Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson was delighted to put the drama of the weekend behind him as his team claimed a semi-final place in the EA Sports Cup with a 2-0 victory over Longford Town at St. Colman’s Park. In a tight game of few chances,
Cobh Ramblers manager Stephen Henderson was delighted to put the drama of the weekend behind him as his team claimed a semi-final place in the EA Sports Cup with a 2-0 victory over Longford Town at St. Colman’s Park.
In a tight game of few chances, Ramblers claimed victory through an excellent free kick from captain Darren Murphy and despite some pressure from Longford in the final twenty minutes Ramblers wrapped up the win in the final minute when striker Andrew Wall rounded the keeper and slotted home. It gave Ramblers their first victory at home this season but more importantly a place in the last four of the cup. A delighted Henderson was quick to acknowledge his team’s performance.
“We are thrilled. I thought we were fantastic. I haven’t seen us as aggressive as that this season. We ran at them and pushed them back. Collectively as a team, it was a fabulous performance. The most important thing for us after all the drama of the last few days to get into a national cup semi-final is just incredible.”
“I was really happy to get in at half time with a clean sheet because if you can get that base right you always have a chance. Now it’s time to kick on from it. It wasn’t just the back four; it was how we defended as a team. The lads pressed and covered each other, we were compact so when they went narrow we got in there and stopped them getting it to feet so overall it was brilliant.”
“It’s a cup match tonight so the pressure is off a little bit. We told the lads to go out and enjoy it. There are people in this game a long time that don’t get in a national cup semi-final so it’s a great achievement for us. This is the shot in the arm we needed.”
Speaking about the events of the previous weekend, Henderson was very clear on his intentions and desires for the club.
“Let’s be clear, I never wanted to leave. The club was in trouble and we wanted to see what direction it was going.
“We had a meeting and talked it through. The club is under-financed. The nine away games plus the away games for the under-age teams really killed us. We didn’t prepare properly for that. I spoke to the players tonight and they understand that this is their football club so they are prepared to help us too. Hopefully we can keep the club going nice and strong as we head towards our centenary.”
