Cobh lose in second-half blitz
SOCCER
UCD…………………………………. 3
COBH RAMBLERS………………… 1
Daire Walsh
SECOND-HALF goals from Greg Sloggett, Gary O’Neill and Ryan Swan were crucial at Belfield last night, as Cobh Ramblers dropped down to fifth-place in the SSE Airtricity League First Division with a two-goal reversal against UCD.
Following successive league defeats to Drogheda United and Limerick FC, Ramblers were aiming for a return to winning ways in the south Dublin venue.
With Markus Gustavsson occupying the lone striker role, Rob Lehane and Eoin McGreevy offered width in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lehane got his head to a cross on the right-wing with just two minutes of the play gone, but UCD shotstopper Conor O’Donnell gathered his effort with relative ease.
Lehane also had a 20-yard strike deflected past the home team’s post, and even though UCD were gathering plenty of possession during the first-quarter, Cobh were very compact and disciplined when they didn’t have the ball.
With Shane O’Connor playing a deep midfield role, the visitors looked quite composed at times, while the hard-working Gustavsson was also holding up the play in an effective manner. It has been a mixed campaign to date for their Metropolitan counterparts, but as the half progressed, they were starting to develop more of an attacking edge.
Midfielder Sloggett headed over from a corner by O’Neill on 24 minutes, and after Cobh’s O’Connor was off-target with a close-range half-volley, Georgie Kelly was wide of the mark for the Students.
UCD were delivered a hammer blow in the 34th-minute, however, as centre-half Maxi Kouogun was forced out of the action through injury. Yet, they subsequently had the best opportunity of the opening period, and Ramblers netminder Paul Hunt had to be at his best to turn over a thunderous Jason McClleland attempt from a tight angle.
This meant that the sides remained inseparable as the half-time whistle sounded, but although Evan Galvin was introduced for the injured Lehane, the deadlock was broken by UCD three minutes after the restart.
The ball fell to Sloggett just outside the area, and his strike found its way into the bottom right-hand corner of the net – beyond the reach of the outstretched Hunt. Cobh now had to chase the game.
However, matters became even more precarious for Cobh nine minutes into the half, when O’Neill doubled UCD’s advantage from a 25-yard set-piece.
A fifth league defeat of 2016 was now looking increasingly likely for Cobh, but following the concession of this second goal, they did gain more of a foothold in the UCD half. O’Connor was starting to take up a more advanced position, and Jonny Creamer provided fresh legs up front (in place of Gustavsson) for the closing half-hour.
Yet, they were struggling to break down a determined UCD defence, and 19 minutes from the end, even greater daylight was created between the teams. Swan had replaced Kieran ‘Marty’ Waters on the right-flank for the hosts, and with his opening touch of the contest, he turned in a left-sided delivery by McClelland.
It was now turning into a damage limitation exercise for Cobh, but with just seven minutes of normal time remaining, they did manage to narrow the gap. Despite claiming the ball on the ground, UCD’s O’Donnell was given a straight red-card for attempting to kick out at Creamer. There was a delay before UCD centre-half Josh Collins changed into the goalkeeper’s jersey (they had already used all three substitutes), but O’Connor finished the spot-kick in clinical fashion.
This did offer some solace to Ramblers, but they will be hoping to address their current run of form when they host Cherry Orchard in the FAI Cup next Saturday.
UCD: Conor O’Donnell; Adam Harney, Maxi Kouogun (Josh Collins 34), Tomas Boyle, Daniel Tobin; Kieran ‘Marty’ Waters (Ryan Swan 68), Greg Sloggett, Gary O’Neill, Jason McClelland; Georgie Kelly (Jason Byrne 76), Dylan Watts.
COBH RAMBLERS: Paul Hunt; Charlie Flemming, Cian Kingston, Christopher McCarthy, Ian Mylod; Shane O’Connor, Jason Abbott; Rob Lehane (Evan Galvin h-t), Stephen Christopher, Eoin McGreevy; Markus Gustavsson (Jonny Creamer 62).
Referee: Michael O’Connor (Kildare).