CBL GOTW: DHF Grangevale Prevail in High Scoring Thriller
DHF Grangevale 7 – 3 Jay Bazz
Man of the Match: Billy Tabb
It was a ten goal stormer in Mayfield United as Grangevale and Jay Bazz faced off in their CBL Shield Group D clash. It was Grangevale who pulled through as winners after coming back from behind, writes Donncha Noonan.
The game got off to a flying start as Jay Bazz took the lead after two minutes. They worked the ball well off of a throw-in and Eoghan O’Sullivan got to the byline, before cutting it back to Damien O’Mahony who had a simple finish to give his side an early advantage.
Their lead didn’t last long though, as Grangevale equalised four minutes later. Niall Kennedy worked hard in midfield before slipping a ball into Corey Harris, who shifted into the box and rolled the ball into the bottom corner.
Jay Bazz were far from stumped by this though as they retook the lead in the eleventh minute. They won a free kick far over on the left hand side of the Grangevale half. Eoghan O’Sullivan stepped up to take it and aimed a rocket into the top left corner to bring the game back in their hands.
Grangevale continued to fight though and equalised yet again ten minutes later. They went from defence to attack in a matter of seconds, with Corey Harris latching onto a headed clearance and sending Billy Tabb through on goal. The People’s Puskas semi-finalist made no mistake and dispatched the chance to level things for a second time.
Grangevale finally took the lead in the thirty fourth minute. Aaron O’Sullivan worked down the right wing, riding challenges before cutting the ball back into the box to David Barrett. He flicked it on to Niall Kennedy, who controlled it and curled it into the top right corner to finish off the team move.
That was that, after a frantic half it was Grangevale who held a narrow lead at the break.
The leaders weren’t interested in slowing down as they began the second half, as they doubled their lead in the forty-ninth minute. David Barrett won the ball back outside and slid it through to Billy Tabb. He shifted past the last defender and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner.
The gap between the two sides was furthered in the seventy third minute. Corey Harris broke away quickly on the counter, playing a one-two with David Barrett before bearing down on goal. Harris stayed calm and powered a shot past the keeper to make it 5-2.
Jay Bazz brought themselves back into it a minute later. They won the ball at the back and steadily broke away at the Grangevale defence. They got down the wing and dinked in a cross, which James Fleming got on the end of and easily nodded it home.
Despite Jay Bazz’s hard work, Billy Tabb secured his hat-trick with eight minutes to play. Wayne O’Halloran and David Barrett played a brilliant one-two, with the latter being released down the right wing. Barrett delivered a sublime cross to the back post, where Billy Tabb got on the end of it to power a header home.
Grangevale weren’t quite done there though as they notched their seventh in the eighty-sixth minute. Barrett’s corner met the head of Alan Buckley at the front post, who glanced the ball towards the far post where Ben Jenkins tucked it away to cap off a brilliant win for Grangevale.
DHF Grangevale: R. Osborne, L. Dennehy, D. O’Keefe, B. Jenkins, A. Buckley, J. Kelleher, A. O’Sullivan, N. Kennedy, B. Tabb, D. Barrett, C. Harris, A. O’Gorman, M. Hennessy, W. O’Halloran, D. Landman, D. Kelleher, O. Topolnytskyi, J. Moleli.
Jay Bazz: J. O’Leary, D. Keane, R. Murphy, D. O’Connor, J. Cambridge, B. Downey, D. O’Mahony, J. McCarthy, E. O’Sullivan, A. O’Flynn, A. O’Driscoll, J. Fleming, P. McCarthy, G. Murphy, A. Cambridge, D. O’Driscoll, C. Geary, J. Cullagh.
