That’s the one that won us the league!
“Is this the goal where The Brew Boys look back and say… “Yep that’s the one that won us the league”
That was the question raised by the CBL Newsroom after what can now surely be considered one of if not the game of the season in the CBL first division. After a comfortable opening half hour, The Brew Boys saw themselves with a two goal cushion with Adam Byrne giving us the lead early on followed by a Gavin Quirke penalty.
Trend Micro got back into the game after they converted a penalty but The Brew Boys were punished again after a short free kick failed to pay dividends as a counter attack led to a goal to leave things level at the break. Certainly a shock to the system as the Brew Boys had dominated possession throughout the first half with super work on both wings by Seán McCarthy and Adam Byrnes who were well protected by Conor Barry and Wayne Fitzgerald.
The Brew Boys started the second half well and were disappointed when another ruthless counter attack from Trend Micro led to us going behind. 3-2 down and with our hopes of winning the title hanging in the balance, we drove on and somehow managed to find the net to make it 3-3 with over 20 minutes to go.
The Brew Boys fought valiantly for the last 20 with keeper Jon Condon dealing with the always dangerous trend long balls and feeding it to Gareth Fishlock or Tom McGrath to start a counter. With hope fading as every minute ebbed on by, disappointment seemed all but a certainty.
92 minutes on the clock. 2 minutes of stoppage time to go to save our season. Matthew Quish found the ball on the left wing. He twisted and turned and found himself the space to make one final cross. It somehow found its way to the back post and to the feet of the man known as many names, some call him “The Miracle”, some call him things that would be unsuitable for a reputable newspaper. We like to call him “The Hitman”. Trevor Hynes found himself on the ball. The hopes of every player and supporter on the pitch seemed to rest there too. The tremendous Trend Micro keeper rushed across his goal line to try to stop him but he did it in vain. As the back of the net rustled with the power of the shot, the roars of joy erupted in Mayfield. It was so loud that many in Fermoy claimed that they could hear it from home.
Man of the match could have gone to many, Hynes for sealing the winner, Conor Barry or Wayne Fitzgerald for bombing forward on the wings to help out in the attack, but Gavan Quirke gets it for his tremendous work rate and determination to get the win.
It remains to be seen if this is the goal that wins us the league. With Suro Cars looming next Sunday and a final two games against Lions Den and Jay Bazz nothing is certain. The only thing that is certain is that we are one step closer thanks to a great team effort to beat a very game Trend Micro side. ‘Hon the Brew Boys!