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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Cobh Ramblers get job done early to stay within touch of leaders Dundalk
BRAY WANDERERS 0 COBH RAMBLERS 2 (Cian Bargary 8, Barry Coffey 20) Two early goals by Cian Bargary and Barry Coffey give Cobh Ramblers the edge over Bray Wanderers as Dundalk's title rivals heading into the final series of games. Dundalk's quest for an immediate to the Premier division remained on course despite a minor hiccup of falling behind at home to Athlone Town, but Cobh remain within six points off the leaders with nine matches left. Bray spurned the chance of leapfrogging the Rams into that runner-up berth, conceding goals 12 minutes apart to fall five points adrift in third. Teen genius Billy O'Neill showed flashes of his repertoire for Bray, attracting comparisons with Damien Duff. He made the short journey from his Wicklow home for the fixture, a first sighting on the League of Ireland circuit since quitting the Premier champions Shelbourne in June. Damian Duff at the Carlisle Grounds . Photograph Moya Nolan While Bray looked assured of a playoff spot, at this stage it appears the only threat Dundalk face during the run-up will come from Leeside. Manager Mick McDermott always contended he was happy to stay within shooting distance until the latter stages, potentially setting up a final day decider at St Colman's Park when the sides meet on October 17. His confidence stems from his side overcoming off-field upheaval to not only retain their players but strengthen in this window. US-based group Digital Athlete Ventures stepped in three weeks ago to take a 90% stake of the club, ending the uncertainty created by the withdrawal of another foreign group, FC32. Failure to land a suitable backer would have led to a crisis, not just for Cobh but the league itself. Instead, they could rid themselves of being the First Division club longest without being in the top-flight. Turbulence has been a watchword since that 2008 season in the Premier. All McDermott can do is ensure he fulfils his part on the pitch. He's helped by having his team's backbone composed of Cork City's title-winning team from last season. Jonas Häkkinen and new capture Dylan McGlade were part of the City team that won the 2022 season but the two goalscorers, along with captain Cian Coleman at the back and Cian Murphy up top, constitute a quartet with recent experience of emerging from the second tier. Another former City player, goalkeeper Jimmy Corcoran, was pressurised from a couple of early Cobh corners. There was nothing he could do about the breakthrough from one of those deliveries on eight minutes. Following pinball in the box, Bargary was first to react by unleashing a shot across his body that flew into the top corner. Coffey's reputation as a free-scoring attacking midfielder was maintained by him popping up in a crowded penalty area to slot the loose ball into the bottom corner. In response, Bray's Paul Murphy had a shot blocked, the same obstacle Rhys Bradley encountered when connecting with a corner. Substitute Justin Ferizaj smashed the ball over with 20 minutes left but at the other end Rhys Gourdie was off-target with his volley at back post. BRAY WANDERERS: J Corcoran; J Duggan (A Kzenga 53), K Cantwell, P Murphy, M Murphy; S Brennan, R Bartley (R Knight 46); B O'Neill, C Doyle (J Ferizaj 67), C Knight (J Ferizaj 53);C Curtis (G Almirall 67). COBH RAMBLERS: T Martin; I Hughes (J Häkkinen 63), C Coleman, Shane A Griffin (J Abbott 83), L Le Bervet; N O'Keeffe (R Goudrie 63), H Cribb; C Bargary (S Bellis 71), B Coffey (D McGlade 72), Shane Griffin; C Murphy. Referee: Daniel Murphy (Dublin). Attendance: 1,213.
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Callum Walsh still in running to feature on Canelo-Crawford undercard as cut heals
CALLUM WALSH IS fit to feature on the undercard of the biggest boxing card this year when Canelo Alvarez meets Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on 13 September. Rising star Walsh (14-0, 11KOs) suffered a severe cut over his right eye from an accidental head-clash with opponent Elias Espadas on 21 June, with the Cork man eventually awarded a fifth-round technical-decision victory having won all four rounds against the Mexican to that point. But Walsh's promoter, Tom Loeffler, has confirmed to The 42 that the cut has healed sufficiently to allow Walsh to prepare for a fight in September. Advertisement While Walsh's place on the Canelo-Crawford card is not yet confirmed, the light-middleweight is understood to be firmly in the running to box live on Netflix at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium due to his association with UFC president Dana White. White is a significant stakeholder in the Canelo-Crawford event having teamed up with Saudi Arabia's boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, and has effectively co-promoted Walsh throughout the 24-year-old's professional career. White, a close friend of Loeffler's, took a shine to Walsh during their first meeting three years ago and has platformed the Cobh boxer on his UFC Fight