Cobh Ramblers face tough battle against Treaty over two legs in the play-off semi final

Cobh Ramblers will start their play-off campaign on Friday evening against Treaty United at the Markets Field, without manager Mick McDermott after his departure from the club earlier this week.

Richie Holland will be in charge for the foreseeable future while those in charge at St Colman’s Park search for a permanent while the first team fights for a place in the Premier Division.

McDermott led the club to their second runners-up finish since the club’s return to the League of Ireland and their third Munster Senior Cup victory in four seasons.

Holland is now in charge of a group of players aiming to play at the highest level of the Irish football pyramid since 2008.

The Ramblers will start their play-off journey in Limerick, with kick-off pencilled in for 7.45pm at the Markets Field and the second leg set for next Tuesday at St Colman’s Park.

This will be the fifth meeting of the season between the two clubs and Cobh hold all the cards after recording three victories and just one defeat.

This began on Opening Day at the Markets Field, when Cian Coleman kick started a comeback that seemed unthinkable after Richkov Boevi and Lee Devitt combined to give the home side a 2-0 lead with just 11 minutes left to play.

The defender’s goal looked like a late consolation prize until David Bosnjak got in to score in injury time. The Ramblers poured forward in search of a winner and it came from the head of Cian Murphy off a Cian Bargary cross in front of the travelling fans.

The Ramblers took the points in their second game of the season at St Colman’s Park, with Barry Coffey and Murphy hitting the back of the net. Treaty United got their revenge on the return to the Markets Field and last month’s game on the island was a deserved 3-0 victory for Cobh.

Dylan McGlade announced his return to the League of Ireland that night with a brace and Coffey rounded out the win by converting a penalty.

The Shannonsiders went on to qualify for the play-offs on the final day with a 2-0 win at Ferrycarrig Park. Wexford held all the cards that night and the tower collapsed once Patrick Ferry and Mark Byrne combined to give Treaty a commanding lead in the 66th minute.

The Ramblers were in action against Dundalk that same evening, a game that meant nothing as Ciaran Kilduff’s side had wrapped up the title the previous week.

Holland took charge of Cobh and the coach used the dead rubber to experiment by starting fringe players and various members of the U20s.

The Ramblers are expected to go back to the tried and tested 4-2-3-1 on Friday with minimal tinkering with the unit that brought the race for the league title and automatic promotion down to the final two games.

That means a return of Timothy Martin and a defensive duo consisting of Coleman and Jonas Hakkinen. Niall O’Keeffe will be in the middle of the park alongside Rhys Gourdie, while Bargary and McGlade operate on the wings. Coffey will be stationed in the pocket, with Murphy acting as the lone striker.

Everyone there knows their place, and now it is about the next stage of the promotion project at St Colman’s Park.