Latest news with #DannyGrant
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Galway United earn a draw to end Shamrock Rovers' winning run at the top
Shamrock Rovers 0 Galway United 0 SHAMROCK ROVERS STUTTERED to a stalemate against Galway United but after five successive wins it means this draw will only feel like a missed opportunity heading into the mid-season break rather than something more dramatic. The Hoops remain six points clear at the top of the Premier Division, the same advantage they had at the start of the night with Drogheda United and Bohemians leading the chasing pack. Galway were full value for the point and it's a sign of the division's strength they only jumped one place to seventh as a result. Frustrating nights like this felt like they had a greater consequence for Stephen Bradley's side last season, as their grip on the title was loosened. Now they are the pace setters and as they drove forward looking for a late winner it was more in hope than desperation. Had they managed to nick it in one of the five minutes of added time then maybe it would be looked back on as a significant night, instead it may well be quickly forgotten as players break until mid June. The best moment of the first half came on 26 minutes when Aaron McEneff ghosted into the box off the shoulder of David Hurley and produced an eye-catching bicycle kick from 12 yards after being picked out by Danny Grant's cross on the right. The ball fizzed over the bar but between the sight of his body contorting in mid air and the sweet connection it was enough to awaken the crowd from a midsummer night slumber. It felt like one of those lazy evenings, not due to any lack of industry or effort, merely activity in either box. Advertisement As the half wore on and Galway nullified the league leaders, the natural subplot to follow was the impact of Josh Honohan down Rovers' left. He links up with the senior Republic of Ireland squad this weekend ahead of the friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg. His international debut will surely come and manager Heimir Hallgrímsson and assistant John O'Shea were in Tallaght Stadium to take in proceedings. He fed one nice pass for Graham Burke to deliver a dangerous cross after nine minutes but other than that his most telling contributions were forgettable ones; mis controlling a diagonal switch of play out for a Galway throw and then being needlessly caught offside when he was looking across the line. This is the kind of scrutiny that comes for any Ireland player, especially one who it seems is about to take the next step in his club career as clubs in the United Kingdom step up their interest. Bradley acknowledged as much this week, admitting it will be a battle to keep hold of the defender this summer, but he still had no qualms about substituting him for 16-year-old Victor Ozhianvuna on 59 minutes after a below par start to the second half. Rovers' Josh Honohan with Jeannot Esua. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO Rovers' biggest threat before half time came from the other side when right wing back Danny Grant drove forward, then cut across the 18-yard box before forcing Evan Watts to push his left-footed shot around the post. That remained Rovers' only shot until a tame Michael Noonan header drifted over the bar on 67 minutes. Two penalty appeals had been turned down either side of the break by referee Kevin O'Sullivan. The first was a Burke shot from distance that ricocheted off Rob Slevin's thigh onto his arm, before a coming together between Burke and Greg Cunningham on 54 minutes led to the Hoops forward going down in the area. The hosts remained frustrated and John Caulfield's men resolute, but Bradley could at least turn to quality off the bench to try and find a breakthrough. As well as Ozhianvuna – who is seemingly bound for Arsenal – coming on, last season's player of the year, Dylan Watts, replaced Jack Byrne, and playmaker Danny Mandroiu got the last half hour in place of McEneff. Veteran Aaron Greene also got the nod when Noonan's race was run for the last quarter of an hour, with defender Adam Mathews also withdrawn for striker Rory Gaffney. But with Cian Byrne sitting in front of the Galway defence, and Vince Borden supplementing that defensive work alongside David Hurley and Patrick Hickey, space was congested in the final third. Galway also began to sense more opportunities on the counter and with set-pieces to add another layer of danger. Ozhianvuna had two shots from the near the edge of the box, neither of which found the target, and for the final 10 minutes it was one-way traffic. Galway, though, were doing a great job of creating a bottleneck and Rovers had no way through. Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Adam Mathews (Rory Gaffney 76), Roberto Lopes, Cory O'Sullivan; Danny Grant, Matt Healy, Jack Byrne (Dylan Watts 69), Aaron McEneff (Danny Mandroiu 59), Graham Burke, Josh Honohan (Victor Ozhianvuna 59); Michael Noonan (Aaron Greene 69) Galway United: Evan Watts; Jeannot Esua, Garry Buckley, Rob Slevin, Greg Cunningham (Robert Burns 57); Patrick Hickey, Cian Byrne, Ed McCarthy, David Hurley (Conor McCarthy 76), Vincent Borden (Stephen Walsh 89); Moses Dyer (Killian Brouder 89). Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan. Attendance: 6,204.