Pass streaming platform, as well as on the UFC's social media channels. There has been speculation in recent weeks that Walsh will face his fellow 154-pound prospect Fernando Vargas Jr (17-0, 15KOs) on the Canelo-Crawford bill. Walsh called for the fight with the Californian following his victory over Espadas in June, and Vargas Jr himself has been amenable to the idea in recent interviews. It's unclear for the moment, however, as to whether the boxers' respective teams have been able to reach an agreement for their prospective meeting. Nicknamed 'El Feroz', Vargas Jr is the son of Mexican-American former two-time light-middleweight world champion Fernando Vargas. In September's main event in Vegas, unbeaten American pound-for-pound star Terence 'Bud' Crawford will move up a further two weight divisions to challenge fellow modern-day great Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez for the Mexican's undisputed super-middleweight world title. The bout between fellow four-weight world champions, which will be one of the most significant of the 21st century, will be available globally to Netflix's 300 million-plus subscribers at no additional cost. Should he defeat the naturally larger Canelo, Crawford will join exalted company in becoming a three-weight undisputed champion. He would become the first boxer to do so in the four-belt modern era.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Cobh Ramblers demolish Wexford to keep the pressure on Dundalk at the top
Cobh Ramblers 4 Wexford 0 Cobh Ramblers made it back-to-back wins over the Bank Holiday weekend as they demolished Wexford at St Colman's Park on Monday evening. Shane Griffin, Cian Coleman, and Cian Murphy were all on target during the first half with a James Crawford own goal rounding off the win after the break to keep Cobh second in the table, six points behind leaders Dundalk. The Ramblers went into the game looking to build on Friday's 3-1 victory over Longford Town on home soil against a side that came from behind to take all three points from their meeting with Finn Harps last week at Ferrycarrig Park. Read More Dundalk hit four past Longford Town to remain top of First Division Wexford also possess Mike Rowe in their ranks, the league's joint top scorer with 17 goals tallied so far this season. Mick McDermott reacted by turning his 4-2-3-1 formation to 5-4-1 in a bid to combat the visitors' wing-back system. The Ramblers adapted seamlessly, with Cian Bargary running the show on the right. The winger started his evening by stinging the palms of Paul Martin in the third minute and he followed up with a deep cross that landed on the roof of the net. Murphy kept the drive alive by passing to an onrushing Shane Griffin and the midfielder sent his effort just over the bar. Wexford, by comparison, only created one real opening from a Rowe cross and Niall O'Keeffe easily knocked that away. Cobh were just relentless, and with that came a long period in possession after the 20th minute mark. Shane Griffin turned the dial with a neat pass to Bargary, who was able to tee-up Barry Coffey for a low shot on the penalty spot that was scrambled away by Wexford. The visitors then broke and Aaron Dobbs forced Timothy Martin into a stretched saved with a driven attempt, and the resulting corner came to nothing. The Ramblers went back to what they had been doing from kick-off and with that came the opening goal, scored by Shane Griffin at the far post from a Bargary cross in the 27th minute. A second followed, this time it was Coleman finding the target off an in-swinging corner in the 33rd minute. Cobh's Cian Bargary tries to go around Wexford defender Cian Browne. Pic: David Creedon. The scorer turned creator for the third by flicking the ball on for Murphy to fire in at close range in the dying seconds of the first half. McDermott reacted to this lead by reverting to a back four at the break by replacing Luka Le Bervet and Jonas Hakkinen with John O'Donovan and Iestyn Hughes. The Wales Under-21 international immediately got stuck in by bursting down the right flank and seeing a low shot stopped by the Wexford defence. The Ramblers got their fourth in the 75th minute after Crawford turned the ball in at the Liam McMahon Stand during another attacking flurry by the home side. Murphy tried to get one more in injury time and he won a corner that was awkwardly punched away by Paul Martin as a swarm of claret and blue jerseys went for the ball. Wexford were desperate to pull one back late on, and the best they could do was Rowe hitting the cross bar. Cobh Ramblers: Timothy Martin; Luka Le Bervet (John O'Donovan 52), Shane Griffin, Cian Coleman, Jonas Hakkinen (Iestyn Hughes HT), Niall O'Keeffe, Harvey Cribb, Shane Griffin (Dylan McGlade 52), Barry Coffey (Jason Abbott 74), Cian Bargary (Samuel Bellis 52), Cian Murphy. Wexford: Paul Martin; Cian Browne (James Crawford HT), Matthew O'Brien (Darragh Levingston 60), Robert McCourt (Patrick Manning 76), Ajibola Oluwabiyi, Ben McCormack, Dean Larkin, Zayd Abada (Michael McCarthy HT), Aaron Dobbs (Kaylem Hartnett HT), Muhammad Haris, Mikie Rowe. Referee: Declan Toland.
