Cobh Ramblers miss out on First Division playoffs as season ends on poor note at Treaty United

Treaty United 2 Cobh Ramblers 0 

There will be no playoff football St Colman’s Park this autumn after Cobh Ramblers lost to Treaty United at the Markets Field.

The club finish the season in sixth place – their campaign undone by second-half goals from Dare Kareem and Jason Oyenuga in Limerick on a night that also saw Brendeán Frahill sent off late on.

The full-time result at the Markets Field leaves Fran Rockett just two points from a Longford Town side that will compete for a place in the Premier Division over the next few weeks.

It finishes as a disappointing end to a disappointing season, that saw the club mount a sustained play-off push that was ultimately undone by recent defeats to Kerry and Wexford.

The 36-game season ends with nothing. Cobh don’t even have the Munster Senior Cup to take into the winter as some form of solace after their loss to Waterford in the competition’s quarter-finals last February.

There was supposed to be a different ending, a scenario that would have played out if they won and Kerry lost to Cork City or Athlone Town got something from their game with Longford.

Rockett’s players did everything but hit the back of the net in the first half.

Jordan Adeyemi fired over from distance, Rhys Gourdie ran himself into the ground, and Brian Lenihan hit the sit netting with a cross to the near post.

This was done with a rotated team after going down to Kerry last time out. 

There were three changes with Callum Honohan, Kai O’Neill, and Anthony Adenopo replacing Cian Coleman, Ronan Manfield, and Dylan McGlade. O’Neill has only featured for the U20s in recent weeks, with his last senior involvement a five-minute cameo in the victory over Cork City in September at the Munster FA Turner’s Cross Stadium.

The teenager did his bit, in a first half that never really came to life. It finished goal-less without a meaningful shot on target, and the same could be said about the home side.

Their frustrations continued after the restart. It looked like Honohan was set to end this in the 65th minute when he swung a leg at an Adenopo cross, only to see the ball roll just wide at the far post.

Treaty broke from that and Mark Byrne was at the end of this for a pass to Kareem that was turned in for the opening goal in the 66th minute.

The home side went on to create a burst of chances that were stopped by Timothy Martin. Brian Cunningham also hit the crossbar during an advance that would see a quick counter and a goal for substitute Jason Oyenuga.

Once Frahill saw red that was it. There was no hope of a comeback, just regret at an opportunity squandered in recent weeks.

TREATY: Jack Brady; Richkov Boevi, Mark Walsh, Matt Jones, Ronan Manning, Dare Kareem; Colin Conroy, Ben Feeney, Robbie Lynch, Mark Byrne, Darren Nwankwo.

Subs: Billy Regan for Walsh (63); Colm Whelan for Jones (75), Jason Oyenuga for Feeney (75), Roy Lawlor for Byrne (82), Brian Cunningham for Kareem (82).

COBH: Timothy Martin; Callum Honohan, Brendeán Frahill, Brian Lenihan, Luka Le Bervet; Oran Crowe, Shane Griffin; Jordan Adeyemi, Rhys Gourdie, Anthony Adenopo, Kai O’Neill.

Subs: Rhys Kelly Noonan for Adeyemi (60); Dylan McGlade for O’Neill (62), Cian Coleman for Crowe (77), Mikey Carroll for Adenopo (77).

Referee: Daryl Carolan