Worst performance so far

[ramblers]

Last nights performance set a new low for Ramblers. Against a team who were down to 10 men from the 22nd minute and we could not get as much as a point out of the game.

The Manager has to take the blame on this one.

Why was brosnan not playing at centre half he had some great games while breen was out?
Why is mikey playing out of position on the wing?
Why break up the partnership that Davey and Mikey had over the past few weeks?

Again the manager has changed what had been up to now a settled side and had been winning games. The Key to the unbeaten run was the fact we had a settled side and we were not chopping and changing every week. Only when a player was injured or suspended.
Last night he made 3 changes from the previous League game against Limerick and we lost because of it. There should have only bee one change and that was Stevie fo Darren.

[rammie]

I agree Hendo made a dogs dinner of it, he broke the golden rule and that was to mess around with a winning team, yelvy for darren as you said and there is no way you drop a form player Brosy has been rock solid... and playing Reilly...no need ... his sharpness isn't there hence getting caught off side all the time...
Well it's a massive boost to Harps, Hope Hendo realises his mis-judgement although I have a feeling ......

[Comic Book Guy]

Have to agree with the above, why change a winning team? Mikey and Dave Warren should have played up front, Mucky could have played in the middle and John Meade could have gone left back, also where was Gareth Cambridge?
Reilly did nothing on Sat. night except argue with the ref and opponents
2nd half display was terrible and the tackling and 'defending for their second goal was appalling.

[nismo]

terrible,hendo is now called the tinkerman.. cambridge was in the stand eating chips,the formation we had was **** and led to us losin and against 10 men,harps couldnt believe there luck!!

the team put on some show for keano..

[Fan-tastic]

totally agree with you all. Mikey and Warren have been great up front and should have been left alone. Brossy has been playing well at the back as had Falvey why bring back two centre backs that had not played for over four weeks in Murray and Breen. As far as i know yelvie had not been training for a couple of weeks prior to the break yet comes back and is put straight in the team. Why couldn't muckie play on the wing and John Meade left full. Talking to a couple of the players it is hard to believe we won six on the bounce the way they were talking. Morale seems to be low and after the performance saturday night i believe it. Henderson seems to have his favorites and is playing them. Every one going on about our great squad but if he keeps alienating the fringe players they will pack it in. Already heard a rumuor Brosy is leaving, don't know how true that is though. Would have to think it is a loss in experience and the fact that if on the bench gives two options. Henderson blamed bad start was because of too much chopping and changing the team, yet he is the one doing it now any wonder we lost last two. MUPPET.

[Mr A]

Bit of a report up on www.finnharps.com

Astonishing result considering Cobh's form and the fact we had a centre half in goal for 70 minutes. When I heard about the sending off I thought we were in for a hammering. Mad, mad division.

[DiscoPants]

Cobh Ramblers 1- 2 Finn Harps.

High-flying Cobh Ramblers crashed to their first defeat in ten league games after an abject performance against ten-man Finn Harps at Saint Coleman’s Park on Saturday night.

Roy Keane was in attendance to witness Cobh relinquish a proud unbeaten run, which stretched back almost three months, with a whimper against a hungry Harps side.

Finn Harps made the longest away trip in Eircom league football against a backdrop of a financial crisis, which has plunged the future of the club into darkness. The Harps players responded with a performance of rare mettle to give them an uplifting reprieve from the off-field problems that have beset the Ballybofey club.

Kieran O’Reilly made his first league start for Cobh in a month following a three-game suspension. Cobh manager Stephen Henderson chose to break up the hitherto prolific strike-partnership of Dave Warren and Mike O’Shea and the move appeared to backfire badly.

O’Shea started on the wing but his attacking abilities seemed to be neutralised in the more unfamiliar wide role. The diminutive attacker seems to play his most potent football in a more central role and he has, in many ways been the catalyst for Cobh’s amazing league run.

Harps began the game with a howling gale at their backs and they made the best possible start when they opened the scoring on nine minutes. Conor Gethins latched onto a through ball and rounded Cobh goalkeeper James McCarthy. The angle, however, proved too tight for the striker and he pulled the ball back delightfully for the onrushing Chris Malseed, who side-footed home from inside the box.

Cobh were rocked by the lightning-quick Harps start, but referee Mark Gough handed them an ideal opportunity to take control of the game with a bizarre refereeing decision on 22 minutes.

Harps centre-back Elokah Asukoh left a back pass hopelessly short and Dave Warren was put through on goal. James Gallagher rushed off his line and tackled Warren with his feet. Gallagher appeared to have made a perfectly legitimate tackle.

The referee, however, made an ill-advised intervention and deemed the challenge a foul. The Harps players were incensed by the decision, but their anger turned to fury when the referee inexplicably sent the goalkeeper off to compound the original error.

Harps misfortune did not end there, though. They travelled to Cobh with one fit goalkeeper and Australian centre-back Sean Cooney was forced to don a pair of gloves and take over between the posts.




Times of crisis sometimes produce unexpected heroes and the stand in goalkeeper proved he was more than ready to assume the responsibility. The rain bucketed down incessantly, but Cooney continually bailed his teammates out with a string of superb saves.

Dave Warren was denied a certain goal on 44 minutes. He was played through on goal but Cooney dived bravely at his feet to conserve Harps’ slender lead at half time.

The equalising goal arrived on 58 minutes after Mike O’Shea cushioned a header into the path of Steve Yelverton. Yelverton’s lobbed effort caught the strong wind and floated over the stranded Harps keeper.

At this point the outcome seemed inevitable and Cobh pressed for a second.
Harps, however, refused to capitulate and remarkably, conjured a second of their own in the 63rd minute.

Davin O’Neill surrendered possession on the left wing and the ball broke in the box for the excellent Davitt Walsh, who slipped a low shot past McCarthy.

Cobh still had 25 minutes to salvage something from the game, but the expected onslaught on the Harps goal never materialised.

Willie Bruton replaced the ineffective Kieran O’Reilly on 65 minutes to bolster the Cobh attack. He too, though, was unable to pick the Harps defensive lock.

In a last- ditch effort to swing the game in their favour Robert Brosnan was introduced to provide a physical presence for Cobh in attack.

Michael Mulconroy came closest to an equaliser on 89 minutes, but his long-range effort flashed over the Harps bar.

The game provided an anti-climactic end to Cobh’s stunning run in the league. Cobh will need to rebuild their shattered confidence before they face two stern tests, against Galway and Shamrock Rovers, over the course of the next week.


Cobh: McCarthy, Carey, Mulconroy, Murray, Breen, Barrett(Burke 57), O’Neill(Brosnan 76), Yelverton, O’Reilly(Bruton 65), Warren, O’Shea.

Finn Harps: Gallagher, McGowan, Bell, Asukah, Cooney, Malseed, Breen(McGavigan 93), Minnock, Gethins(O’Donnell 91), Walsh, O’Connor