Conor McDonald: The Student

Sepsi certainly ran Cobh close but that grit and determination shown from the Irish champions that got them to the group stages last season was on full display in the return leg.

Former Celtic midfielder Kyle Magennis has joined Irish Premier League side Cobh Ramblers on a free transfer.

Magennis arrives on the Irish south coast after his contract at Scottish champions Celtic expired this summer.

The 25-year-old signed a two-year deal with The Rams after the Irish transfer window closed but since he was unattached he was allowed to join the club immediately.

Magennis spoke of his joy at signing for his new team to the local media.

Magennis:
”I’m delighted to have signed for another team competing in Europe this season, I was aware of Cobh’s progression in the Champions League last season as Celtic were in the same group and it looks like hopefully we are about to do the same this time around. It will be refreshing to have an opportunity to play regular football here in Ireland and I can’t wait to get my head down and work hard here.”

Magennis made ten Scotland U21 caps but has failed to break into the national side since. He played 147 times for his boyhood club St. Mirren before a €1.8million transfer to the Scottish champions Celtic.

His time in Glasgow was not as successful after his move, making only one start in three years at the club under Neil Lennon, taking his total appearances for Celtic up to twelve with only six coming in the league.

Cobh will not be able to register Magennis for the Champions League Playoff Second Leg against Olympiakos but if Cobh were to end up in either the Champions League or Europa League Group Stages, he will be available for selection then.

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James: If the market demands a player like Levitt, I've got to accept When that second went in against Sepsi it was a carnival in my room, trust me
Griffo: I know, the poor buggers only just became my affiliate...
tedbro20: It's all character-building
Seb: I was expecting to struggle more against Red Star than Sepsi but that's the way these two-legged ties work. I love seeing Ryan come up to the spot every time
Zed: Sepsi were very troubling, possibly because I didn't know too much about them? Who knows, we got through!
Scott: I was jumping for joy in the Second Qualifying Round 2nd Leg

we're coming up stroong

nice dribbling and technique you got out there, gonna call him Magenninho (Kylinho would be the correct name, but Magenninho sounds much better)

Potentially one of the best players at the club you could argue. His quality is well-known across Scotland given his performances for St Mirren and although it didn't work out in Glasgow, Cobh will certainly profit from a player of his quality.

Conor McDonald has led Cobh Ramblers to the UEFA Champions League Group Stages for the second time in two seasons.

The Rams’ story in the Champions League began in the First Qualifying Rounds against the Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade, winning 5-2 on aggregate.

In the Second Qualifying Round, the tie was much tighter against the Romanian Liga I champions Sepsi OSK as they managed to turn around a two-goal deficit in the Second Leg at St. Colman’s Park to win on away goals.

The Third Qualfying Round was a much easier affair for Cobh against the Kazakh champions FK Astana, winning 6-1 over the course of the two legs despite going down to nine men in the Second Leg as both Peter Barnes and Darnell Fisher were shown their marching orders.

In the Playoff, Cobh came up against the Greek champions Olympiakos where the First Leg ended in a 1-1 draw at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. Conor McDonald’s side had to play at Thomond Park in the Second Leg due to Champions League stadium regulations and they secured their Group Stage spot with a 3-1 win.

Along with a €15million reward for reaching the Group Stage, Cobh have been placed in Group H against Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Valencia (Spain) and Red Bull Salzburg (Austria).

Last season, Cobh reached the Group Stages and were placed in Group F along with Benfica, Celtic and Chelsea. They finished bottom of the group with no points with their biggest loss coming against Celtic at Celtic Park in a 6-0 defeat.

Conor McDonald:
”I’m delighted that we have reached the Group Stages of this prestigious competition for another season. I was lucky enough to weigh up what the Champions League offered at this stage in terms of obstacles and that experience is vital for me as a manager and for the players too. We’re looking to build on last season’s performances and really take the game to the teams in our group this year.”

Cobh Ramblers’ first fixture in Group F will be played on Wednesday 18th September against Red Bull Salzburg at Thomond Park.

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Tango: And there we have a new nickname for him
Scott: Really spells a new era for the club when we're taking players like Magennis from Celtic!

You've done well to qualify, so it'll now be interesting to see what you learned from the group stage last season! 3rd spot could be achievable really, would that see you drop to the Europa League?

Done really well to qualify again which again adds a nice chunk of cash to the club and helps build the reputation of the club and the coefficient of the league

Really brilliant that you succeed that qualification for CL. Really nice games for your fans and the players, sadly enough not one "big" name. Hopefully this year you'll get a point out of it. Good luck mate!

Conor McDonald has signed a new contract with Cobh Ramblers until December 2027.

Cobh are currently sitting top of the Premier League and look all set for their third consecutive title.

The new contract comes as Cobh Ramblers defeated the Greek champions Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League Playoff to qualify for the competition’s Group Stages.

McDonald, 26, took over the club after leaving his role as an Under-23 Coach at Tranmere Rovers in June 2019 and has been at Cobh Ramblers for over five years now.

The Liverpudlian took the club into the Premier League in 2021 and incredibly won the top-flight for the first time in the club’s history the season after.

During his time at St. Colman’s Park, Cobh Ramblers have won three league titles (2x Premier League titles, 1x First Division title) and ten cup competitions (4x Senior Munster Cup, 3x EA Sports Cup, 1x FAI Cup, 1x All-Ireland Champions Cup, 1x President’s Cup).

McDonald:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be staying on at Cobh Ramblers. I feel like this is my home now and with how far the club has come so far, I’m excited for the next few years in charge here. The club is under new ownership that has promoted my ideas such as advancements in the youth system and the club’s facilities as well as funding my own individual endeavours such as my coaching licenses. I can’t wait to let the good times keep on rolling here in County Cork.”

