Waterford 2
Cobh Ramblers 1 (AET)
Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross
CAPTAIN GILES PHILLIPS headed Waterford into a promotion/relegation play-off final against Cork City after beating Cobh Ramblers in extra-time.
An overhead kick by super-sub Matthew McKevitt had levelled the game with just two minutes remaining after Ronan Coughlan’s 36th goal of the season looked to have sent the Blues on their way.
But Phillips’ 101st-minute winner from a Shane Griffin corner saw Waterford earn their third consecutive appearance in the play-off decider, having lost narrowly to UCD the previous two years.
Both sides made one change for the game played out in front of 2,626 fans at Turner’s Cross. Few were surprised to see Waterford’s 17-year-old hat-trick hero Romeo Akachukwu in from the start, while Justin Eguaibor stepped into Ramblers’ back-three.
The Blues finished 10 points ahead of Ramblers in the First Division and they had the upper hand from the off. They were able to find space behind Cobh’s wing-backs and had the first five shots at goal, although none put Lee Steacy to work between the sticks.
Coughlan worked an opening with a one-two but his effort was blocked by Brendan Frahill. Roland Idowu flashed a shot wide and then Coughlan caused more trouble when spinning his man but Connor Parsons couldn’t connect under pressure at the far post.
Phillips was frustrated to see his header blocked from a corner before Akachukwu nodded over with their next chance.
A cheap free-kick conceded by Phillips for an off-the-ball foul on Wilson Waweru gave the Rams their best chance. Mikie Rowe’s cross was met by Frahill but his header drifted just wide.
Waterford had one more opening before the break thanks to good work from Parsons to get in along the endline. Coughlan couldn’t get his shot away, though, and the follow-up was taken off Idowu’s toe by Jason Abbott.
David Dunne waved away a Cobh penalty claim for handball while a couple of harsh yellow cards for Eguaibor and Waweru annoyed their manager Shane Keegan. His protests saw his name added to Dunne’s notebook at half-time.
It took Waterford just over a minute to take the lead on the restart. Barry Baggley’s forceful sliding tackle dispossessed Jack Doherty and he was straight back to his feet to float a ball over the top to Coughlan. He made no mistake, wrong-footing Steacy with a disguised finish.
📽️ | It was the ideal start to the second half...
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) November 4, 2023
Check out Ronan Coughlan's Play-Off Final opener ⚽#LOI | #WATCOB pic.twitter.com/Sp6IDzh3Zk
The Rams almost hit straight back when James O’Leary’s long-range rocket ricocheted just over the bar. From the corner, Charlie Lyons’ header was stopped by Phillips.
Baggley was bizarrely shown a red card in the 67th minute before the referee realised he hadn’t shown him a first yellow and reversed the sending-off. He was one of 14 players booked across the two hours.
Cobh were struggling to create chances and it looked more likely that Waterford would double their lead.
Darragh Power dribbled through to test Steacy and Coughlan should’ve done more when Akachukwu’s shot was deflected into his patch but fired wide.
Keegan made five substitutions in a bid to change the game and three of them were centrally involved in their unlikely equaliser.
Luke Desmond’s wayward shot was somehow kept alive by Alec Byrne, Doherty won his header, and McKevitt produced an overhead kick that pinballed over the line.
📽️ | Football, eh?
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Matt McKevitt kept Cobh Ramblers' season alive in style 🚲#LOI | #WATCOB pic.twitter.com/LMKelmPedw
Ramblers carried that momentum into extra-time. Waweru blazed off target in the first minute when presented with a great chance and Doherty shot wide after good work by McKevitt.
A super save by Steacy kept them alive when Power teed up Dean McMenamy at the other end.
A well-worked one-two saw Waweru play in Byrne but Sam Sargeant was quick off his line to produce a crucial save of his own.
Waterford won a corner on the counter and Shane Griffin’s delivery was bulleted into the net by the head of Phillips.
This time, Ramblers couldn’t find a response and Waterford wound the clock down in the second extra period. A late Doherty free had Sargeant scrambling but whistled wide before Coughlan could’ve finished it only to pull his shot outside the post.
WATERFORD: S Sargeant; D Power, G Phillips, D Osede, R Burke; R McDonald (D McMenamy 90+1), B Baggley; R Idowu (S Griffin 73), R Akachukwu (N O’Keeffe 82), C Parsons (C Cresswell 98); R Coughlan.
COBH RAMBLERS: L Steacy; J Eguaibor (M McKevitt 77), B Frahill, C Lyons; J O’Leary (T O’Brien 70), M Rowe (A Byrne 81), P Phillips (D Holland 81), J Abbott (L Desmond 81), C Browne; W Waweru (A Thibaut 118), J Doherty.
Referee: D Dunne.