Cobh Ramblers face Bray Wanderers at St Colman's Park

COBH Ramblers are back in action at St Colman’s Park tonight, as they host seventh-placed Bray Wanderers in a fixture that is certainly a must-win for Shane Keegan’s side.

Last time out, Cobh played out a disappointing 2-2 draw. Keegan’s side did well to fight back once again and secure the draw after being two goals down but will be bitterly disappointed not to have beaten Kerry.

Cobh remain four points ahead of Athlone Town, and a further nine points clear of Wexford FC, who sit in the last playoff spot in fifth.

As we edge nearer to the business end of the season, Cobh need to pick up points to maintain breathing room from Wexford, and Pat Devlin’s side will be no easy feat.

RECENT SUCCESS

The Seagulls haven’t beaten Cobh since their 1-0 win over the Rams in St Colman’s Park back in March last year.

Since then, Ramblers have been particularly impressive against Bray, picking up three wins and two draws, including their massive 5-1 win over the Wicklow outfit at the end of last season.

Last time the teams met in St Colman’s Park, goals from Frahill and Waweru were enough to beat Bray, despite the former’s own goal on the night.

Cobh and Bray have been the worst performers in the top eight over the last five games, and with a lot at stake in tonight’s game, the Rams will be itching to set things right and pick up a valuable three points in their promotion hunt.

Looking ahead to tonight’s game, Keegan said: “It doesn’t matter who the opposition are, we believe we can get the three points from any home game.

“I'm not really sure what's not clicking for Bray, I mean they have as much quality as anybody in the division. [They] have some fantastic players within their squad, but that's for them to figure out why it's not quite clicking for them.

“If they turn up and they’re at their best, well then, we’re going to have a serious fight on our hands. Anything below our own best, and we won’t get anything from the game.

We just need to hit the reset button again and get back to the level that we know we’re capable of performing at.

“The first half against Longford a couple of weeks ago we were outstanding. That's what I want to see us get back to.” 

James O’Leary is looking unlikely to return from injury before the end of the season, while Matthew McKevitt missed out on the trip to Kerry with a minor injury and will be assessed before tonight’s game against Bray.