Ramblers face Treaty United this Friday in a clash that will be crucial in their hopes of quite possibly winning the First Division title.
Currently residing in second place, Mick McDermott’s men have had a rocky last few weeks, crashing out of the FAI Cup to Kerry down in Tralee and picking up only a point last week in the league. It was just a point against UCD in Cobh too, with defender Jonas Häkkinen rescuing Ramblers in the dying moments of the game.
In addition to this, Ramblers are unbeaten in seven games in the league and have picked up wins left, right and centre. Victories and clean sheets have come away in Athlone and Bray and a 4-0 thrashing against Wexford at St. Colman’s Park on Bank Holiday Monday.
These three wins have fired Ramblers shot-stopper Timo Martin to the top of the clean sheets list, racking up eleven clean sheets in thirty games this season.
On the other hand, Tommy Barrett’s Treaty United side have just won their first game since July against UCD, with their last victory coming against Ramblers in style, with Mark Byrne firing past Timo Martin with three minutes of normal time to go. Since then, they have conceded 21 goals in 7 games, including a 7-0 loss to league leaders Dundalk at the Market’s Field.
Their recent win against UCD, however, came in fine fashion as Niko Kozlowski scored the only goal of the game in the seventh minute of injury time, pushing Treaty back into the playoff spots.
The first meeting between the two in the 2025 First Division season was a thriller, some might say the game of the season. Treaty looked home and dry as they led by two goals until the 83rd minute, when Cian Coleman pulled one back for Ramblers. This was followed by a 90th minute equaliser from David Bosnjak, who is now playing his football in the Croatian second division for HNK Cibalia Vinkovci after departing the Ramblers in the summer, before Cian Murphy scored a last gap winner in the 93rd minute on his Cobh debut.
If things stay as they currently are, the two sides will face each-other in the playoffs in mid-October. Ramblers last featured in the First Division playoffs in 2023, when they faced Waterford in the First Division playoff final at Turners Cross.
Ronan Coughlan’s goal just after the halftime interval was cancelled out by a wonder-strike from Matthew McKevitt before Giles Phillips eventually scored the winner, which led to Waterford eventually gaining promotion to the Premier Division.
For Treaty, it’s looking like it will be their first season featuring in the playoffs since 2022 when they lost 7-4 on aggregate, also coming against Waterford.
Treaty sometimes appear to be Cobh’s “bogey team” but based on current form I’m going to predict a 2-0 win for Ramblers at St. Colman’s Park this Friday.
~ Seán Byrne