Cobh Ramblers and its fans were left in shock on Friday evening when moments after beating Galway United, it was announced that manager Stephen Henderson had resigned from the club. On the pitch, Ramblers made it three games undefeated as goals from
Cobh Ramblers and its fans were left in shock on Friday evening when moments after beating Galway United, it was announced that manager Stephen Henderson had resigned from the club. On the pitch, Ramblers made it three games undefeated as goals from young players Denzil Fernandes and Jaze Kabia secured the three points. Stephen Walsh ensured a nervy finish for the home side but Ramblers held on for a deserved win. Word broke soon after the final whistle of Henderson’s departure and chairman Michael Donovan summed up the mood around the club. “It has come as a shock. The committee were notified around lunch time and we were all taken by surprise. I know that there was a reduction in the budget and that can’t have been easy, whether it is a factor in Stephen’s decision is for him to say. “Running a League of Ireland club is extremely difficult but we were happy with Stephen, there was no animosity between us. We are sad, but we wish Stephen the best. We all know he will be a success whatever the next venture he undertakes. His track record at the club speaks for itself, he can always walk in to St. Colman’s Park with his head held high. “As Stephen eluded to, it is very hard to run a LOI club but he made a great go of it. We would have loved to have given him the resources to challenge but we have to be prudent with the resources we have at the moment. It is unfortunate, but he has done a fantastic job with what he had.” Chairman Donovan was quick to point to Henderson’s achievements while also highlighting the former managers commitment to developing young talent at the club. “When you consider we were rock bottom when Stephen came in, we got ourselves up slowly and Stephen played the major role in re-establishing us an established LOI club. We were in the play-offs, came runners up and got to the EA Sports Cup final, he made Cobh Ramblers a club where teams feared coming to because you got nothing easy. He is one of the few managers last year that got the better of Dundalk. “It is to Stephen’s credit that all these young players get to have a go at LOI football. You watch as these guys develop into men on the field and that is down to Stephen. “We hope that Stuart Ashton will step in on an interim basis. We will conduct a thorough recruitment process. Stuart has been really good to the club so we hope he can step in.”
