Leonard praises Cobh work-rate
SOCCER
Daire Walsh
COBH RAMBLERS striker Cian Leonard praised the work-rate of his team-mates, after they claimed all three points against Shelbourne in the SSE Airtricity League First Division last Friday evening.
Ramblers finished the game with 10 men following the second-half dismissal of Peter Callanan, but thanks to Leonard’s composed finish with 20 minutes remaining, they overcame the challenge of the north Dubliners.
Leonard was happy to play his part in another memorable success for the Leesiders, and he felt they were rewarded for their desire to play positive football at all times.
“The lads worked hard even with 11 men, and when we went to 10, the work-rate went up even more. Anybody could have scored there. In my opinion, it was an even game. It was long ball from Shelbourne. We were trying to play football. We had to go long at times, but luckily I got the goal and I was composed to finish it,” Leonard remarked after the game.
“The ball from Ian Mylod was outstanding, and obviously lucky enough for the centre-half [Alan Byrne] to make a mistake. As a striker, they’re bread and butter. You have to score them every single time.”
Cobh have had to deal with a number of injuries and departures throughout 2017, but they continue to produce strong performances moving into the final weeks of the current campaign. Leonard acknowledged that it has been a massive squad effort from Ramblers this season, and believes any player can step up to the plate when required.
“This squad is huge. Everybody in the squad could have started today. We had a strong bench, but as you say, everyone’s mentality and attitude on the pitch was top class, so that’s why we didn’t need any.
“We used one sub. We didn’t need it there today, because we worked hard, and everyone was doing their job. A big squad. Anybody could have come in, and we’d have won that game either way.”
With seven points separating them from First Division leaders Waterford, a second place finish seems like the best bet for Cobh with just four games left to play in this year’s league. Yet, Leonard is convinced that promotion is still well within their sights, and they are ready to take advantage of any potential slip-ups from their Munster counterparts.
“It’s still not over. There’s seven points between us and Waterford, four games left. We know we’re going to win every game, we’re just hoping there’s a slip up from Waterford. As you can see, we’re a great team. We always play football, we always get the win. We dig it out, we work hard. There’s no reason why we can’t go up this year, provided Waterford don’t win every single game.”
“Hendo [manager Stephen Henderson] said it to us a couple of weeks back. ‘There’s seven games left. New league. We win this league, and then we see how we get on in the overall scheme of things’. At the moment, we’re after winning every game since. It’s looking well. We’re hoping for a slip-up from Waterford, and you never know what could happen,” Leonard added.