Ramblers finish season in sixth
SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION
Daire Walsh
SHELBOURNE…………………………………….. 2
COBH RAMBLERS…………………………………. 0
FIRST-HALF goals from Carl Walshe and Gareth Coughlan proved to be decisive at Tolka Park on Saturday night, as Cobh Ramblers signed off on their SSE Airtricity League First Division campaign with a reversal at the hands of Shelbourne.
This result means that Cobh will finish the term in sixth-place, and when you consider that they were at the foot of the same table 12 months ago (and have had to contend with a host of injuries in recent weeks), this will provide a lot of encouragement moving into 2016 and beyond.
Cobh were hoping to maintain their recent good form against Shels, having defeated them at home six months ago, before sharing the spoils in competitive fixtures in June (1-1) and August (2-2) respectively.
In order for Cobh to leap-frog fifth-place Athlone Town in the second-tier table, they needed to record their ninth league success of the campaign in the Drumcondra venue. Shels were also aiming to finish 2015 on a high, after losing out on a promotion play-off place to Finn Harps and UCD.
After their 2-1 triumph against Athlone at the end of August, Cobh suffered four defeats on the bounce, and they were hoping to address this slide on their seventh visit to Dublin in the present season.
Shels midfielder Coughlan forced a fine save from Ramblers netminder David Brown from the opening attack of the contest, which was an early warning sign for the away side. Dylan McGlade was a lively presence on the right-wing for Shels, and with just six minutes gone on the clock, he helped his side to unlock the Cobh back-four.
McGlade picked out Walshe inside the area with a neat pull-back, and although Cobh cleared the industrious striker’s right-footed effort away from the danger zone, the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line before this defensive intervention.
This was a major set-back for Stephen Henderson’s charges (who had drawn blanks in front of goal during their three previous games), and with Shels getting plenty of joy in the wide areas, they needed to establish a foothold in the vital midfield sector.
The absence of Shane O’Connor was notable in this area, and in spite of the best efforts from Jason Abbott and David Curran, clear-cut opportunities were proving to be few and far between against a stern Shels rearguard.
Ryan Goldsmith – who joined Stephen Kenny in the Ramblers attack – did fire over from a tight-angle, but Cobh’s chances of success received another blow at the end of the first-quarter. The retreating Jakub Buris upended McGlade inside the 18-yard box, and despite having his subsequent spot-kick superbly turned away by Brown, Coughlan headed home the rebound in routine fashion.
This provided Shels with a strong platform, and left Cobh with a mountain to climb for the remainder minutes of the tie. The home team were showing no signs of resting on their laurels either, and just before the half-hour mark, James English was marginally off-target from the right-hand side.
The endeavour of Cobh couldn’t be questioned, though, and Kenny offered a consistent threat to Shels in the final-third.
Cobh were in a precarious position at the start of the second period, but they were presented with a potential lifeline upon the resumption. When Kenny was impeded inside the area just minutes after the restart, Ramblers had the chance to dramatically decrease their two-goal deficit.
Kenny stepped forward to take the second penalty of the evening, but his strike from 18 yards was expertly saved by Shels custodian Jack Brady. This was a significant let-off for the north Dubliners, who were quite edgy in the early moments of the half.
Indeed, Cobh sensed that they could force their way back into the reckoning, and centre-half Kevin Mulcahy headed Stephen Christopher’s 53rd minute corner narrowly over the crossbar. In general, the play was becoming more scattered, and the excellent Gareth Coughlan almost grabbed his second goal in spectacular style two minutes later. His curling attempt from the left-wing kept Brown on his toes, and with substitutes Dylan Grimes and Adam O’Connor entering the fray, Shels were aiming to grab a third goal, which would place the outcome beyond any doubt.
Kenny was close to securing a consolation for Cobh in the 83rd and 85th minutes, and even though Brown thwarted Shels substitute Adam O’Connor at the end of a goalmouth scramble, it was the earlier goals from Walshe and Coughlan that ultimately were the difference.
SHELBOURNE: Jack Brady; Darragh Gannon (Adam O’Connor 66), Ryan Robinson, Conor Keeley, Alan Kehoe; Dylan McGlade, Daire Doyle, Gareth Coughlan, Conor Earley (Dylan Grimes 66); Carl Walshe (Mark Sandford 79), James English.
COBH RAMBLERS: David Brown; Adam O’Sullivan, Brendan Frahill, Kevin Mulcahy, Christopher McCarthy; Steven Christopher, Jason Abbott, David Curran, Jakub Buris (Bobbi Donoghue 65); Stephen Kenny, Ryan Goldsmith.
Referee: Andrew Mullally (Waterford).