Eater
5 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Maple & Ash's Ground-Floor Bar Unveils an Omakase That Leaves The Rules Behind
Chef Danny Grant and the team behind Maple & Ash have big plans for Eight Bar, the tavern underneath the Gold Coast steak house. They want the first floor to carve its own identity and see potential in opening other locations as they did earlier this year in Miami when Maple & Ash entered the South Beach market. Maple & Ash's playful approach has proved successful, a consumer-first approach to fine dining centered around steaks without adhering to old rules. Management is trying to bring that energy downstairs at Eight Bar without the need for reservations, a requisite for Maple & Ash. One of Eight Bar's strengths is that a customer can find variety. They can order a burger accompanied by a maki roll with a glass of burgundy without judgment. Seeing a greater opportunity, Eight Bar is giving sushi lovers a new omakase option, one that doesn't require reservations. 'Omakase' means 'chef's whim,' and Grant wants to give the power back to his diners. Eight Ball's Golden Omakase offering is the Japanese counterpart to Maple & Ash's popular 'I Don't Give a F@ck,' a $225 per person tasting menu option. The $150 Golden Omakase is more of a 'customer's whim' — diners can decide on the spot.. It's meant to break rules, not beholden to tradition: 'I didn't want it to be a drag-out two-and-a-half-hour experience,' Grant says. That's not to say the menu is amateurish. Hari Chan, a sushi chef who's spent more than a decade in Chicago behind restaurants like Kaze and Macku — before working for companies including Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and Hogsalt — is ensuring Eight Bar's menu matches the standards he's set at his previous establishments. The menu isn't 100 percent sushi. Grant describes a scallop dish slow-roasted with ramps and left in the shell. For maki fans, one of the popular items is a King crab roll. An optional beverage pairing costs $75. Diners can expect about seven courses. Grant says they check in with diners around course five to see how they're doing. Grant says that they don't want customers to feel like they need a slice of pizza at the end of their meal, but they also don't want to overstuff them. Hearty eaters may earn a surprise at the end of their meals — if they have room in their stomachs. Grant teases a fried chicken sandwich: 'So it's not typical,' he says. Maple & Ash opened in 2015 in the Gold Coast near two of Chicago's most beloved steakhouses, Morton's and Gibsons. The restaurant ascended thanks to its reverent attitude and lavish buildout. The restaurant has survived despite an acrimonious split with ownership. A group of the restaurant's former investors has also taken ownership to court with a laundry list of accusations. Now dubbed Maple Hospitality, the reformed company is pursuing expansion opportunities, including a space in New York. Sign up for our newsletter.
Irish Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
From Nathan Collins to Jessie Stapleton ... the club that turns kids into stars
Stephen 'Digger' O'Brien walks down the corridor of Cherry Orchard's clubhouse, a building that looks like a parish hall on the outside but resembles a dream factory on the inside. On the walls, pictures of the club's famous graduates: Irish internationals Nathan Collins, James Abankwah, Jessie Stapleton, Marc Travers, Jamie McGrath and Stephen Quinn. Yet this story isn't just about them because right across the League of Ireland this weekend you will see names and faces of players who came from the Orchard's previous crops: Danny Grant, Trevor Clarke (Rovers), James Clarke (Bohs), Tommy Lonergan (Waterford), Darragh Markey (Drogheda), Brendan Clarke (Galway), Greg Bolger (Cork) and Danny Rogers (St Pat's). Read more: Stuart Byrne column: Drogheda United's Kevin Doherty is a miracle worker, but it's no fluke Two government ministers walked past the murals on those walls on Wednesday morning, part of a promotion to highlight healthy eating inititives, as they saw visibly the return on their investment. Right now, the Orchard is flying again, after suffering a lull when the national underage leagues were introduced, and both players and coaches migrated to League of Ireland clubs. O'Brien, the club's underage chairperson, says: 'We fell off for a period. Most of us (in schoolboy football) did not embrace the transition to League of Ireland underage leagues when they were first started. 'We now know where we are in the scheme of things.' And that's simple. This is the place where the next Darragh Markey or Danny Grant will emerge from. Of their current Under 13 team, six have already been signed up by St Pat's, their partner club, two by UCD, two by Bohs and two by Bray Wanderers. There's a reason why all this matters, because for years the dynamic in Irish football, stayed the same. Clubs luke the Orchard, Belvo, St Kevin's, Joeys produced great underage teams and players; clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal snapped them up. Then Brexit came and the laws surrounding kids being signed by English clubs changed. And then on top of that, the underage League of Ireland leagues were introduced, and the traditional heavy hitters in schoolboy football had challenges to their identity. But rather than disappear and go away, they have rewritten their purpose. Cherry Orchard caters for the elite and the community. 'You can play for this club from four years of age right up to 44,' says O'Brien. Without schoolboy/schoolgirl clubs, Irish football would cease to exist, as they start the process that ends with players like Collins putting on the captain's armband for his country, players like Markey winning the SWI player of the month award on the back of his displays for Drogheda. O'Brien, the former Longford and Bohs keeper, says: 'Every Easter we send our teams across to tournaments in Europe and what we see then is that there is not just phenomenal talent in other countries, but it exists at home here, too. 'We regularly play Manchester City's underage teams. Their coaches tell us that our players are as godo as theirs. But the difference is the number of hours we can give to our players. Compared to England, compared to Europe, we are way behind. 'People talk about burn out but that's a misnomer because if you train players the right way, they won't burn out. They'll fly. We have good people in this country, good coaches, good players, we just need a wee bit of support. If we get that, we'll take off.' As a former League of Ireland player, also someone who played in England for a spell, and now back to his roots with Cherry Orchard, O'Brien is well-placed to talk about how the various jigsaw pieces need to join together to make Irish football look nice again. 'We can't rally against League of Ireland clubs,' he said. 'That won't work. We have our partnership with St Pat's and the benefits of that are numerous. They send their coaches in here. That raises standards. But also, players will come to Cherry Orchard because they see a pathway to League of Ireland. It works both ways.' On top of this they run many laudable projects - providing their pitch to local schools, providing a sporting home for 600 members, offering a football service to people with addiction issues. But if you want to see the next Collins or Stapleton then this is one of those clubs you need to spend time at. 'The big secret is getting the right coaches,' he says, 'all the while hoping that one day governments will be in a position to finance coaches going into clubs and increasing the contact hours that the next generation are exposed to. 'Most people seem to forget that the vast majority of coaches are voluntary. Imagine if we could get the best coaches dedicated full-time to Irish football's cause. Trust me, I see it, we can produce players in this country. We have the talent. 'We've great facilities here, thanks to government sports capital grants. Through facilities we have been able to progress. With full-time coaches, so many clubs could take off as we have. It can happen. We have to believe it. Clubs like Cherry Orchard can benefit League of Ireland clubs for years and years and years.'
