Cobh Ramblers into promotion playoff final after aggregate win over Wexford
Dean Larkin of Cobh Ramblers celebrates after the SSE Airtricity Men's First Division Play-Off semi-final second leg match between Cobh Ramblers and Wexford at St Colman's Park in Cobh, Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
AFTER their 1-0 triumph away from home on Tuesday night, Cobh Ramblers dug out to draw 1-1 with Wexford in Cobh on Saturday evening and secure a place in the promotion playoff final with Waterford FC.
In front of a packed St Colman’s Park on Saturday evening, the atmosphere reached new heights as the two sides went head-to-head for the second leg, but it was Cobh who came out on top as James O’Leary cancelled out Jack Crawford’s first half strike.
It was intense in the early stages with the home side marginally on top, and the hosts’ best chance of the first half came after a quarter of an hour as Jack Doherty delivered the ball into the box from a corner, and Pierce Phillips headed the ball at goal.
It was well kept out by Owen Mason but after a scramble in the box, it fell to Wilson Waweru. The winger shot at goal, but Mason reacted brilliantly to touch it over the bar.
Wexford did get themselves in front after half an hour as Crawford took a volleyed swing on the edge of the box, and his strike curled away from Lee Steacy and into the net.
They almost scored a second just three minutes later as Crawford played an excellent long ball to Thomas Oluwa, who had made an excellent run at the Rams goal and found himself one-on-one with Steacy, but his final effort was poor and he dragged it wide of the post.
Wexford continued to pile the pressure on the hosts and came agonisingly close in the 43rd minute as Cian O’Malley crossed the ball in superbly, but Oluwa’s effort was snatched and went wide.
The rain got significantly worse, making life difficult for both sets of players, so when the referee called time on the first half Wexford headed inside with a 1-0 lead and the tie level on aggregate.
The hosts desperately needed to improve in the second half and that they did, but it was Wexford who had the best opportunity on the hour mark as they countered in a three versus two scenario.
Oluwa went on his own and managed to skip past Pierce Phillips, but his shot across goal was once again off target, to the relief of the home crowd.
The Rams pushed on, and as Jack Doherty forged a chance through his relentless pressing, Cobh managed to get one back.
Doherty delivered the cross just before it went out over the line, and as the ball avoided two defenders and the goalkeeper, it fell to the feet of the unmarked James O’Leary, and he smashed it into the back of the net as St Colman’s Park erupted.
With 15 minutes to go, the pressure was once again on the visitors, and Darragh Levingston tried to get them back in the picture with a long-range shot. Steacy couldn’t hold onto it, but Brendan Frahill cleared amid the incoming threat from Aaron Dobbs, and they held out to book their spot in the final.
L Steacy; C Lyons, B Frahill, D Larkin; C Browne, P Phillips (A Byrne 89), J Abbott, J O’Leary (T O’Brien 82); W Waweru, J Doherty, M Rowe (D Holland 85).
O Mason; D Levingston (M Hanratty 82), L Browne, C O’Malley, R Webb; E Boyle, L Lovic (C Levingston 86), K Corbally, J Crawford (D Furlong 82), A Dobbs, T Oluwa.
Marc Lynch
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