AFTER a stint in full-time football with the John Caulfield-managed Galway United, defender Charlie Lyons is back with Cobh Ramblers.

The Innishannon native will be hoping to play a key role in the heart of the Cobh defence and a possible challenge for the First Division playoffs. The 22-year-old is delighted to be back at the St Colman’s Park working under with Shane Keegan.

“Shane has gathered a good squad. I am delighted to be back. Cobh has always been close to my heart and I loved playing with the club.

“Shane rang me there towards December. I hadn’t really decided what I was doing. But he sold it to me. Getting Fran Rockett back in as assistant was massive as well. He has good experience and so has Shane.

“Shane has got teams promoted from the First Division, so he knows what he is on about.”

The obvious target is the playoffs.

“We are all in the same boat, that the playoffs is the minimum. I think the club has struggled to get results in the last few years, being outside the playoffs with five or six games to go it hasn’t been achievable. 

Once you are in the playoffs you never know what could happen. But I think we just need to focus now on ourselves and you have got to take it every week as it comes. You can’t be looking ahead too far.

“Every Friday night there is three points up for grabs and that is all we are concentrating on.”

Cobh have enjoyed a dream start to 2023.

“Two wins from two, you can’t complain there. Look, we are not going to get carried away with ourselves either. It is early days and there is still a long season there yet.”

With six points on the board, Cobh are joined by Athlone Town, Bray Wanderers and Galway United at the top of the table having won two league games out of two.

Commencing his career at his local Cork team Innishvilla, Lyons spent time at Preston North End’s underage setup before joining Ramblers in 2019.

The defender spent three seasons at the St Colman’s Park side , featuring 66 times and scoring nine goals. He then moved to Galway where he helped the Connacht outfit reach the First Division play-offs in 2022.

“We just need to be very consistent at home this year,” stated Lyons on the importance of Ramblers having good form at St Colman’s Park this season.

Make sure nobody is taking points off us easily anyway. We need to make sure teams hate coming down to Colman’s Park. 

"In this league this year, anyone can be anyone on any given day.”

FAMILIAR

One of the sub-plots to Saturday’s game is the fact that former Cobh boss Stephen Henderson is in the Longford managerial role. During his time managing Ramblers, Henderson guided them to the First Division title and promotion to the Premier Division in 2007.

In more recent times Henderson was at the helm when Cobh made it to their first-ever senior national cup final in 2018, the League Cup final against Derry City.

A new-look Longford team this season will hope Henderson can help guide them to be in the mix for at least the playoffs.

Cobh Ramblers will be looking to keep their 100% winning start going and off the back of a win over Wexford, Keegan’s Cobh side will travel in confidence and will be hoping to take some points from their trip to the Midlands.

Looking ahead to Friday’s game, Lyons said: “It is going to be another tough game. Stephen Henderson will have them well drilled. They had a very good result down in Waterford, when probably no one gave them a chance.

“So it is going to be a very tough game. Hopefully now it goes our way.”

Charlie Lyons and his Cobh Ramblers teammates will make the journey up to Longford hoping to build on what has been a positive start to the season.