Tag: cobh ramblers

MATCH REPORT: Cobh Ramblers 1-3 Longford Town

Sat Sep 21st 2019

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Cobh Ramblers 1 (Cian Leonard ’32)
Longford Town 3 (Adam Evans ’24, ’58, Dean Byrne ’48)

Longford Town ended the regular league season with a three-one victory over Cobh Ramblers at St. Colman’s Park, to finish in third place, just behind second placed Drogheda on goal difference in the final league table.

The victory ensures second leg home advantage for the Town ahead of their October play-off against fourth placed Cabinteely who ended the regular season with a win away to Wexford FC.

Longford Town took the lead on twenty-four minutes with the game’s first real opportunity courtesy of a fine finish from winger Adam Evans.

A right-wing cross from Peter Hopkins was brilliantly controlled by Evans just inside the Cobh box, he danced to the right past defender Fleming and superbly drilled a low shot to the bottom left corner of the Cobh net.

The home side equalised on thirty-two minutes when striker Cian Leonard converted a penalty, after Town defender Joe Manley had brought down Ian Turner.

The Town regained the lead just three minutes after the resumption, after a fine flowing move
resulted in Dean Byrne firing home a brilliant shot from the edge of the Cobh box from a Hopkins left-wing cross.

The Midlanders increased their lead on fifty-eight minutes when Evans scored his second goal of the contest, heading home from Hopkins inswinging corner, to put the visitors three-one up.

The Town should have gone further ahead on sixty-eight minutes. A sublime, quick-footed move involving Byrne, Jack Doherty, Evans and Hopkins, ended with Evans cross being headed narrowly wide at the back post by Hopkins.

Longford Town’s promotion play-off first leg away to Cabinteely FC will take place at Stradbrook on Friday, October 4th, while Longford will host the second leg at the City Calling Stadium on Friday, October 11th.

Team Line-Ups

Cobh Ramblers (4-4-1-1): Hunt, Fleming, O’Riordan, Lyons, Taylor, Henry, Hurley, Turner, Lamb, Foley, Leonard.
Substitutes: Murphy for Lamb (64 minutes), Cronin for Foley (64 minutes)

Longford Town (4-2-1-2-1) or (4-3-3): Steacy, Manley, Kenna, Noack-Hoffman, Zambra, O’Connor, Doherty, Byrne, Hopkins, Evans, Dobbs.
Substitutes: McCabe for Doherty (79 minutes), O’Neill for Hopkins (85 minutes), Ubaezuonu for Dobbs (89 minutes)

MATCH PREVIEW: Cobh Ramblers v Longford Town

Sat Sep 21st 2019

Match Preview by Tony Ghee

Longford Town travel down south for their final league game of the season against Cobh Ramblers at St. Colman’s Park this Saturday evening with the game commencing at 7.45pm.

Cobh will finish the season in seventh place regardless of Saturday evening’s result, while a victory will gaurantee a third place finish for Daire Doyle’s charges which will ensure home advantage for the second-leg of the forthcoming promotion play-off tie with Cabinteely FC.

Town go into the contest on the back of a controversial two-one home defeat against Bray Wanderers last weekend, a game that resulted in Longford controversially finishing with just nine players at the final whistle after the dismissals of Karl Chambers and Anto Breslin. Dean Byrne had put Longford ahead before Bray’s comeback win.

Cobh impressively held Cabinteely FC to a one-all draw in their last home game, however, the Ramblers endured a heavy seven-one defeat away to Galway United last time out. Just like Longford, Cobh also finished that game with nine players after red cards were shown to Stephen O’Leary and Kevin Taylor after Cian Leonard had actually given the Cork side the lead.

In the earlier meetings between the sides this season, the first encounter ended in a scoreless draw, while the Town narrowly won the clash at the City Calling Stadium one-nil, courtesy of a Sam Verdon strike just after the half-hour mark.

Longford will be missing several players for the game as Karl Chambers, Anto Breslin, and Aodh Dervin are all suspended. Sean Boyd, Dylan Grimes and Mick McDonnell are all out injured, while Sam Verdon is doubtful with a minor knock.



MATCH REPORT: Longford Town 1-0 Cobh Ramblers

Sat Jun 29th 2019

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Longford Town moved back up to second in the SSE Airtricity League First Division after a one-nil victory over Cobh Ramblers at the City Calling Stadium, courtesy of a thirty-second minute goal from Sam Verdon.

