Top four hopes spoiled
COBH RAMBLERS 2 WEXFORD F.C. 2
WEXFORD’S HOPES of a top four finish slipped further out of their grasp as they were held by an improving Cobh side in the SSE Airtricity League Under-17 Southern Elite Division in St. Colman’s Park on Monday week.
After taking the lead in the firsthalf, they needed a controversial late goal to salvage a point and ensure the trip wasn’t an entire disaster.
Spectators were treated to an open and attacking game. Both sides had spells of dominance and a draw was probably just about the fair result.
Cobh certainly dominated the early exchanges and Wexford had their goalkeeper, Aaron Hall, to thank for keeping them on level terms when he denied Michael O’Rourke spectacularly from distance.
With Evan O’Sullivan somehow firing wide from Jack Leonard’s pass, Wexford were given another let-off which they took advantage of on the half hour mark. Brody Murphy met Graham O’Reilly’s corner with his head and fired the Ferrycarrig boys ahead.
In the following ten minutes, Wexford should have grabbed a second and given Cobh the much more difficult task of overturning a two-goal deficit. Ethan O’Neill volleyed wide before Dylan Whelan’s shot whistled past the top left corner.
Yet, they would go on to rue their missed chances when Dylan Twomey rounded Hall and placed in from a narrowing angle before the break.
The Model boys were well on top after the re-start but still could not make their pressure count. O’Reilly and Seán O’Brien-Murphy saw efforts flash past the post and Darragh Levingston smashed over the bar after latching onto Smithers’ cross.
Their biggest chance came with 15 minutes left when Smithers’ corner was met powerfully by defender Kevin Murphy and, with the Cobh ‘keeper beaten, Cormac Buckley threw himself in front of the ball on his own goal-line.
After Hall had brilliantly denied Chris O’Reilly from close range, Twomey broke through the defence again and placed past the onrushing goalkeeper in the 90th minute.
Ramblers’ late goal looked as if it would be the winning one until Wexford won a free four minutes into additional time. Devlin-Travers rose highest and nodded his header above the Cobh ‘keeper. Falling backwards with the ball in his hands, he was bundled over the line by a group of Wexford players but referee David Keeler pointed to the centre-circle as the visitors rescued a point.
Wexford F.C.: Aaron Hall; Killian Griffin, Kevin Murphy, Kyle Scallan, Seán O’Brien-Murphy; Dylan Whelan, Graham O’Reilly, Ethan O’Neill, Robert Bulmer, Seán Smithers; Brody Murphy. Subs. - Darragh Levingston for Bulmer (49), Luke Greene for O’Reilly (74), Caellum Devlin-Travers for O’Neill (77), Brian Byrne for Murphy (90), also Seán Maher, Shane Gibson, James Dowling.
Cobh Ramblers: Matthew O’Connor; Cormac Buckley, Charlie Cremin, Mikey Foley, Alan Happi; Michael O’Rourke (capt.), Evan O’Sullivan, Fionn Duggan, Dylan Twomey, Chris O’Reilly; Jack Leonard. Subs. - Luke Kennedy for O’Sullivan (66), David Bosnjak for Duggan (81), David McDonald for Twomey (90).
Referee: David Keeler (Cork).