COBH make the trip up to Wicklow tonight, where they face Bray Wanderers in another pivotal League of Ireland First Division clash.

Bray’s win 2-0 last time out against Kerry saw them jump above Cobh in the table, meaning that tonight’s game is the battle of third and fourth.

Shane Keegan’s side come into this one off the back of a 2-2 draw against Athlone Town, and the Ramblers manager will want his side to put in a strong shift at the Carlisle Grounds.

The last fixture between these two saw Cobh edge out Bray Wanderers at St Colman’s Park. Goals from Brendan Frahill and Wilson Waweru were enough to sink a Bray side who were reduced to 10-men around the hour mark.

Last season, Cobh got the better of Bray over the course of their four League games. The Rams won once at home and once away, with their last defeat against the Seagulls a 1-0 loss at home in March last year.

Cobh’s last defeat at the Carlisle Grounds was in July 2021, as Ian Turner’s opening goal was trumped by a Joe Doyle brace.

Cobh Ramblers have struggled to produce away from home in recent weeks, losing their last three fixtures without scoring, though Bray have had similar issues while playing at home.

The Seagulls were victorious over Finn Harps last time they played at the Carlisle Grounds, but their three home games prior ended in defeat, including their shock 4-1 defeat to Usher Celtic in the Leinster Senior Cup Semi-final.

SYSTEM

Ian Ryan’s side have been possession heavy this season playing in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 system, while Shane Keegan often tailors his setup to be opponent-specific, something he will likely do tonight, as highlighted last Friday.

“They’re the team that passes the ball the most, they’ve more passes than Waterford, Galway or anybody, and they consistently do that.

“When you’re on the other end of that, you’ve got two options – do you take the risky route and go and press them in their half and see can you turn them over – or do you drop off, leave them have it and say, ‘try and come through us’. 

"That’s the key decision for us, we need to decide which of those two approaches we’re going to take.” Issa Kargbo, Pierce Phillips and Jack Doherty have all suffered minor setbacks in their bid to return from injury, and it’s unlikely that either of the three will return in time for tonight’s game.

Cian Browne’s recovery is headed in the right direction, meaning could be available for selection tonight.