Ramblers rule in Under-17 tie
Visitors ran riot after break
WEXFORD YOUTHS 1 COBH RAMBLERS 4 A NIGHTMARE start to the second-half put Wexford Youths on the path to a demoralising defeat at the hands of a slick Cobh Ramblers outfit in their SSE Airtricity League Under-17 Southern Elite Division encounter at an overcast Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday.
The Cork side’s dark grey jersey mirrored the threatening clouds that loomed overhead and, after a first-half with plenty of endeavour but little in the way of goalmouth action, the outlook quickly turned to gloomy for the home side after the teams changed ends.
With the second period only three minutes old, defender James McSweeney rose highest to glance a header to the net.
And when the ever-dangerous Peter Callanan calmly side-footed the ball home moments later, the wind was well and truly taken out of Wexford Youths’ sails.
Ruthless Ramblers then went on to double their tally with a second from Callanan and a Stephen O’Leary strike as they tore a downhearted Youths defence to shreds, although Vinny Quinlan did provide a crumb of comfort for the hosts when he pulled a goal back with a superb arrowed drive from outside the area.
The first-half was largely forgettable, although Wexford’s Cian Doyle did go close when his longrange, left-footed shot rose just over the bar in the ninth minute.
Kajus Vitkevicus was lively for Cobh on the left wing and he sent in a teasing cross after 15 minutes, which was well dealt with by the Wexford Youths defence, while moments later Gordon Walker sent a looping header over the bar from a Matthew Lamb corner.
As the half wore on Cobh enjoyed plenty of possession, but Wexford Youths went closest to breaking the deadlock when Luke O’Neill ran on to a long punt forward from Danny Doyle, only to see his shot drift narrowly wide.
It was all to play for in the second-half, but Cobh Ramblers quickly stamped their authority on the game with two goals in the space of four minutes.
Ryan Regan floated in a freekick on 48 minutes and imposing centre-half James McSweeney got his head to the ball ahead of goalkeeper Adam Dempsey and guided it to the net.
Things soon got worse for Wexford Youths, as the celebrations had barely died down when the visitors doubled their advantage.
Stephen O’Leary picked up the ball in the inside right position and he slid it into the path of Peter Callanan, who applied a calm, side-footed finish.
Wexford Youths needed to respond quickly and had a sniff of a chance two minutes later, but Cian Doyle glanced a header wide from a Luke O’Neill corner.
However, Cobh began to dominate and, smelling blood, they continued to carve open the home defence.
On 56 minutes O’Leary and Callanan again linked up, with the latter firing over the bar, while the former was within inches of increasing the lead moments later but his beautiful chip grazed off the top of the crossbar.
Peter Callanan was again in the thick of the action on the hour mark, racing through one on one with the goalkeeper, but Adam Dempsey was off his line quickly to smother the shot.
Cobh continued to threaten and James McSweeney headed a Matthew Lamb corner over the top before the incessant pressure finally told again on 62 minutes when Callanan ran on to a quickly-taken Lamb free and sent a superb right-footed finish to the corner of the net.
Stephen O’Leary got in on the goalscoring act in the 69th minute when he expertly met Callanan’s cross and steered a controlled volley past Dempsey in the Wexford goal to make it 4-0.
The Youths did have something to celebrate within a minute, when Vinny Quinlan unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards that flew past Cobh Ramblers netminder Christian Begley.
Buoyed by the goal, Danny Doyle went close five minutes later, firing over the top after being found by Quinlan, but the home team’s frustration was compounded late on when Cian Larkin was dismissed after being shown a second yellow card.
Both sides went close in injury time, with Cian Doyle curling a free narrowly wide of the left upright for Youths, while at the other end the impressive Peter Callanan went within a whisker of completing his hat-trick.
Wexford Youths: Adam Dempsey, Jack Brazzill, Jack Bates, Cian Larkin, Sam O’Neill, Cian Doyle, Vinny Quinlan, Adham Masood, Ronan O’Kelly, Danny Doyle, Luke O’Neill. Subs. - Craig O’Reilly for O’Kelly (65), Eddie Black for Masood (65).
Cobh Ramblers: Christian Begley, Gordon Walker, Ryan O’Regan, James McSweeney, John Browne, Alex Smith, Kajus Vitkevicius, Matthew Lamb, Stephen O’Leary, Peter Callanan, Rueben Henry. Subs. - Daniel Lucy for Vitkevicius (66), Daniel Ruddy for Begley (76).
Referee: Michelle O’Neill.