Cobh Ramblers suffer late heartbreak against UCD conceding two late goals 

Cobh Ramblers 1

UCD 2

Cobh Ramblers unbeaten run in the League of Ireland First Division came to an end with a 2-1 defeat to UCD at Turner’s Cross on Friday night.

Two late goals, coming after the 90th minute, from Ciaran Behan and Adam Wells grabbed the three points for the students after Jack Larkin opened the scoring midway through the second half.

The Students almost scored inside the opening minute when a clearance by Darragh Burke was picked off by Michael Raggett, and he knocked the ball out for a goal-kick while trying to control it.

This showed the Students intent, that they wouldn’t sit back on foreign soil, and their forward won a corner shortly after. 

Donal Higgins’ set piece was met by Raggett at the near post and the striker narrowly missed the intended target with a header.

UCD Jake Doyle got the first shot on target, and this was blocked on the goal-line by a scrambling Cobh defence.

UCD then thought they won a penalty when Daniel Norris went down inside the area. 

The referee, instead, gave a free-out and the winger was booked for simulation.

Cobh’s came to life with a David Bosnjak shot that went just wide at the St End’s End. 

The Ramblers pushed high and forced a number of hasty clearances from the UCD back-line, so much that McKevitt managed to block a clearance by Kian Moore. 

Like everything else thrown at the Students, they held firm and it was 0-0 at the break.

The game restarted with a through pass from Jack Larkin to Bosnjak, and Moore denied the midfielder with a point blank save.

UCD’s resistance was eventually broken when McKevitt broke the ball down to Jack Larkin, and he half-volleyed it in at the Shed End with 73 minutes on the clock.

Dale Holland should have doubled the lead when he rounded Moore, but the tightest of angles got the better of the midfielder and the ball went out for a goal-kick.

Behan got the first goal in the 84th minute, and that drew the two teams level. 

Wells hit the back of the net with the final kick of the game in the 95th minute and UCD snatched the points.

Cobh Ramblers: Darragh Burke; Cian Browne, Justin Eguaibor, Brendeán Frahill, Dean Larkin, Matthew Kevitt, Jack Larkin, James O’Leary, David Bosnjak, Dale Holland, Jason Abbott.

Subs: Beneoin O’Brien Whitmarsh for Bosnjak (82); Dan McKay for Holland (82), David Eguaibor for McKevitt (85).

UCD: Kian Moore; Alex Dunne, Adam Wells, Harvey O’Brien, Michael Raggett, Ciaran Behan, Daniel Norris, Donal Higgins, Harry Curtis, Adam Verdon, Jake Doyle.

Subs: Michael McCullagh for Norris (55); Sean Brennan for Verdon (67), Hugh Parker for Doyle (55), Dany Bishop Kinsella for Raggett (55).

Referee: Jason Moore.