Welcome back to another installment of the trials and tribulations of Irish First Division football at Cobh Ramblers.
So to July 2021. 3 League Games.
Athlone have been playing well recently, and sit in 8th. U.C.D. have been quite poor and sit in 7th and Limerick are Limerick and are top, but not playing brilliantly (And we tend to do well against them).
Do we roll the dice and bust the wage cap (we have £300/wk left) and really push for the playoffs, or do we think we have a team capable of that?
As per the last post I’ll only be looking at stats and attributes twice a season, and as we’ve only got 10 league games left I’ll next look at the these at the end of the season.
NEW LOAN SIGNING
Brian Sammon
- On Loan from senior affiliate Shamrock Rovers
- 17yo STC
- 5ft 11in
Brian arrives until the end of the season. 15 Finishing!!!! Will give us options when he’s back in August, hopefully an X factor in those last 7 games or so.
Up to a B now from the Board!!
Dynamics are going well.
Matt Scully is on his way to Sunderland from Limerick – a big move, £1,400/wk!!!!!!! He was quality whenever we played against him.
2nd July – Athlone Town (A) – First Division
We arrive in Athlone knowing we need to keep on winning to be in a shot of the playoffs, plus Athlone are on a good run. it could be tough.
Quite a few injuries at the moment means Turner, Nolan & Abbott aren’t available, but it’s a well-worn side, difference is Dean Ebbe is getting a go up top as Doherty is suspended after his sending off v Galway. Athlone go with a 4-1-2-3, the counter to our formation, so we go man-for-man.
FT Athlone Town 0 Cobh Ramblers 1 (McCormack 48) Att 22 (26 Away)
We kick off in the rain in our light-blue strip. A decent-enough start, Costelloe getting involved more as an AP on the wing and Evans looking dangerous as ever. Athlone happy to hit it long. We’re having the lion’s share of the game as normal, and as normal not being clinical enough. 0-0 at HT
McCormack on for Ebbe at HT. And what a change. 48th minute, McCormack scores a direct FK from the edge of the area 🙂 Mihoubi on for Costelloe with 25 left. Again Cobh with nearly all the game/highlights. Devine on for Hurley for the last 10. Myles with 10 saves so far! Make that 11, another tame header from Evans. 2 minutes left. Athlone pushing on in injury time. Impressed with Hourihane, he has lots of time on the ball. We should be 5-0 up TBH. But it finishes 1-0. A win nonetheless.
It’s a bit tighter, 2 points from Galway in 4th and 3 from Cabinteely in 3rd as they both draw. Longford were the only other winners on the day, versus bottom-placed Wexford.
Our next game v U.C.D.(H) is in 2 weeks, so I’ll sneak a cheeky friendly in I think U.C.C. on the middle Friday, to keep the boys game fresh.
Our U19’s beat Galway U19 2-0, 17yo AMC David Keogh & 18yo AMC Shane O’Flynn with the goals.
PLAYER LEAVING
Carrick Hill has gone to Dundalk for £12k, possibly rising to £20k, plus a 40% sell-on fee from the next sale. I initially said no to £5k, and he lost his shit, so I drove Dundalk up a bit. Like a lot of youngsters he was a bit overrated IMO.
I’ve signed Daire Doherty through to the end of next season – He’s really come on this season.
David Evans in the First Division Team of the Week.
9th July – Friendly – Cobh Ramblers 3 (Doherty 15, 17, Ryan Keogh 28) U.C.C. (Dunne 31) 1 Att 119 (19 Away)
Lots of rotation and a really strong start, Doherty with a couple and a banger from Ryan Keogh. A bit of a bugger though, Hourihane with an Upper-Body Injury……. better not be a bloody Spinal!
Bollocks. Not as bad as it could have been but 3 months means that’s him for the season really. He was really progressing as well….
16th July – U.C.D. (H) – First Division
We welcome U.C.D. to St Colman’s Park knowing there’s a possibility of going 4th if there is a result in the Galway-Cabinteely match today. U.C.D. sit in 7th, 6 points behind us, on a poor run of form, only 1 win in 9 competitive matches going back to Mid-April.
Doherty is back up top after his suspension. Porter is back in the number 10 slot after Hourihane’s injury. Devine & Hurley partner in midfield, Hughes & O’Riordan at the back, and Phillips and Lewis are the wingbacks. U.C.D. go with a 4-1-2-3 DM.
FT Cobh Ramblers 6 (Doherty 9, Costelloe 14, 33, Evans 57, 81, O’Riordan 90+3) U.C.D. 2 (Melody 58, Mahdy 90+2) Att 358 (5 Away)
U.C.D. kick off in their all-white strip, and as usual look dangerous going forward. Pretty even early on. Then the highlight that lasted forever – constant interplay and probing from Cobh, leading to a Kane Lewis cross flicked into the top right-hand corner by Daire Doherty. Sensational stuff! 1-0 Cobh in the 9th minute. Massive pressure from Cobh. And it was 2 in the 15th minute – a Doherty corner scrambled clear – Costelloe on hand to poke it in. The boys are playing out of their collective skins today! So nearly 3 in the 18th minute, an Evans header skimming the bar. 68% possession after 20 mins. And it was 3 in the 33rd minute, a lovely header Costelloe header from an Evans cross, stunning play yet again. U.C.D. look shell-shocked. What a half of football – we go in 3-0 up. I’d go out on a limb and say that’s the best football I’ve seen from a team in FM20 so far.
