Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson was left to rue missed chances as a ten minute first half blitz saw Drogheda United claim an emphatic 5-1 victory at St. Colman’s Park on Saturday evening. In an extremely open and competitive half hour of thi
Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson was left to rue missed chances as a ten minute first half blitz saw Drogheda United claim an emphatic 5-1 victory at St. Colman’s Park on Saturday evening.
In an extremely open and competitive half hour of this match, Ramblers could have found themselves ahead after missing guilt edged chances through Adam O’ Sullivan and Denzil Fernandes. However, the game was effectively ended in a blistering ten minute spell when Purdy, Doyle x2 and Kelly found the net for Drogheda. Chris Lyons put the icing on the cake in the second half for the visitors. A late Cian Leonard strike for Rams was of little consolation to the Cork side. Three of the goals that Ramblers conceded were from set pieces and this is where Henderson’s frustration lay after the game.
“I’m still in shock from that ten minute period in the first half. We went from possibly being 2-0 up to four goals down.”
“It’s a set piece thing again. We worked hard on them this week in training. We went from playing two up front in order to keep players away from us to bringing everyone back. It worked against Limerick in the cup but it didn’t work tonight for us.”
“I thought we did alright in open play during the game itself. We matched them all over the pitch but their ability to attack set pieces and our inability to defend them was the difference. About 70% of the goals we are conceding are from set pieces so it’s just not good enough”
The defeat leaves Ramblers four points adrift of a playoff position and with teams above them having games in hand Henderson is fully aware of the need to find form and get back to winning ways.
“We’ve had a chat in the dressing room after the game and we either turn a corner here and move forward or it sucks us down into the lower half of the table.”
“There are lots of things for us to work on but we should have taken one of those two chances in the first half. A one on one and a chance from six yards are opportunities you can’t let slip especially against a team like Drogheda. If you take one of those chances, your tails are up and it could have been a different game.”
“It’s up to me now to get the best out of the players and get us back up the table.”
