Cobh Ramblers sign off with victory over Bray Wanderers
Cobh Ramblers' Brendan Frahill clears his lines as Bray Wanderers' Billy O'Neill closes in, during their SSE Airtricity League First Division clash at St Colman's Park. Picture: David Keane.
Cobh Ramblers finished their season with a 3-0 victory over Bray Wanderers at St Colman’s Park.
Two goals from Jack Larkin and one from Jason Abbott got the three points, and the full-time result means that the team finishes the year in eighth in the League of Ireland First Division.
It was hardly a classic encounter at St Colman’s Park, as chances were few and far between in East Cork.
Cobh were solely focused on bouncing back from last week’s defeat to Longford Town at Bishopsgate, while a Bray side thinking about the play-offs handed seven players their full league debut.
The Ramblers dominated play early on and their first real chance came through some good work done by Jack Larkin and David Bosnjak in the 6th minute, and the best they could do during this spell was a tame shot that was easily blocked by Bray inside the box.
That was followed by a low Pierce Philips cross that went to Jack Larkin and a big opportunity for the home side was pushed away by Edvinas Jakas.
The Seagulls slowly found themselves in an attacking sense, with their first attempt in the 8th minute falling to Billy O’Neill and the forward kicked the ball straight at Breandán Frahill.
These moments were rare in the final minutes of the first half, as Bray held firm while Cobh probed in the final third.
If anything sums this up, it is a passage of play on the left wing in the 29th minute involving James O’Leary and Luka Le Bervet. They managed to set up David Bosnjak for a shot on the edge of the area, and a rare clean opening was swallowed by Jakas at his near post.
The first half closed out with tame efforts from Josh McGlone and Jack Larkin trying their luck, and both failed to hit the target.
The game restarted with a change on the Bray team, with Alan Seruga replacing Zayd Abada.
The midfielder announced himself with a weaving run into the box that ended with the ball rolling into the hands of Darragh Burke.
Cobh went back to basics and won a penalty at the hour mark when the referee ruled that a Le Bervet cross hit the hand of Leon Ajala inside the area. Jack Larkin stepped up and sent Jakas the wrong way with a cool finish.
Bray immediately pushed up in search of an equaliser and the best they could do was a scramble that ended in a free-out.
Cobh rallied in search of a second goal late on, and a flurry of chances includes a stunning strike from Dale Holland skimming the edge of the post.
Abbott made it 2-0 from the spot and Jack Larkin got the third with the final kick of the game in injury time.
Darragh Burke; Breandán Frahill, Dean Larkin, Pierce Philips, Jack Larkin, James O’Leary, Nolan Evers, David Bosnjak, Dale Holland, Luka Le Bervet, Jason Abbott.
Regix Madika for Bosnjak (67); David Eguaibor for O’Leary (67), Lucas Curtin for Philips (69), Michael McCarthy for Evers (89), Charlie O’Brien for Le Bervet (89).
Edvinas Jakas; Jamie Duggan, Leon Ajala, Paul Murphy, Destiny Avenbuan, Alain Kizenga, Zayd Abada, Conor Knight, Josh McGlone, Rhys Knight, Billy O’Neill.
Alan Seruga for Abada (50); Joshua Kerr for Ajala (64); Stefan Ugbesia for McGlone (64), Jack Lawless for Avenbuan (85).
Alan Patchell
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