Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson was in despondent mood and left questioning his future after watching his side suffer their fourth home defeat of the season that leaves them toiling near the foot of the First Division table. A first half str
Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson was in despondent mood and left questioning his future after watching his side suffer their fourth home defeat of the season that leaves them toiling near the foot of the First Division table.
A first half strike by Sam Verdon was enough to give the visitors all three points at St. Colman’s Park. Although it was a victory by the narrowest of margins, in truth, Cobh never looked like finding a way past the Longford defence. The defeat is reflective of Ramblers’ season so far that has seen them struggle in front of goal. Ramblers have only scored 9 goals in 10 games, the second lowest in the league. Reflecting on the match, Henderson was glad to see an improvement in his team’s defensive performance.
“After conceding eight goals in our last two matches, I think we did about six hours training on the pitch this week and about four and a half of those were on defending. We tried to get back structurally as a team and I think we did that tonight. We got some good crosses into the box and huffed and puffed but for all our good work we never looked like scoring.”
“I do believe this team is very capable of beating any team in the league. We are short on personnel, there is no question about that. We have some young players out there who work hard and give it their all but we are missing a few experienced players.”
“It is all defeats at home and that is just not good enough.”
Despite making the play-offs in 2016 and finishing runners up last year, the Cobh manager was left questioning whether the club has made progress during his tenure and if he is the right man for the job in the future.
“When I came in here I wanted to have a really positive effect both on and off the pitch. I wanted to put a huge emphasis on the development of young players. In that development, I wanted to be in a position to bring a consistent three or four senior players who would help us on the pitch because I think it is clear to everyone that our young lads need help in terms of managing the game. That hasn’t been able to happen.
“I think I have to consider my future. I’m not going to use amateur status as an excuse but we haven’t even got a kit man. I was hanging the gear myself last week. We are trying to bring an element of professionalism to the club.
"I bring in players and tell them we are a really progressive club who are moving forward. We want a return to semi-professional status but this is three years down the line and we haven’t progressed.”
“I’ll have a think about it over the weekend and we will all sit down and have a meeting to discuss where this club is going. If I’m not going to stay I’ll be gone before Tuesday ( EA Sports Cup quarter final vs Longford Town). “