Irish Examiner
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Keating strikes late as Na Piarsaigh end wait for championship victory
Na Piarsaigh recorded their first championship football victory since 2021 when they struck late to edge Kinsale in a thrilling Group 2 encounter in the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork PJFC in Ballymah on Saturday. Kinsale seemed to be set for victory when they led by 2-13 to 1-14 going into injury time, but a late, late goal from Alan Keating helped the northsiders snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Keating also contributed 0-4 to the cause while Keith Buckley hit Kinsale for 0-5, Michael Sheehan struck 1-1 and Sean Downey clipped 0-2. Kinsale will take heart from the 0-7 that their talisman, Brian Coughlan, kicked while two goals from Michael Murphy and 0-2 from James Murphy also helped put them into pole position. They will play Cullen in four weeks' time, with the Duhallow club sitting atop of the group thanks to their 2-18 to 0-13 win over Cobh in Mourneabbey on Friday. Luke Murphy was in imperious form for Cullen, as he kicked 0-8, including two two-pointers. Aaron Nolan helped himself to 1-2, Michael Twomey grabbed the other goal while Colin Walsh and Colin O'Leary both hit Cobh for 0-3. Buttevant signaled their intent in Group 3 with a 2-17 to 1-12 win over Glenville in Ballyhooley. Mark Lenehan was their scorer in chief with 0-7, David Hanlon clipped 0-5, Conor Hanlon helped himself to 1-2 while Aaron Horgan raised their other green flag. Colin O'Keeffe hit 1-1 for Glenville in a game that was closer than the result suggests, while Josh Cooke clipped 0-3 with Ciarán O'Leary and Callum O'Mahony both registering 0-2. Inniscarra marked their arrival to the competition with a 2-12 to 0-12 win over Millstreet in Donoughmore on Saturday night. Last year's JAFC winners proved that goals win matches with Cork hurling star, Seán O'Donoghue, and Stephen Dornan landing the crucial majors. Millstreet were overly reliant on the significant talents of Darragh Cashman, who kicked all but two points of their total. In Group 1, St Nicks and Ballydesmond played out a sensational 4-9 to 0-21 draw in Glantane on Sunday. Diarmuid Wall, Eoin O'Leary, Jake Brosnan and a penalty from Jack O'Sullivan raised the green flags for Nicks, but Ballydesmond stayed in touch thanks to a sensational 0-17 haul from the great Donncha O'Connor, including four two-pointers. His final score of the game put his side a point up deep into injury time, but St Nicks 'keeper, Ross Cronin, slotted over the equalizer. Canovee top Group 1 as a result of their 2-21 to 1-11 win over Urhan in Dunmanway. Conor Dodd and Sean O'Connor scored the goals for last year's beaten finalists, while Jack Kelleher top-scored with 0-10 and Aidan Moynihan clipped 0-5.
RTÉ News
25-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
First Division: Finn Harps and Cobh Ramblers share the spoils
Barry Coffey scored twice and Cobh Ramblers led twice in Ballybofey but battling Finn Harps earned a share of the spoils. Cobh Ramblers are now six points behind leaders Dundalk at the top of the First Division after being held at Finn Park. Coffey took his goals tally for the season to 17 for the season, but it wasn't enough to take Mick McDermott's men to victory. Cobh took the lead in the 20th minute when Coffey stroked home from the penalty spot. Referee Aaron O'Dowd pointed to the spot when Gradi Lomboto barged over Bellis just inside the penalty area. Coffey made no mistake in tucking past Corey Sheridan, the Harps goalkeeper. Sheridan had to be at his best in the 34th minute to turn Cian Bargary's effort out for a corner. Sheridan, who had five clean sheets from his previous six outings, reached out to his right to make a fine stop. Harps drew level in the 38th minute as Mpongo seized on a loose ball before taking on Shane Griffin and firing off the crossbar to beat Timothy Martin. Mpongo, a recent recruit fromRijnvogels in the fourth tier in the Netherlands, netted a debut goal against UCD last week. After Idir Zerrouk helped win the ball, the 22-year-old Dutch hitman repeated the trick here with a superb goal. Harps' joy was short-lived as Cobh restored the lead within a minute. Bargary's inviting cross was met by Coffey and his header found the Town End net. On the stroke of half-time, Conor Tourish fired to the net for Harps, but an offside flag with the margins thin cut short the celebrations. However, Harps equalised a second time on 65 minutes when McNamee side-footed Idir Zerrouk's cut-back past Martin. The sides swapped chances soon after with Sheridan clawing off the line from Shane Griffin before Lomboto riffled wide from a good position for Harps. Teenager Gavin McAteer, who has attracted attention from Nottingham Forest and Celtic among others, came off the bench and might have won the game for Harps, but Martin saved from his attempt three minutes from the end. Cobh could have sneaked it with the last effort of the night, but Luka Le Bervet soared high over the crossbar. Finn Harps: Corey Sheridan; Josh Cullen, Conor Tourish, Joel Bradley-Walsh, Kieran Cooney; Max Hutchison, Oran Brogan (Gavin McAteer 82); Gradi Lomboto, Tony McNamee, Idir Zerrouk; Hans Mpongo. Cobh Ramblers: Timothy Martin; Jonas Hakkinen, Shane Griffin, Cian Coleman, Luka De Bervet. Niall O'Keefe; Cian Bargary, Barry Coffey, Shane Griffin (Rhys Gourdie 74), Samuel Bellis (Matthew Whelan 79); Cian Murphy.