The club chairman Aidan Cunningham also spoke to the press after the news was published.

Cunningham:
”Conor is one of the most professional people that I have come across. We have a superb working and personal relationship and I am delighted that this can continue into the future.”

McDonald’s wage has now risen to €3,800 per week and his contract will now run out in December 2027.

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James: I think that with the average ability of Salzburg, we could sneak in at 3rd if we got some good results and Salzburg fail horribly, we'll see!
tedbro20: Absolutely, as you said it's not just the money but if we can register for a later entry in the competition down to coefficients and league reputation, that makes it a lot easier for me in the future!
Wolf: Great to be in the mix again, the games against Dortmund and Valencia are ones to look forward to if you're a fan of the club

Great to see that you're happy at your club and extended you contract!
You'll see the Gelbe Wand and visit the city of Valencia, also an opportunity for a point against Salzburg?

Good to see the commitment from manager and club in tying down a 3 year contract. Will also ensure Cobh will receive a higher fee if Conor is ever tempted back to England

A new deal and back in the group stages of the Champions League, excellent stuff as usual. Probably a tougher group this season but the squad has improved alot. Can't wait to see Hernandez bang a header against Dortmund to get through!

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August was a month mainly spent in the club’s cup duties with involvement in the Champions League, the FAI Cup and the EA Sports Cup as well as two fixtures in the Premier League.

Tadhg Ryan was the key in keeping the goals out and scoring the goal to win the game in the August opener with a penalty finishing off Derry City in the 72nd minute.

Following Cobh’s tight advancement through the Champions League qualifying stages, they came up against Kazakh champions FK Astana in the Third Qualifying Round. The home leg finished 2-0 as Peter Barnes and Conor Carty scored the goals before a 4-1 win in the Second Leg at Astana Arena, meaning Cobh qualified for the Playoff with a 6-1 aggregate victory.

The EA Sports Cup Semi-Final against Cabinteely was an easy win for Cobh as Daniel Kelly, Kern Hernandez, Eneko and Rouven Allner ran riot at Stradbrook, winning 4-0 against the First Division outfit.

Cobh entered the FAI Ford Cup in August against First Division Finn Harps shortly after the Astana game in Kazakhstan. They were certainly not weary of their travelling as they ran out 4-0 winners at the newly-built Donegal Stadium in the First Round.

The all-important and decisive Champions League Playoff against Olympiacos was next with the winners ending up in the Champions League Group Stages and the losers dropping down into the Europa League Group Stages.

The First Leg was very tight over in Greece at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium as the tie ended 1-1 with Conor Carty giving his team an away goal advantage. The televised Second Leg at Thomond Park was a delight for Cobh fans as they took a 2-0 (3-1) lead. The game ended 4-2 on aggregate as Cobh confirmed their spot in the Group Stages as well as their €15.24million prize money.

Cobh’s game in the middle against Shamrock Rovers in the Premier League ended in 2-0 victory as Cian Kavanagh and Conor Carty scored the goals for The Rams.

The final game of the month came against Waterford in the FAI Cup Second Round caused a shock exit for Conor McDonald’s men in extra- time as Keith Ward and Louis Dunne bagged the decisive goals in a 3-1 win.

The Rams finished August on 67 points with an eight-point lead over 2nd place despite Dundalk playing three more games than the league leaders.

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Cobh entered the Champions League Group Stage throughout September as well as confirming their second trophy of the season.

However, the first game of the month was a friendly against recently relegated Leeds United to plug a fortnight-long gap between competitive fixtures. Cobh won against the EFL Championship side thanks to goals from Daniel Kelly and returning loanee Filipe Gaspar.

Cobh’s first game of September was against rock-bottom Limerick who are almost confirmed as relegated being 13 points away from safety. This meant matters were made worse with a 3-1 loss to Conor McDonald’s team as Chris Savage scored a brace.

A €2.7million reward was handed to Cobh Ramblers for their first ever Champions League Group Stage victory against Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg as Adrian Granger scored in a 1-0 win at Thomond Park.

The EA Sports was confirmed as Cobh’s second trophy of the season with a 2-0 win at Oriel Park against Shamrock Rovers with Layton Stewart and Conor Carty scoring the goals for The Rams.

Cobh’s County Cork rivals Cork City were up next in the league at Turners Cross. Despite Cork taking the lead through an Oisin McEntee goal. Conor Carty got Cobh back on level terms before a superb Chris Savage hat-trick to seal the 4-1 win.

The final three points of the month were won against Derry City in a dominant 4-0 winning performance as Adrian Granger, Daniel Kelly, Rouven Allner and Kern Hernandez all scored goals in the rout.

The league results this month put Cobh Ramblers eleven points ahead of 2nd placed Dundalk with two games in hand against John Russell’s team. There are now seven games remaining and Cobh can confirm the title in the next two games.

In the Champions League, Cobh sit in 2nd place after the first game against Red Bull Salzburg. Their next fixture will be against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park who lost their first Champions League game 3-1 to group rivals Valencia.

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Wolf: The UCL offers a great opportunity for sightseeing, eh?
tedbro20: Job security and club security all in one!
Seb: Things are going well at the club and have been for a while. There won't be anyone more deserving of a winner at Signal Iduna Park than Hernandez, trust me

A historical victory against Salzburg that will never be forgotten by many. Congratulations go to McDonald on scoring a fantastic victory.

Glad to know this team can be beaten when Cobh succumbed to a loss against Waterford. Just a reminder they're human outside of Europe after all.

A massive win against Salzburg and another nice cash injection from it as well. Could you even oio them to third spot? League is tied up nicely which let's you concentrate on keeping your strongest team fit for the Champions League