Cobh Ramblers lock horns with Waterford in promotion playoff final

COBH Ramblers’ 2-1 aggregate win over Wexford FC in their playoff semi-final last week means they now travel to Turner’s Cross this Friday to play Waterford FC in their League of Ireland First Division Promotion Playoff final.

The winner of this contest will meet Munster rivals Cork City, who finished ninth in the Premier Division this year and are at risk of facing the drop to the First Division.

Though Darragh Levingston found the back of the net for Wexford at St Colman’s Park last week, James O’Leary’s brilliant goal to equalise in the second half was enough to see them through as they carried a 1-0 advantage from the away leg, while it took until the second leg for the Blues to come out on top against Athlone.

After a 1-1 draw away from home, Waterford beat Athlone Town at the RSC as 17-year-old Romeo Akachukwu made headlines, netting a hattrick in their 3-1 win, as they advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

In their four meetings this season Waterford have won twice – a 3-1 win at St Colman’s Park in April, and their 5-0 thumping of Cobh at the RSC back in May.

The last two meetings between the teams went Cobh’s way, as they won 1-0 at home before returning to the RSC and managing an impressive 2-0 win.

Having faced Cork City at the Cross earlier this year to win the Munster Senior Cup for a second successive season, no doubt the Rams will bring confidence to tomorrow’s clash.

With Mike McCarthy the only injury concern for Cobh, Keegan’s men are in a great position to take a scalp from the Blues and make the promotion/relegation final with City.

Rams manager Shane Keegan is under no illusions of the quality Waterford possess but is confident his team could pull off an upset in given their form all season.

“They're an outstanding side,” says Shane. “Second place – but miles ahead of anything that was behind them.

“They showed down at the RSC when we went down there the first time, what happens when they click, they can be that good, but no more than the rest of us, they can blow hot and cold.

“Let's be honest, you probably need them to blow cold on a night where you're blowing hot. That's what happened to us, probably in the two games where we did beat them. It will give us tremendous confidence to be going into a match that we've beaten them twice this season.

“But we also know, having got a trimming down there earlier in the season, just what they're capable of. We’re underdogs, but we’ve been underdogs all year long. It doesn't really change the situation. Bring it on, that's all you can say.”