Leonard’s goal wins it for Cobh
SOCCER
SHELBOURNE…………………………0
COBH RAMBLERS…………………….1
Daire Walsh
A SECOND-HALF goal from Cian Leonard was the difference between the teams at Tolka Park last night, when 10-man Cobh Ramblers recorded an outstanding win over Shelbourne in a tense SSE Airtricity League First Division encounter.
With Charlie Fleming and Kevin Taylor offering width in their respective wing-back roles, Ramblers attempted to force Shels on the back-foot. It was the north Dubliners who showed the greater attacking intent for much of the first half, though, and James English narrowly missed out on a connection to Dylan Kavanagh’s dangerous cross from the left-wing.
Chances were few and far between for either side in the opening period, although Ian Mylod was narrowly off-target after cut inside onto his right-foot. English also forced a save from Ramblers goalkeeper Paul Hunt in the 44th-minute, but with both defences generally on top, the deadlock remained unbroken at the midway point.
Shels netminder Jamie Quinn was largely untested before the interval, but after Cian Coleman found space inside the opposition half five minutes after the restart, he produced a low save from the Cobh midfielder’s left-footed drive.
Owen Heary’s home team continued to pose problems for their Leeside counterparts, and Hunt had to be on his toes to deny English on 55 minutes. A dangerous free-kick from the right-hand side by Dayle Rooney almost found its way into the far corner of the Cobh net, before the visitors suffered a hammer blow prior to the hour mark.
Peter Callanan was given his marching orders for a late tackle on Derek Prendergast, and this handed the impetus to Shels during a crucial juncture in the play. Yet, against all the odds, Ramblers took the lead in extraordinary fashion on the stroke of 70 minutes.
Following a defensive error by Alan Byrne, Leonard was presented with a glorious opportunity, and he coolly fired beyond the reach of the stranded Quinn.
This gave Ramblers an unexpected buffer inside the final-quarter, and it looked like Shels’ numerical advantage was about to disappear when Prendergast was shown a red card for a challenge on Leonard.
However, after consulting with his linesman, referee John McLoughlin instead awarded a free-kick against Cobh for offside. This bizarre incident disrupted the flow of the game, but with the Cobh defence superbly shutting out the Shels attack, they claimed their second consecutive 1-0 triumph in the Drumcondra venue.
SHELBOURNE: Jamie Quinn; James Brown, Derek Prendergast, Alan Byrne, Sean Byrne; Jamie Doyle (Adam Evans 72), James O’Brien, David O’Leary, Dylan Kavanagh; Dayle Rooney, James English.
COBH RAMBLERS: Paul Hunt; Charlie Fleming, John Kavanagh, Cian Kingston, James McSweeney, Kevin Taylor; Peter Callanan, Cian Coleman, Karl Caulfield; Ian Mylod, Cian Leonard (Stephen Christopher 90).
Referee: John McLoughlin (Roscommon).