EA Sports Cup Report: UCC 3 - 2 Cobh Ramblers

A late 94th minute goal from ex Cobh Ramblers player Seán O’Mahony was enough to see Munster Senior League side UCC progress to the Quarter Finals of the EA Sports Cup at the expense of Cobh Ramblers in the Mardyke tonight.

Stephen Henderson’s Cobh side trailed for the entire game and looked to have rescued a draw to send the game to extra time after Rob Water’s thunderbolt hit the back of the net only for O’Mahony to fire home minutes later to send the students through.

UCC took the lead on 26 minutes through captain Cian Hill heading in Jason Abbot’s free kick. The lead was then doubled early in the second half when former Ram’s player Cian Murphy dribbled through the visitors defence to score. The Cork university looked to be home and dry, until substitute and ex UCC player Rob Waters fired in two goals and the game was heading for extra-time only for O’Mahony to fire home.

The opening goal arrived on 26 minutes when Seán O’Callaghan was fouled on the edge of the box. Abbott’s inswinging free kick was headed in by Hill from six yards to put the students in front.

Cobh nearly had an equaliser up the other end of the field on 36 minutes when Jonathan Creamer’s cross was hit out for a corner just as Stephen Kenny was about to strike.

The second half was only seven minutes old when Murphy embarked on a long dribble from the half way line skipping past numerous tackles before dispatching the ball past David Browne in the box, with the keeper almost keeping it out by getting a hand to it as it crossed the line.

Cobh introduced Waters and Irish U-19 international Ryan Goldsmith on 58 minutes in the hope of staging a comeback.

Firstly O’Connor’s corner was headed in by Waters on 88 minutes and this gave Cobh hope of getting a late equalising goal.

They were proved right two minutes into injury time when UCC only half cleared the ball and the ball fell to Waters who smashed it on the volley from 30 yards into the top corner of the goal.

Everybody was expecting the game to go to extra-time until Barry won a late corner for UCC. The ball went over the top and then back into the box with O’Mahony getting a foot to the ball sending it into the bottom corner of the goal and allowing UCC progress to the next round of the EA Sports Cup.

UCC: Jason O’Mahony; Andrew Gannon, Cian Hill, Seán O’Mahony, Cian Murphy; Jason Abbott, Brian Murphy (Darragh Corcoran 81), Cathal Lordan; Seán O’Callaghan (Rufus Holmes 82), Conor Barry, Calvin O’Callaghan (Ian Mylod 66).
Subs Not Used:Jeremy Bridgeman, Pierce O’Riordan, Mark MacManus.

Booked:Murphy (52)

Cobh Ramblers:David Browne; Adam O’Sullivan, Brendan Frahil, Andrew Bhandarkar, Shane O’Connor; David Curran (Stephen McCarthy 28, injured), Audi Dunlea, Stephen Kenny; Jonathan Creamer (Ryan Goldsmith 58), Kynan Rocks, Ronan Stanton (Rob Waters 58).
Subs Not Used: Steven Hickey (gk), Rob Lynch, Eoghan Murphy, David Walsh

Booked:Kenny (42), Dunlea (56)

Referee:Anthony Buttimer (Cork)

Attendance: 430 (estimate)

Extratime.ie Man Of The Match:Seán O’Mahony (UCC)