Frahill’s late goal sees Cobh draw
SOCCER
Daire Walsh
CABINTEELY FC……………………………………………….. 2
COBH RAMBLERS…………………………………………….. 2
BRENDAN FRAHILL came to the rescue of Cobh Ramblers at Stradbrook last night, when his dramatic 95th-minute goal helped Cobh share of the spoils with Cabinteely FC in this SSE Airtricity League First Division encounter.
Cobh were hoping to recover from their heartbreaking defeat at home to second-tier leaders Finn Harps last Saturday.
However, it was the hosts who were provided with a morale-boost just ten minutes into the action, when a powerful drive from the left-wing by Evan Finnegan was diverted past Ramblers netminder Stephen Hickey by luckless midfielder Audi Dunlea.
This was the kind of start that Stephen Henderson’s charges were hoping to avoid, and just three minutes after this opener, they were facing into a precarious two-goal deficit.
Former Bray Wanderers star Shane O’Neill was proving to be a lively figure on the right-flank for Cabinteely, and when centre-forward Gerald Pender controlled his majestic over-the-top pass, he found the bottom corner of the Cobh goal.
The concession of these goals were a shock to the system for Cobh, and they had to wait until the 19th minute for a clear sighting of Sean Hyland’s posts. Striker Rob Waters was marginally off-target on that occasion, and a back-post header by Darren Murphy also kept the youthful Cabinteely custodian on his toes two minutes later.
As the half wore on, Cobh gradually began to exert more of an attacking influence, and although he dragged a shot wide of the mark on 24 minutes, tricky winger Kynan Rocks set-up a decent opportunity for the increasingly-threatening Waters.
The powerful front man was desperately unlucky to see his close-range attempt rebounding off the posts from a delivery by Cobh captain Shane O’Connor just shy of the half-hour mark, but they eventually broke the Cabinteely resistance 11 minutes prior to the interval.
Right-back Adam O’Sullivan was on hand to volley home Rocks’ cross for his first-ever senior goal, and even though Stephen Kenny subsequently headed an O’Neill attempt off the line, Cobh’s confidence levels had certainly improved.
Yet, the Metropolitan men were still offering a viable threat on the break, and following a strong burst into the danger zone eight minutes after the restart, Pender fired agonisingly past the right-hand post.
Ramblers also received a major let-off on the hour mark – when a fierce left-footed shot from energetic substitute Stephen Dunne was forced onto the crossbar by the fingertips of Hickey – and with the final-quarter beckoning, they needed to force the play into the Cabinteely half of the pitch.
They certainly controlled possession for large spells as the final-whistle beckoned, but even though an O’Connor effort almost crept over the line, Cabinteely had a brace of gilt-edged chances to secure all three points.
Conor Foley couldn’t convert a Finnegan pull-back one minute from the end of normal time, and despite beating Hickey two minutes into time added on, Pender was thwarted by Eoghan Murphy’s last-gasp clearance.
This proved to be a vital intervention for Cobh as, from the final play of an eventful tie, Frahill rose highest to direct O’Connor’s corner past the stranded Hyland.
CABINTEELY FC: Sean Hyland; Daniel Campbell, Victor Ekanem, Kevin Knight, Jamie McGlynn; Shane O’Neill, Aaron Brilly, John McKeown, Evan Finnegan; Stephen Hanley; Gerald Pender.
Subs: Stephen Dunne for O’Neill (43), Conor Foley for Hanley (74), Lloyd Cairns for Campbell (81).
COBH RAMBLERS: Stephen Hickey; Adam O’Sullivan, Brendan Frahill, Eoghan Murphy, Graham McCarthy; Audi Dunlea; Stephen Kenny, Shane O’Connor, Darren Murphy, Kynan Rocks; Rob Waters.
Subs: Ryan Goldsmith for Dunlea (72), Ronan Stanton for Waters (82).
Referee: Rhona Daly (Dublin).