AFTER his side’s 2-1 defeat to Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds last Friday, Cobh Ramblers manager Stuart Ashton acknowledged the concession of a goal so close to half-time had a major bearing on the final outcome of the First Division contest.

Ian Turner had edged the Leesiders into the lead on 32 minutes, before Joe Doyle struck late on in the opening period and ultimately settled the tie with a superb finish on the resumption. While Ashton accepted Ramblers went in front against the run of play, he also feels a different response could have garnered a positive result on the night.

“We didn’t deserve it when we took the lead. They expressed themselves, put us under a bit of pressure. The one we gave away a couple of minutes before half-time, we’ve tried to play out and we’ve got caught,” Ashton remarked in the aftermath of the game.

“Poor defending from there, he [Doyle] was probably four or five yards in his own half and he’s run all the way through to inside the box. Put one away without any of our defenders coming to do anything. That’s poor defending from our behalf. Right on the way of half-time, that gave them a bit of life then obviously to come out in the second half.

“We’ve let them back into the game by silly goals.”

“Yes, we’ve gone a goal up against the run of play and we didn’t deserve that, but we have to learn how to defend that properly and then we come away with at least some kind of points here tonight. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn our lesson and we’ve been sucker-punched for it.”

Friday’s game saw new recruits Nathan O’Connell and Danny O’Connell being included in a Cobh matchday squad for the first time. They are expected to take on more substantial roles in the coming weeks, starting with next week’s visit to Galway United.

Managed by Ashton’s former coaching partner John Caulfield, the Tribesmen will come into that encounter on the back of four consecutive wins.

“They’ve come in to add to the squad. They’ll integrate into the squad and hopefully, we can see a lot more of them over the rest of the season. They’ll play a big part in it,” Ashton said of his recent signings.

“We know what John’s sides are about. They’ll be well organised and they’re a tough team to beat. They’ve hit a little bit of form at the minute so we have to be prepared for that. Again, it’s about looking after ourselves.”