Cobh Ramblers head to Kerry hoping to clinch playoff spot

Cobh Ramblers could secure a play-off spot this evening if they defeat Kerry FC at St Colman's Park in their final home game of the regular season, kick-off 7:45pm.

Fran Rockett and his players need to win and hope other results go their way involving other fixtures around the league, otherwise it will go down to the final day to see who finishes in the top five.

The other key games for Cobh include Athlone Town and Treaty United in Lissywollen and UCD and Longford Town at the Belfield Bowl.

The most important thing for Rockett and his squad is the simply fact that their destiny is in their own hands, and they have an opportunity to secure the play-offs on home soil in front of their own fans.

Last week’s hard fought and emotional 4-1 victory over Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds, a pitch the club have had very little success on in recent seasons.

The pressure was on for Cobh to deliver after their recent defeat to Wexford and draw with Athlone Town and they responded with first half goals from Rhys Gourdie, Cian Coleman and Jordan Adeyemi. 

Ben McCormack pulled one back for Bray at the start of the second half and Jonas Stjernberg sealed the win in the 81st minute with a close range finish.

The Ramblers now have an opportunity to secure something they have been chasing since pre-season, when they first set out to play Leeside United in the Round of 16 of the Munster Senior Cup on a cold Saturday in January.

The talk was the play-offs and trying to secure a place in the top five for a third time in four seasons. 

2024 is the only time that they have missed out during this stretch, and they went close before falling as September became October.

The Class of 2026 operate in a very different place to all that came before. 

The group have been blighted by injuries, a problem that can be traced back to a hangover from the play-off semi-final defeat to Treaty United.

Shane T. Griffin was one of those that still carried a knock, alongside new signing Wilson Waweru.

It took some time for the club to find their feet despite results against Cork City and Longford Town earlier in the campaign.

Things looked like they were changing for the better with a three match win streak through May but a player exodus in the summer scuppered any plans of pushing on in July as they prepared to play Waterford in the FAI Cup.

Jason Abbott, Gary Buckley, and Shane M. Griffin retired, to forge new careers in the Munster Senior League. Waweru chose to go to England and try his luck in the lower leagues with Wealdstone and Rhys Brennan returned to Bohemians when his loan deal finished. 

Claudio Osario also left St. Colman’s Park, leaving Rockett short of attacking options during the crunch period of the season.

The exodus reflected in Cobh’s results as they earned one win in six through June and July, before course correcting with fresh signings that included Adeyemi and Stjernberg.

The Ramblers rebounded and have just one defeat recorded in their last eight games, a loss to Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park.

Kerry stand in their way of taking another step towards the play-offs. Healy’s side are sixth in the table with 48 points collected, and will travel to the Great Island as one of the form teams in the league with just two defeats incurred in their last seven games.

They defeated Wexford and Finn Harps in recent weeks to keep the promotion charge going at Mounthawk Park. 

Cobh is a different place for them as the club have never won in the league on the Great Island, despite recent success in this fixture in the FAI Cup.

The only thing that matters this week is getting a result and finishing in the top five. 

Kerry will need a big finish if they are to qualify for the first time in their history, while Cobh’s pathway is very clear. 

It’s up to Rockett and his players to make the most of this opportunity.