Cobh Ramblers’ Cian Browne: ‘To be in the play-offs in my first year is just brilliant

Cian Browne used to watch First Division play-off games from the stands in recent years when following Waterford - but he is ready to play in them on the pitch for Cobh Ramblers.

The 21-year-old defender has been one of Ramblers key men this season having caught the eye under boss Shane Keegan at St Colman’s Park.

And his performances have been even more impressive when it is considered that this is his first full campaign at senior League of Ireland level after a spell in the amateur ranks with Villa FC.

He will be hoping to bring those displays into this week’s two-legged play-off between Cobh Ramblers and Wexford in the First Division play-offs.

“It has gone much better than I hoped,” Browne said on his first year of senior football. “I was a Waterford fan because that's where I'm from and I always watched them. 

“I watched the last two years of them in the play-offs against UCD and I always watched but I never thought I'd be going into play-off games myself.

“To be in there in my first year is absolutely brilliant. I wasn't expecting it with all the game time I’ve had as well so I am just delighted to be part of a League of Ireland team.”

Browne joined Ramblers from Villa FC in the Waterford junior ranks with a blossoming reputation.

He helped the club - who once had Ireland international Jayson Molumby on their books as a schoolboy - to an FAI Junior Cup at the expense of Pike Rovers in 2022 at Turner’s Cross. 

But despite the success he enjoyed with Villa, it was still a leap into the unknown as the defender looked to make a step forward in his own career.

“When I left Waterford to go to Villa I just thought I needed to do it,” Browne added. “My first game was mental, physically, playing men’s football with Villa. It's so different to the under-19s. 

“It was a step up. Sometimes the quality wasn't the same as you'd be used to but it's very demanding. Just spending a few months at Villa brought me on to get used to men's football so it wasn't too big of a jump to the League of Ireland. 

“The quality at Villa is top class and the coaches down there are brilliant as well. It's almost like a League of Ireland team in itself down there.”

But despite being used to demands of men’s football during his stint with Villa, he admits that he did not know what to expect when he joined Cobh Ramblers ahead of the 2023 campaign.

“I didn't know what to expect with it being my first season at senior League of Ireland level. I didn't know what to expect and Cobh didn’t have a great season last year,” Browne explains. 

“But when I went down in pre-season, the first thing we said to each other in the meeting was that we wanted to make the playoffs. 

“We really wanted to put down a marker and we had a great season as a team. We were consistent the whole way through. It's a great team to be a part of as well. 

“There are good vibes the whole time. We have a good bunch and we want to do our best.”

And perhaps Cobh have been aided by the presence of an experienced core who guided them through the season. 

“We have the likes of Lee (Steacy), Jack (Doherty), (Jason) Abbott, Breandán Frahill and Pierce Phillips in the squad and they have been around the league,” Browne adds. “When you're training with them, it brings you on leaps and bounds. 

“With the likes of Jack, I am training with him as right wing and me at left-back so I'd have to mark him in. There's no better player to mark in training than Jack so you are always going to improve marking him. 

“The balance is just unbelievable in the squad. With the age of young lads like Michael McCarthy and Charlie O'Brien - and then you have the likes of Jack so the balance is brilliant. 

“It works perfectly and I think that's why we are doing very well.”

In his day job, Browne works at the SETU Arena in Waterford - where Waterford FC are based on a daily basis. 

And that means he has often dealt with Cobh’s First Division rivals before and after games.

“I’m helping out with the ETB player development course at SETU Arena at the moment and I do a bit of work in the cafe there helping with deliveries,” he said. 

“Waterford would be training there and I would be making coffees for them. We beat them at the RSC 2-0 not so long ago and that Monday I was the happiest man in the building! 

“My mates play for Waterford as well so it is nice to have a bit of craic with them over it. 

“It didn’t really matter with the gap being as big as it was with us in third and them in second but it was nice to get one over them.”

But while local bragging rights were nice for Browne, he knows that Cobh have a difficult two-legged tie in store against Wexford this week before they can think about playing the Blues again.

Waterford must come through their own tie against Athlone Town as well for that to happen. 

The Rams have won one, lost one and drawn two games against James Keddy’s side this season in the league. It is all to play for this week.

“We won one game and they won the other,” he said. “We drew the other two games. The games are very tight so it just makes the lead up to this game a lot more exciting. 

“It's definitely good to see the buzz around the game. The support is going to be brilliant. The fans have been brilliant all season.”

Bradley on his Hoops future and relationship with John Giles: ‘He watches all of our games and gives feedback. We were winning games and he had a go at me, he said ‘youse weren’t good’ and I thought ‘f*cking hell John’. I watched it back and he was right. https://t.co/oUkuXL5z2Wpic.twitter.com/dp0Y8OssC3

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) October 23, 2023