3 or 4 games this month, dependent on the FAI Cup 1st Round result. Longford twice in 4 days and a 6-pointer v Cabinteely – It’s going to be a crucial month for the Ramblers.
Got to be looking for at least 5 wins out of the last 7 league games to get in the playoffs I think.
Manager of the Month for July 🙂
A ‘B’ from the board – what more do they want 🙂 C for matches – we’ve played 20 league games!! This needs fixing for FM21.
The dynamics are a beautiful thing – maybe the reason for the form and the 6-2 v U.C.D. Don’t think I’ve seen a Very Good Team Cohesion before.
Kane Lewis made the First Division team of the week.
A strong U19’s beat St. Michael’s AFC 3-1 in a friendly – James McSweeney, Charlie Lyons and loanee-back-from-injury Brian Sammon with the goals.
3 matches on the Monday before our game with Longford on Thursday – Cabinteely bringing Limerick down into the shootout for 2nd and Galway snuck a 1-0 win at Wexford in injury time. We’ve got to keep on winning to keep up!!
Bray lost on penalties to Waterford in the League Cup Semi Final. Andy they will face Dundalk i the final after they beat Derry City 1-0.
12th August 2021 – Longford(A) – First Division
We travel to Longford this Thursday evening unbeaten in 8 competitive matches whereas Longford have 1 win in their last 13… As per in these situations get ready for a real tough one 🙂
We’ve got a nicely set team at the moment, nearly all playing well, on issue is Pierce Phillips, who I don’t think is a wingback, so he may move to BWM with Charlie Fleming/Kev taylor going to wingback in the next few games. Longford start with a 4-4-1-1 – quite defensive but understandable considering their form.
FT Longford 1 (Seraf 67) Cobh Ramblers 1 (Evans 16) Att 682 (26 Away)
Longford start well on a beautifully manicured pitch but the first real chance goes to Evans, who fired wide on his left foot. However he made it 1-0 in the 16th minute, a lovely break from a poor Longford free kick, Hurley setting Evans free, who skinned the Longford left-back and scored the 1-on-1 with White easily. Evans looks so dangerous. Longford came back into it a bit, and nearly scored with a cross-cum-shot, Mylod scrambling it clear. 1-0 at half time.
A rapid start to the second half from the Cobh lads, just lacking the final touch so far. Longford look dangerous but Dobbs, up front for Longford, is always offside (at the moment). 60 minutes, Fleming on for Hurley, Pierce Phillips into the BWM position in Centre Mid. Doherty off for Sammon. Then from nowhere it was 1-1 = a Seraf shot from just inside the right-hand corner of the area – FFS, it was looking so simple. Mihoubi on for Costelloe for the last 20, Porter to AP(A). 82nd minute, Colamn Kennedy gets his 2nd yellow – in the ME it looks like he tries to catch the ball, and he was last man. COME ON BOYS!!! 5 minutes added time. 1-1 it finished.
We really need to beat Cabinteely in our next league game, we need to go into the last 5 games with our destiny in our own hands.
Our U19’s beat Bray U19’s 1-0, 17yo STC James Hobbs with the goal.
15th August 2021 – FAI Cup 1st Round – Longford (H)
We entertain Longford just 3 days after being FM’d at theirs.
Sammon gets a go up top (He’s wanted by all the big boys at the end of the season as he’ll be Out of Contract), Phillips to BWM, Taylor in as the WB. Meade gets his first start as well as Hughes is suspended for 4 Yellows. Longford go with the same 4-4-1-1 as 3 days ago.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING MATCH REPORT IS FOR A MATCH THAT GLITCHED IN EXTRA TIME (SHOWED A TACTICAL CHANGE THAT I DIDN’T MAKE THAT WOULDN’T PROCESS) AND AS SUCH WOULDN’T CONTINUE TO PENALTIES I’VE LEFT IN HERE TO COMMEMORATE THE 30 MINUTES OF MY LIFE I’LL NEVER GET BACK…
FT Cobh Ramblers 0 Longford 0 A.E.T Att 241 (32 Away)
Our pitch looks so much bigger than Longford’s in the ME. It will be interesting to see Sammon play today. An even start to proceedings, Costelloe going close a couple of times, an d Sammon was turned onto the post by White in the 20th minute. Should have been a goal (he has 15 finishing). The Longford defence are blocking everything, and they look dangerous on the ball, 0-0 at half time.