The Town dominated the opening twenty minutes creating three good opportunities.

In the fifth minute, Aodh Dervin’s pass picked out Verdon on the left and his lob dropped narrowly wide of the far post.

Within sixty seconds, Town striker Aaron Dobbs’ glancing header from a Dean Zambra corner flashed just wide of the far post.

On nine minutes, Longford came closest to hitting the front as Conor Kenna’s looping sixteen yard header from another Zambra corner was headed off the Cobh line by defender Kevin Taylor.

The visitors recovered well after the twenty minute mark and played much better football, testing the Town defence twice on twenty-one and twenty-seven minutes, however, Town keeper Lee Steacy came to the rescue both times.

In the twenty-first minute, Cobh striker Cian Leonard threaded a brilliant defence-splitting pass through to Jaze Kabia whose strike was brilliantly saved by Steacy with Leonard’s rebound effort producing another outstanding save from Steacy.

Six minutes later, Steacy again came to Longford’s rescue with a fine stop from Greg Henry’s low shot after a one-two between Henry and Leonard had opened up the Town rearguard.

Just as Cobh appeared to have got the upper hand, they suffered a hammer blow on thirty-two minutes as Longford Town took the lead courtesy of a one-two between Dobbs and Sam Verdon with Verdon rifling home from just inside the Cobh box.

Zambra came close to extending Longford’s lead on sixty-six minutes when his curling twenty yard free-kick sailed just over the Cobh crossbar.

Cobh keeper Paul Hunt kept the visitors in the contest on seventy-five minutes with a superb save from Dean Byrne’s curling effort after the tricky winger had jinked his way past two Cobh defenders.

Sam Verdon almost doubled the Town’s advantage ten minutes from time when his audacious lob from inside his own half sailed over the advanced Cobh stopper Hunt, only to go narrowly wide.

Team Line-Ups

Longford Town: Steacy, Elworthy, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Zambra, Hopkins, Dervin, Verdon, Byrne, Dobbs.
Substitutes: Doyle for Dobbs (84 minutes), Chambers for Verdon (84 minutes)

Cobh Ramblers: Hunt, Taylor, McSweeney, Lyons, O’Riordan, Henry, Lambe, Kabia, Christopher, Harison, Leonard.
Substitutes: O’Leary for Christopher (60 minutes), Murphy for Kabia (65 minutes), O’Rourke for Harison (80 minutes).

MATCH PREVIEW: Longford Town v Cobh Ramblers

Fri Jun 28th 2019

Preview by Tony Ghee

Longford Town’s first match after the mid-summer break is a home clash against Cobh Ramblers at the City Calling Stadium this Saturday night with the big match kicking-off at half past seven.

Neale Fenn’s charges are second in the table, four points behind leaders Shelbourne with ten matches to go. Only five points separate the Town from sixth place Bray, and the battle for the play-offs promises to be full of drama and excitement that will probably only be decided on the final day of the regular season.

Longford will be hoping to bounce back from their late collapse away to Bray last time out, as a two-one lead with five minutes to go finished in a three-two loss when Killian Cantwell and towering centre-back Hugh Douglas netted on eighty-eight and ninety-three minutes to sensationally earn all three points for the Wicklow side.

In contrast, seventh placed Cobh go into Saturday’s contest with a pep in their step after defeating Galway Utd two-one at Saint Colman’s Park with Denzil Fernandes and talismanic Jaze Kabia on the mark.

However, the loss of manager Stephen Henderson who resigned after the victory over Galway is a blow for Cobh, and it will be interesting to see how the Cobh players will react to Henderson’s departure.

Cobh are capable of beating big teams as demonstrated by their run to last season’s EA Sports Cup Final and their earlier two-one home victory over table-toppers Shelbourne this season.

The earlier league meeting in Saint Colman’s Park ended in a goalless stalemate, while last season Cobh won two-one and drew two all with the ‘Red & Black’ in the two league matches played at the City Calling Stadium, so Longford Town can expect another tough battle on Saturday evening.

On the team news front, Jamie Hollywood, Kevin Knight, and Sean Brennan have all departed the City Calling Stadium and the club would like to wish them well for the future.

Action from Town’s previous meeting with Cobh Ramblers at St. Colman’s Park


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