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Dramatic equaliser salvages draw for Cobh

Saturday 22nd September 2007, 10:48 pm

Kieran O'Reilly struck four minutes into stoppage time to give League of Ireland First Division leaders Cobh Ramblers a 2-2 draw with Wexford Youths at Saint Colman's Park and extend the club's unbeaten run in the league to twenty-seven games.

In was unlucky on Wexford - the last side to beat Cobh in the league - and having led the game twice, they played for over half the game with a man extra.

Darren Browne headed the Youths in front inside the first minute after good work from Patsy Malone and Liam O'Loughlin to send the ball in.

Graham Cummins levelled the game up in the 20th minute as he drilled home from just outside the Wexford box. However, the visitors were ahead again on 36 minutes when Michael Mulconry handled a goal-bound shot on the line. The Cobh man was shown a straight red card and Conor Sinnott slotted home the spot kick to make it 2-1.

Despite being a man down, Cobh dominated possession in a sometimes bad tempered second period. It looked as though the equaliser would never come but a penalty decision gave O'Reilly the chance to level deep into stoppage time. O'Reilly himself won the kick after he was brought down in the box.

His spot-kick was saved by visiting keeper Jason Russell but fortunately for Cobh, O'Reilly was alert to the situation and forced home the rebound.

The result means that Cobh now lead Finn Harps by just two points at the top of the First Division with the sides due to meet in Ballybofey next Friday night.

Cobh Ramblers : McCarthy, Carey, Murray, Guthrie, J Meade, Cambridge (C Meade 67), Coleman, Kearney, Mulconry, O'Shea (O'Reilly 80), Cummins.
Wexford Youths : J Russell, A Russell, Larkin, Rossiter, Kelly, Malone, O'Loughlin, O'Connor, Browne (Kearney 62), Sinnott, Bradley.