More of the same please!! And we start well, Doherty heading over in the first couple of minutes. U.C.D. showing a bit more. But it was 4-0 in the 57th, David Evans unmarked on the edge of the area, received a divine pass from Devine and absolutely Thundercunted the ball just inside the right post from just inside the ‘D’. A bit sloppy though straight after, Melody scoring for U.C.D. with a close-in tap-in. 4-1, 58th minute. Fleming on for Lewis with 25 left. Slowing the game down a bit now. Kev taylor on for Phillips with 15 left. And it was 5-1(!!!!!) in the 82nd minute, Evans doing it again! A lovely placed shot from the edge of the area top right bins, feeding of a poor clearance from a Doherty free-kick. Both the wingers on hat-tricks. Cobh still pushing for more, loving this!!! It was however 5-2 in injury time, a Mahdy scissor kick from a ball over the top. It still wasn’t over – 6-2 in the 93rd minute, Ben O’Riordan getting on the act, a near post header from a Doherty corner. It finished 6-2, games like that makes me think we can go up! God knows how long the Key Highlights will be from that, I reckon about 6 minutes 🙂
In the play-off spots boys!!!! Cabinteely losing to Galway puts us 4th on GD. Athlone mauled Limerick 3-1 (Who we play next) as well, meaning Bray go clear at the top after beating Wexford, also 3-1. Finn Harps stay 5 points behind after beating Longford, U.C.D are now 9 points back on us with 8 games left.
A slight issue – Fleming and Evans now banned for the Limerick game after 4 Yellows across the season.
LOAN SIGNING
Anthony Meade
- 19yo DC
- 6ft 4in
- Joins from Cork City
The squad were worried about the squad depth at centre-back after Hill’s move to Dundalk, so in comes Anthony Meade from Cork until the end of the season. Amazingly good Mentals for a 19yo, he will be the main back-up to Hughes & O’Riordan.
Our U19’s lost 1-0 to Shamrock Rovers U19’s.
Just the 6 guys in the First Division Team of the Week 🙂
A home draw versus Longford (It could have been worse) – 3 all-Premier-Division draws is good for the 2nd round if we can get there. Interestingly this draw means we play Longford twice in 4 days in August.
Our U19’s beat Newmarket Celtic 6-1, goals from David Evans, Eoin McCormack, 2 from Steven Nolan and 2 from Dean Ebbe.
PLAYER LEAVING (END OF SEASON)
Ryan Keogh is going to Derry City at the end of the season – offered a new contract but he wanted £130/wk – he has good potential but I can’t see him getting in the team any time soon.
30th July 2021 – Limerick F.C.(A) – First Division
We face a Limerick side coming off of a loss to Athlone (3-1) in their last game, plus no win in the league in the last 3, after a very strong start to the season. We come into the game with no losses in 7 competitive matches. No doubt it will be a tough one.
Unchanged apart from Dean Ebbe on the left wing as a wide target man – David Evans is suspended for Yellows. Start as you left off v U.C.D. lads 🙂 Limerick start with a 4-4-2. Let’s do this!!!
FT Limerick F.C. x (Metz 34) Cobh Ramblers x (McCormack 78) Att 1,698 (40 Away)
A real big-match atmosphere here tonight, and a positive start from Cobh on the super-narrow pitch. A good, open game, but it was 1-0 Limerick in the 34th minute, Metz beating Hughes, running in ans scoring past a static Mylod. We are missing Evans out on the right today. Feels like one of those games. 1-0 Limerick at HT.
Turner on for Ebbe at HT, playing as a normal Winger. Also going a bit more positive. Again, good open play at the start of the half, Cobh getting stuck in to the task at hand. Nearly-was in the 55th minute, an O’Riordan header saved, Hughes hitting the outside of the post with the rebound. And Hughes was subbed in the 64th, new loanee Meade coming on – Hughes was on a booking and looking a bit dodgy TBH. McCormack the last throw of the dice in the 74th – need something else up top. And that’s what we got!!!! 78th minute, a lovely ball over by Costelloe puts McCormack through, and he strokes it home past/under O’Shaughnessy in the Limerick goal. 1-1, 12 minutes left to get the win!!! Pushing, pushing, pushing!!!!!! But it finished 1-1. We’ll take it, another game dominated though…
Still 4th!! 1 Point clear of a Cabinteely side falling off of form a bit, Athlone winning again!! Galway pick up a vital 3 points for them versus Longford and Bray pull 5 points clear at the top with 7 games left with their 3-1 win v Finn Harps.
And most probably the last action of July – Our U19’s beat Kerry U19’s 2-0, a brace from 17yo AML Stephen Cunningham.
So to next month – 3 or 4 games, depending on whether we beat Longford in the cup or not.
2 League wins please, especially the Cabinteely game, which is a proper 6-pointer. Not many games left now, feeling really positive about this side now!! Lastly we have a roundup of the key highlights from 3 league games this month below. See you soon.