Wingbacks on attack now! Nolan and Doherty on for Costelloe & Sammon just before 60. It’s absolutely teeming down as well. Phillips off for Hurley, who goes to DM, as I pull Porter back to Centre Mid. Just over 15 minutes of normal time left. Starting to look very tired. 77 minutes, Devine should have scored on the break, after being put through by Doherty. Last 10, we’re getting more chances now. Loking like 180 minutes wont be able to separate us. Last minute of normal time, White stops another easy 1-on-1, this time from Nolan. COME ON!!!! AND ANOTHER!!! 3 minutes into injury time, Doherty tipped over! FFS! Extra Time it is!
We start ET well, but White looks unbeatable today. And the game has glitched! “Tactical Changes will take effect at the next break in play” has been on for minutes now and can’t be cancelled… hope this doesn’t fuck the game up. YET ANOTHER FUCKING 1-ON-1 SAVED!!! this is a joke. Half Time and I can’t change anything (Tactics is greyed out) – Just going to have to let it run. Everybody looks knackered. And exactly what I thought would happen happened – Penalties didn’t happen, the game froze – so I had to crash out…………..
LETS START A-FUCKING-GAIN SHALL WE…………
FT Cobh Ramblers 3 (Costelloe 18, Sammon 38, 53 ) Longford 0 Att 249 (32 Away)
So we start again, Porter hitting the side netting inside 2 minutes. As expected a very similar pattern of play, except this time we go 1-0 up in the 18th minute, Dara Costelloe, just onside, tapping home a lovely looped pass from Kev Taylor. Cobh dominating the first half like the last time. And it was 2-0 in the 38th, Brian Sammon with his first for the club, a tap-in after good harrying from Eoin Porter. 2-0 at the half, a really good performance so far.
Phillips off for Hurley – he was on a Yellow plus a bit knackered, and we move to a 4-1-2-3, Hurley as DM, Porter back to Centre Mid. Interestingly another 8 Longford fans have turned up today as opposed to the glitched game 🙂 But it isn’t good viewing for them, it was 3-0 Cobh in the 53rd, a lovely through ball by Devine, Sammon in for his second, nicely placed past White in the Longford net. Turner on for Evans on 60. Time has run down, Fleming on for Lewis with about 10 minutes left. And it finished 3-0 – A proper job!!
No shocks in the first round. £10.62k in the coffers for the win
That’s 10 unbeaten 🙂 And we’ve had the 2nd Round draw:
Not the worst draw – back up to Donegal to face Finn Harps. Dundalk v Limerick looks like a cracking tie.
This does mean we have 2 games in 3 days at the end of the month, the cup game then Cabinteely at Home in the league. So do Cabinteely though, so it should be fair.
13 days to the Finn Harps game, so hopefully we can get through all the training unscathed 🙂 🙂
First coaching badge Lads 🙂 Reputation now sits at 15% 🙂 🙂 🙂
A strong U19’s beat Tolka Rovers 3-0, Eoin McCormack, Dean Ebbe & Lyamine Mihoubi with the goals.
Kevin Taylor – Bruised Shin – Out for 1 to 2 days – A training injury, should be ok for the cup tie.
Daire Doherty – Pulled Groin – 3 to 9 days – Bugger, may be out of both the cup and Cabinteely league game..
27th August 2021 – FAI Cup 2nd Round – Finn Harps (A)
We travel to Finn Harps unbeaten in 10 games, they are in mixed form, DWLLW in their last 5. We are yet to beat them this season – this is our 3rd meeting after a 3-1 Loss and a 1-1 draw in the league.
Sammon keeps his spot with Doherty injured, and Adam Hughes is back from suspension in place of Meade, who performed well in the last game v Longford. Fleming is back in at right-back as Lewis is suspended (4 Yellows), as is Dave Hurley, but he’s also injured still. The Harps start with a 4-4-F**king-2.
FT Finn Harps 0 Cobh Ramblers 4 (Sammon 6, 33, 58, Devine 11) Att 603 (11 Away)
A lovely late-summer’s evening in Co. Donegal, and some good attacking early on by the boys. It was 1-0 Cobh in just the 6th minute, Evans getting free from his man and putting the ball on a plate for Sammon to tap home from 8 yards. There was Ketchup and everything. Beautiful play early doors. They do have Mikey Place up top though, so we need to be careful. But 11 minutes gone an it was 2!! Another Evans assist, but this time it stemmed from a Phillips short throw in to Taylor, who passed straight back, a lovely cross found Evans, who chested the ball down, squared it to Devine, who scored with a lovely placed finish past the static Harps keeper. A magnificent start. We’re in complete control, and can fall back to a 4-1-2-3 at any time if it feels like Harps are getting a bit frisky. 33 gone and poetically it was 3-0, that man Sammon again; Devine to Fleming, who dinked a lovely cross to Sammon (Played onside by an out-of-position right-back), who rose like a Haddock to get his second, and 4th in less than 135 minutes of play. And he should have had his hat-trick just before half-time, a stunning break just lacking a finish. 3-0 at at the half, though just before it looks like Phillips has hurt himself lunging – he’ll come off for Abbott.
