Corcoran in the box, who hit it first time on the volley and found the top left corner to set the game up for a fiery last twenty minutes.

It was a cagey last twenty minutes of the game, with Grangevale attempting to keep out the continuous onslaught of attacks from Swift.

Despite the dominance on the ball from Swift, it was Grangevale who got the final goal of the game six minutes into injury time. Following an attack from Swift, a ball was lumped forward towards the few Grangevale attackers left up top. Eric Compagno brilliantly managed to win the ball and slip an incisive ball through to Aaron O’Sullivan, who squared it to Corey Harris who rolled it into an empty net to secure Grangevale’s place in the CBL Shield final.

It was a gritty performance from Grangevale who managed to, for the most part, keep out a quality Swift side who couldn’t break that defence down. Swift will feel harshly treated as they had a few penalty shouts that were not given, but in the end it’ll be Grangevale who’ll face Longboats in the CBL Shield final.

DHF Grangevale: J. O’Sullivan, D. O’Neill, A. Buckley, B. Jenkins, B. Murphy, J. Barry, L. Dennehy, D. Kelleher, A. O’Sullivan, D. Barrett, C. Harris, A. Baldwin, S. Flannery, C. McKeon, E. Compagno, G. McCarthy, P. Sweetnam, B. O’Leary

Swift: W. Murphy, A. O’Sullivan, T. McGrath, J. Cambridge, M. O’Connor Green, I. Skillington, D. O’Mahony, M. Peters, D. Donoghue, J. Corcoran, E. O’Sullivan, D. Keane, S. Coleman, A. Cambridge, N. Nolan, D. O’Donoghue, I. Kent, J. Heaney

Referee: Kenneth O’Driscoll

Match Actions shots courtesy of Captured In Cork