Cobh Ramblers left frustrated after another draw

Cobh Ramblers 1 Bray Wanderers 1 

Cobh Ramblers manager Fran Rockett believes his players had a ‘mountain to climb’ as they clawed their way back to draw with Bray Wanderers at St Colman’s Park on Friday evening.

The visitors were well in control at one point. They had Jamie Duggan’s 31st-minute goal to show for it, after the defender turned in a quick free that had been crossed in from the right.

Rockett went to the bench in a bid to kickstart something and his faith paid off when a Kai O’Neill shot grazed the hand of Ifunanyachi Achara. Jason Abbott converted the resulting penalty, despite Jimmy Corcoran diving the right way, and that was enough to snatch a point for Cobh.

“If you told us at the start of the game; after coming off the back of a loss, that we'd get a point from it you would take it,” Rockett said.

“I thought the first-half performance, I think the shape didn't work first and we got as far as the second half.

“I thought the endeavour that the players showed was outstanding and, look, we're lacking that little bit of quality just in the final third to finish. It will click at some stage but I think we gave ourselves a mountain to climb. 

In all the games we have to play in this season, we give ourselves a mountain to climb but I am liking what I see with the young boys coming into the team as well.

“I think it's so, so refreshing and I think even the fans would appreciate tonight the way the team turned it around and the young boys were the catalyst for that.” 

Brian Lenihan, Anthony Adenopo, and O’Neill came off the bench as Cobh chased the game, and the kids proved to be alright as they worked together during the frantic burst leading up to the equaliser.

Rockett is proud of the group coming through from the club’s U20s, and the overall fight in the group as they came from behind to get a point against a Bray side that finished the night in second place.

“The boys never give up - they never down tools or anything of the like,” he said.

“They just showed that fight that I think the fans would have appreciated. It's just disappointing that at the start of the game when you have two or three opportunities and we don't put those away. It was similar to Athlone, you don't put them away and you're giving the opposition some oxygen to kind of go off.

“In a way, it's disappointing but on the balance of the things, you'll take the point but the heart and the determination and the togetherness I think was plain to see.” 

It manifested in a big finish as Bray saw a push for a second end in vain as Cobh managed to wrestle control away from the visitors, before winning the penalty off the O’Neill handball. There was no late chance to win it for either team through the five minutes of added time.

COBH: Timothy Martin; Rhys Gourdie, Callum Honohan, Breandán Frahill, Shane Griffin, Lucas Curtin; Oran Crowe, Jason Abbott; Claudio Osorio, Wilson Waweru, Rhys Brennan.

Subs: Brian Lenihan for Griffin (HT); Kai O’Neill for Osorio (61), Anthony Adenopo for Waweru (71), Dylan McGlade for Brennan (75).

BRAY: Jimmy Corcoran; Alain Kizenga, Declan Osagie, Jamie Duggan, Dean O’Shea; Cian Doyle, Sean Brennan; Tyreik Sammy, Daniel Ring, Billy O’Neill; Ben McCormack.

Subs: Aime Azende Nyedbo for O’Neill (68); Richard Ferizaj for McCormack (68), Kyle Tucker for Brennan (81), Ifunanyachi Achara for Ring (81).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan