Cobh Ramblers face play-off rivals Athlone Town in massive game at St Colman’s Park 

Cobh Ramblers will aim to get back to winning ways this evening when they face Athlone Town at St. Colman’s Park, kick-off 7:45pm.

This follows a dramatic night that saw the club’s five game unbeaten run come to an end with a convincing 3-1 defeat to Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park.

The Ramblers are still in fourth despite the result with 45 points collected. Longford and Athlone are just one behind them, in a convoluted play-off picture that is expected go the distance with just four games left to play.

Cobh’s destiny is very much in their own hands, and Fran Rockett senses an opportunity with a play-off rival coming to St. Colman’s Park.

“We're coming into a stage where Athlone at home is a great opportunity,” he said.

“We're playing at home. We've nothing to be fearful of or worried about because we're out there showing our true colours, even at early stages against Wexford. There's a lot of that, especially in the early stages of the first half.

“Another day you score and the game goes completely different. But the momentum changes when we go a man down. It's an uphill task.

“We're not going to dwell on this one. The most important thing is recovery and getting back on the horse, but we're not really looking forward to it. We’re hoping we get a big crowd against Athlone at St. Colman’s Park. The players deserve it. Let’s go.” 

The hangover from last Friday’s defeat to Wexford will dictate the tempo of the Athlone game. Cobh played well that evening, but fell behind before the break to a Mikie Rowe goal and their cause wasn’t helped by Cian Coleman seeing red in the 53rd minute. 

The home side used the space presented to wrap things up, while Jordan Adeyemi did pull one back in injury time.

The loss has given Rockett plenty to think about, and he is choosing to remain positive with what he saw despite the lingering sense of disappointment.

“I think the game changed on the sending off,” he explained.

“I felt as though I saw enough in the early stages of the first half. We needed to be clinical, more clinical with the chance creation. We had two really good opportunities when we cut Wexford open and we just weren't clinical enough to put the chances away. We just gave them a lifeline by giving away a silly goal away before half-time.

“But at half-time, I think we were quite relaxed, quite measured. We knew what we needed to do and we needed to go out and control the second half. We felt as though we had the quality to do that.

“Our game would have been suited to more taking hold of it. Sadly, when the sending off came, we were on the back foot. It's an uphill task after that.

“You're hoping for a little bit of luck along the way. But what can't be questioned is the character of the players again. For the boys that remained on the pitch, to get the goal back. It says it all about the lads. It really does.” Rockett has repeatedly used the term character to describe his team in recent weeks – a group of players that dropped to seventh in August and responded with a five game unbeaten run that included memorable victories over Treaty United and Cork City.

They’ve responded to everything that has been thrown their way and that was on show when the group went from the disappointment of conceding a last second equaliser to UCD at home to crashing the league champions homecoming at Turner’s Cross.

Then came Wexford and Cobh will hope to bounce back against Athlone, a team with just one defeat recorded in their last seven league games.

The Ramblers can only look internally as they aim to make the most of the next four games and get into the play-offs. Cobh hold all the cards with home games to come against Athlone Town and Kerry, now they have to go out and make the most of this advantage.