Cobh Ramblers open FAI Cup against non-league Bangor Celtic

Cobh Ramblers will open their 2025 FAI Cup campaign with a game against Bangor Celtic at the Iveagh Grounds this Saturday, 3pm.

Mick McDermott and his players will go into this Second Round tie aiming to win progress in the competition for the first time since 2021, when they overcame Liffey Wanderers and famously lost to Maynooth University Town.

The Ramblers are also out to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Treaty United at the Markets Field, a result made worse by league leaders Dundalk dropping points to Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds.

Cobh went to Limerick that evening four points off the top and they struggled to create clear-cut chances on a sweltering evening in Limerick.

Treaty coped better with the conditions, starting with a charging run by Trpimir Vrljičak that forced Luka Le Bervet into a stern challenge inside the area. Robbie Lynch was a considerable source of frustration for McDermott and his players, while Lee Devitt tormented his old club through his ability to pass the ball and test Timothy Martin from distance.

Cobh only created one real opening during the first half, and that effort by Niall O’Keeffe was pushed away by Corey Chambers before the break.

Treaty renewed their push once the game got back underway and with that came the opener, created by a low Colin Conroy cross and smashed into the top corner by Connor Wilson.

The Ramblers equalised through Cian Murphy in the 53rd minute after the striker latched onto a Rhys Gourdie defence-splitting pass and slotted in.

Cobh went for it late on, as news filtered through about what was happening at the Carlisle Grounds, and they once again struggled to put together a cohesive chance that really tested Chambers.

It came down to a stunning Mark Byrne strike in the 87th minute, and that decided the destination of the three points.

Cobh are now looking at the FAI Cup and thinking of a first run in the competition since 2016, when they reached the quarter finals and lost 3-2 to St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.

The last eight seasons have seen nothing but disappointment, with the crescendo being the loss to Maynooth University Town in 2021.

That sobering moment was followed by successive defeats to Cork City, UCD, and Kerry FC, all at the first hurdle.

The positive thing for Cobh is that each one of those games represents a clearly defined part of the club’s history, from trying to get into the play-offs to seeing if the first team could compete on multiple fronts.

DIFFERENT

Things seem different now. The Ramblers are flying high in the First Division and hunting league leaders Dundalk down, and the club wants to know if their newfound ambition can be translated into an adventure that could end in a day out at the Aviva Stadium.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a First Division side would go on a prolonged run in the competition.

Wexford FC managed to get to the semi-finals last year, and they were undone by a goal from Drogheda United’s Adam Foley in the second minute of added time.

Bangor is also a very winnable tie given that the Leinster Senior League are in preseason. They qualified for the FAI Cup proper by reaching the quarter finals of the Intermediate Cup, where they lost 1-0 to Douglas Hall at Moneygourney.

Ramblers are expected to go full-strength on Saturday, regardless of the favourites tag attached to McDermott and his squad.

The coach has placed a huge emphasis on knock-out competitions this season, something that goes back to a meeting with Kerry FC in the Munster Senior Cup Round of 16.

McDermott has left nothing to chance, even when his side faced Douglas Hall in the competition’s semi-finals.

The management team has dipped into the academy on occasion, mostly as substitutes towards the end of games after the win has long-since been secured.

This is a completely different position to last season, when members of the U20s were regularly called up over the threadbare nature of the senior squad.

Cobh have competed this season and so far there has been seven departures from the group, and somehow McDermott has kept together a cohesive unit.

This is the kind of thing that can act as the foundation of a cup campaign and make supporters dream, of a great big day out at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.