Finn Harps fought back from behind on two occasions against Cobh Ramblers, who are currently second in the league, to secure a valuable point at Finn Park tonight.
Finn Harps 2 – 2 Cobh Ramblers
(By Stuart Connolly with pics by Joe Boland)
Barry Coffey opened the scoring for Cobh from the penalty spot, but Hans Mpongo equalized for Harps.
Coffey then restored Cobh’s lead before halftime, only for Tony McNamee to level the score once again in the second half. Both teams had chances to claim victory, but ultimately the match ended in a draw.
Cobh Ramblers started the game strongly, creating early pressure and forcing interventions from Conor Tourish and Corey Sheridan to deny Samuel Bellis and Niall O’Keeffe respectively.
Just under 20 minutes into the match, Cobh were awarded a penalty when Gradi Lomboto fouled Bellis inside the box. Barry Coffey confidently converted the spot kick for his 16th goal of the season.
Finn Harps responded quickly, with Idir Zerrouk firing a shot just over the bar after being set up by Tony McNamee.
Cobh continued to threaten, with Sheridan called into action to deny Bellis and Cian Bargary.
With less than ten minutes remaining in the first half, Finn Harps found their equalizer. Zerrouk’s persistence in attack resulted in the ball falling kindly to Hans Mpongo, who controlled it well before unleashing a powerful shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar.
However, Cobh Ramblers regained the lead just moments later through a header from Coffey.
Bargary delivered a cross into the box, and the league’s leading scorer headed the ball home from close range.
Shortly before the break, Harps thought they had equalized again, but Tourish was flagged for offside after connecting with a headed pass from Oran Brogan.
After a slow start to the second half, Harps equalized in the 65th minute. Idir Zerrouk got to the byline inside the box and cut the ball back for McNamee to bundle it into the net.
Immediately following the goal, both sides had chances to take the lead. Shane Griffin’s cross nearly caught Sheridan out, while Lomboto fired a shot narrowly wide for Harps soon after.
In the closing stages, both teams pushed for a winner.
Gavin McAteer’s low shot was tipped around the post, and Max Hutchison forced a save from Timothy Martin.
Luka Le Bervet had the final attempt of the game for Cobh Ramblers, but his shot went over the bar.
Finn Harps: Corey Sheridan; Conor Tourish, Josh Cullen, Joel Bradley-Walsh, Kieran Cooney; Oran Brogan(Gavin McAteer 83), Max Hutchison, Tony McNamee, Idir Zerrouk, Gradi Lomboto; Hans Mpongo
Cobh Ramblers: Timothy Martin; Jonas Häkkinen, Luka Le Bervet, Shane A. Griffin, Cian Coleman; Samuel Bellis(Matthew Whelan 78), Shane Griffin(Rhys Gourdie 73), Niall O’Keeffe, Cian Bargary; Barry Coffey, Cian Murphy.
Referee: Aaron O’Dowd.
Harps come from behind to grab deserved share of spoils against Cobh was last modified: July 25th, 2025 by
