Treaty United 0 Cobh Ramblers 3

COBH Ramblers kept their impressive start to the 2023 League Of Ireland First Division season going with this victory over Treaty United at the Markets Field on Friday night.

This victory saw Shane Keegan’s side move up to second with Ramblers now winning three out of their opening four league games.

Ramblers are a side growing in confidence, with a top-of-the-table clash with John Caulfield’s Galway United side up next weekend.

Treaty had a number of former Cobh players in their starting team. Among them were Anto O’Donnell, Ben O’Riordan, Lee Devitt and goalkeeper Shane Hallahan.

Ramblers began on the front foot, with Michael McCarthy shooting over in the third minute from inside the box. Treaty’s first chance of note arrived on seven minutes when Dean George forced a save out of Cobh goalkeeper Lee Steacy. Success Edogun in particular was looking a threat in attack for Treaty.

Just shy of the half an hour mark, Cobh had a good chance when Wilson Waweru blazed over the crossbar from a decent position.

Treaty threatened on 36 minutes through a headed attempt from Enda Curran, with the same man seeing his strike come back off the post from a short free kick by Marc Ludden shortly after.

Dean George almost gave Treaty the perfect second-half start, with a shot that was blocked down by the Cobh defence. Success Edogun had a low strike from out wide saved on 52 minutes, with Anto O’Donnell looking solid at the back for the hosts.

But it was Ramblers that went into the lead on the hour mark. On loan Galway United man Waweru opened his scoring account for Cobh with a close-range finish, after some good work by Issa Kargbo in the build-up who had initially teed up Jack Doherty.

Treaty almost had the ideal response on 64 minutes, with George shooting just wide with a crisp strike.

Ramblers doubled their advantage heading into the final ten minutes. Racing onto a neat through pass, Jack Doherty maintained his composure before slotting home coolly to the back of the net.

Doherty got on the scoresheet again on 83 minutes to get a third Cobh goal, breaking free from the Treaty defence and finishing clinically.

TREATY UNITED: Shane Hallahan; Ben O’Riordan, Marc Ludden, Lee Devitt, Anto O’Donnell, Conor Barry, Success Edogun, Dean George, Andrew Spain, Enda Curran, Mark Walsh.

Subs: William Armshaw for Barry (67), Stephen Christopher for Ludden (74), Alec Byrne for Walsh, Colin Conroy for George (both 78).

COBH RAMBLERS: Lee Steacy; Michael McCarthy, Cian Browne, Brendan Frahill, Charlie Lyons, Wilson Waweru, Pierce Phillips, Jack Doherty, Issa Kargbo, Dale Holland, Jason Abbott.

Subs: Luke Desmond for Holland (67), Tiernan O’Brien for Waweru, James O’Leary for Kargbo (both 72), Daragh O’Sullivan Connell for Browne, Callum Stringer for Phillips (both 88).

Referee: Jason Moore.