COBH RAMBLERS manager Stuart Ashton has called on his side to continue on their current trajectory after the Leesiders recorded their second consecutive victory in the SSE Airtricity League First Division on Friday evening.

Following a morale-boosting triumph over county rivals Cork City a fortnight earlier, Ramblers secured an impressive 2-1 success at the expense of UCD in Belfield.

This mini-run of results was preceded by just one win in nine games, but Ashton is hopeful his charges are beginning to show their true form.

“We’ve got to get that belief there now. I don’t think we should have been in the position we were in, but we were.

“Because of the [lack of] consistency and that has let us down at times,” Ashton remarked after the game.

“We’ve shown in the last two games. When we do that properly and we can last out the games with our commitment and our organisation, and the bit of football that we try and play, then we can take the big scalps.

“Hopefully we get a bit of consistency. In this league it’s so even that, a win here and there, and you’re up the table.”

Having played out a scoreless first half in Dublin, Cobh stunned the Students by scoring two goals in three minutes shortly after the resumption. Jake Hegarty displayed great composure to find the net on both occasions, but the former Munster Senior League star did profit heavily from excellent build-up play with midfielder Lee Devitt particularly instrumental for his opening strike.

Ashton has a strong belief in how he wants his team to play and this was on full show for Hegarty’s superb double.

“We try and play football when we can. Unfortunately, at times it’s not as good as we know it can be, but we showed that when we do it and we do it properly, we get our rewards for it,” Ashton said.

In response to this blitz, UCD got themselves back in the game with a Colm Whelan penalty on 66 minutes.

An almighty surge was expected from the hosts in the final quarter, but Ashton felt Cobh were relatively comfortable.

The stats show that their only shot on goal was the penalty. From that point of view, it shows the commitment from the lads.

“How we defended and we defended properly. We responded to them getting a goal back.

“I think their ‘keeper has had to make another couple of saves, so we could have gone [two] ahead again.

“From that point of view, today the lads were excellent,” Ashton added.