We fall back to a 4-1-2-3 with Abbott loving life as a DM BWM(D). kudos to the 11 fans making it the length of the island to be here on a Friday night. The Harps showing a bit more this half, but in the 58th minute Sammon got his hat-trick and Cobh’s 4th in an increasingly open game. A lovely through-ball by Porter setting him free. This boy is a bit of a player (It was worth getting him in even when he was injured!!!). He’s getting space to work in. OK, we’ve Cabinteely in 3 days, and we have 2 subs left. Taylor is a bit tired (just back from injury) so youngster John Douglas comes in for the last 25. Lastly O’Riordan comes off for Meade – He’s on a booking plus always tires a bit quicker as he goes up for all the set pieces. Defensively we’ve been superb – we cause so many offsides. It’s going to be a merry journey home, 4-0 it finished, a proper drubbing, 9 chances to 1, 18 key passes!!!. Cabinteely up next in a must win.
£15.93k into the pot, every little bit helps!!
Pierce Phillips – Bruised Ankle – Out for 2 to 3 days – He’s out of the Cabinteely game.
Our U19’s beat Cabinteely U19’s 2-0, 17yo STC James Hobbs and 19yo AMR Paul Caulfield with the goals.
And so, on the morning of our crunch match versus Cabinteely we have the Quarter Final draw of the FAI Cup, with only Galway and ourselves representing the First Division.
Could be a lot worse – Bohemians are 2nd bottom in the Premier Division…. Going a way in this cup means games coming up close together as its is for some reason scheduled when our normal league games would be (Even though we only play every other week at this time of the season) – So we play league leaders Bray 3 days before this game… I think I’ve got a deep enough squad to cope though. And they are absolutely flying at the moment. Also just 3 wins from European Football next season 🙂 🙂 🙂
30th August 2021 – First Division – Cabinteely (H)
Cabinteely have really pushed on this year, and sit a point above us in 4th, but 7 goals behind us. They have however only won 1 of their last 4 league games (DLLW), though the win was against Limerick at the start of the month. We are unbeaten now in 11 competitive matches, dating back to 7th May,
A side that is picking itself at the moment – Meade in for O’Riordan due to 4 Yellows, Hurley for Phillips who is coming back to fitness. Looking for more goals today from Sammon, off of his 5 FAI Cup goals in 2 games. Cabo start with a 4-4-2. Lets have at ’em!!!
FT Cobh Ramblers 2 (Meade 47, Doherty 77) Cabinteely 3 (Chindea 2, Hartmann 35, Tierney 80) Att 365 (28 Away)
Cabo start with the ball, and go 1-0 up in just the 2nd minute after a break from a Cobh set piece, Chindea being on hand to fire past Mylod. Poor. Cobh with plenty of the ball after the restart though, but the quality is low. Cabo playing very deep and trying to hit us on the break, and it was 2-0 in the 35th, a direct free kick from Hartmann, nothing you can do about that. Going to try and go a bit more Cautious to try and draw them out a bit. Not very good, 2-0 Cabo at half time.
Hairdryer done, lets see if they can pull their collective thumbs out of their arses. 92 seconds in, that was a yes 🙂 An Anthony Meade header from a Brian Sammon deep free kick. 2-1. Much better now. Fleming on for Lewis early on, Lewis was making a lot of mistakes. 55 minutes, Evans hits the post with a scissor kick – its coming!! Fleming injured in a coming together with Casey in the 70th – McSweeney on, Meade out to the right. Going 4-2-4 for the last 15 or so, Doherty on for Devine. And the breakthrough!!! A lovely move, a beautiful pass from Porter finding Evans, crossing over whilst in acres of space, the cross volleyed home magnificently by Doherty!!! Got to go for the winner!! Really pushing now. But disaster, Tierney gets clear and finishes well to make it 3-2 Cabo in the 80th. A draw was no good, go and score 2!! 6 minutes added time, Quinn pulling off some magnificent saves. 3-2 at the final whistle, really disappointing/ed.
5 games left, need to be perfect now with us 4 points adrift. It’s not over but it feels like its a distant chance of a play-off place now.
Charlie Fleming – Bruised Ankle – 2/3 days – not ideal but we have 10 days until our next game.
Meade & Evans in the First Division team of the week.
And that wraps up August 2021. So positive up until that last game. September brings 3 games (Beat Bohemians and the cup Semi Final is at the start of October) – 2 of our final 5 league games and that cup QF as mentioned. Last up is a roundup of the match highlights from August. See you next time.