Conor McDonald: The Student

Absolutely special victory over Salzburg that, an extra 2.7 million to boot, and further domination over in the league. Amazing month that! Hope you can produce some more upsets in the CL.

---

Right-midfielder Daniel Kelly got the perfect revenge over his former club Dundalk with a hat-trick to win Cobh Ramblers their third consecutive title.

Over 1,000 people crowded into St. Colman’s Park for the title-deciding fixture as Conor McDonald managed his team to a 4-0 victory.

Cobh had an eight-point lead over 2nd placed Dundalk prior to the fixture.

Rouven Allner’s perfect corner found the head of 18-year-old Peter Barnes who gave The Rams a 23rd minute lead.

Winger Daniel Kelly – released by Dundalk in December 2023 – doubled his new team’s lead to two goals as Dundalk failed to counter attack out of their own half, gifting the ball to Kyle Magennis who provided the most perfect assist to the inverted run of Kelly who stuck the ball home into the near post.

Kelly added his second goal of the game on the other side of half-time. A long-throw from Darnell Fisher found the feet of Conor Carty who simply dinked the ball over to the far post, meeting the head of Kelly’s gracious leap.

Despite Dundalk being down-and-out at 3-0 down, Daniel Kelly had unfinished business with his old club. Eneko fired a ball out left to Kelly who took the ball down with a sublime first touch past Sean Gannon before his pace left the Dundalk back line for dead, tucking away the one-on-one against Liam Bossin with ease in the 89th minute to make it 4-0.

The Premier League title completes a 2024 treble-winning season for Conor McDonald having already lifted the Irish President’s Cup and the EA Sports Cup last month.

---

Scott: It was a tight affair all the way through but when Granger sealed it, it was party time How gutting is going out in the 2nd Round to WATERFORD though?!
tedbro20: Absolutely, I think after proving we can put points on the board in the group stage we have every reason to aim for 3rd.
Zed: Once we'd beaten them I completely forgot about the cash prize! Let's hope for more of them.

oh, what a surprise, you won the title again

Daniel Kelly had a point he was desperate to prove and I think he just about proved it, don't you?

Conor McDonald’s Cobh Ramblers have dropped out of the Champions League but have qualified for the Europa League First Knockout Round after confirming a 3rd place finish in Group H.

The Rams started off their Group Stage adventure with a 1-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg thanks to an Adrian Granger finish.

However, their next two games really sealed their fate in Group H as two consecutive losses came against the group favourites Borussia Dortmund and Valencia.

McDonald confirmed that their European adventure would continue, though, with two draws against the current group toppers Valencia and the bottom team Red Bull Salzburg.

Cobh still have to play their final group game against Borussia Dortmund in December at Thomond Park.

The draw for the Europa League First Knockout Round will take place on Monday 16th December with the actual fixtures being played much later in late-February.

---

Tango: Becoming a regular theme now
Scott: That'll teach Dundalk from releasing anyone ever again

A great way to win the title with beating Dundalk to do it. Also great to progress in Europe past Christmas too. Its gives you a great change to get experience and improve the clubs stature to bring in more players

Fantastic work. The progress is evident to see and it won't be long before Cobh will be qualifying from the group stage rather than settling for a drop into the Europa League. I'm looking forward to seeing how they fair in the secondary European competition.

now we're talking. The UCL is still too much for Cobh, but I'm interested to see how they roll in the UEL

---

Saturday, 30th November 2024

“FIVE… FOUR… THREE… TWO… ONE...” a second later, the crowd cheered as both Conor McDonald and one of Cork East’s Teachta Dálas Saoirse Byrne switched on Cork’s Christmas Lights as the calendar month ended, with December just a few hours away.

The crowd’s eyes followed the lights as they lit up all across the harbour on the south coast. Conor’s eyes followed with them.

“The thing is, everybody loves you but they’re looking at me, thinking ’I hate you’,” Saoirse said quietly into Conor’s ear, laughing.

Saoirse Byrne recently won her first seat to the Dáil Éireann in the 2024 Irish general election, standing for Fine Gael – Ireland’s liberal centre-right party. Her party lost the election, becoming the official opposition to the coalition government but Miss Byrne won the vote of her local constituents with 23.4% of the Cork East first preference votes in the Single Transferrable Voting system.

She became the youngest member of the Dáil – the Irish lower chamber of Parliament – aged just 24 years old.

Conor McDonald turned around to look at her. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said with a smile. “There’s probably some Cork City fans in here.”

“Believe me, I think Communists and the Sinn Féin lot are a lot scarier,” she said. “That said, Cork City fans and Sinn Féin supporters probably go hand-in-hand, right? Pricks usually are left-wing.” She winked at Conor.

“That’s no way to talk about Cian Kavanagh!” Conor smirked at her comment.

Saoirse laughed out loud, almost so much that the microphone on stage picked up her hilarious laughing.

“So, I hear that the football season is over?” She asked on her way down the stairs from the stage with Conor.

“Well, we’ve just got the one game left but it’s really irrelevant given we already know where we are going to be – the Germans are coming over from Borussia Dortmund.” Conor answered.

Saoirse’s hand brushed lightly on Conor’s shoulder as she stopped walking, it was enough contact that he felt it and stopped to turn around.

“I suppose that means that you have time for a drink then, right?” Saoirse asked with a grin on her face, already pretending that she had heard the answer she wanted to hear from the football manager.

“I couldn’t think of anything better this Saturday evening.”

---

tedbro20: It was made so sweet to win it against them! I'm looking forward to our debut in the UEL.
Scott: I'd certainly like to think the same with regards to future ambitions in the UCL. Looking forward to partaking in the UEL, though!
Tango: Exactly, there was no way past the likes of Dortmund or Valencia. Hopefully the Europa League will throw an easier challenge for us.

I officially dislike her more than Sarah.

Really nice to see that the inhabitantsof Cork celebrate you that much!

Oh is this Conor finally getting a love interest to get his Nat King Cole

Be careful, she's gonna privatize you

Following a 3rd place finish in the Champions League Group Stages, Cobh Ramblers have drawn Serie A outfit AS Roma in the Europa League Round of 16.

Cobh finished above Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League Group H standings whereas Roma finished 2nd in their Europa League group, finishing behind Real Sociedad on the results between teams sorting rules despite having a greater goal difference.

The draw is a particularly harsh one for the Irish champions given the other quality of teams in the same round such Bundesliga strugglers Hannover 96 who have instead drawn Leonardo Jardim’s AS Monaco.

The round of fixtures will begin on 20th February 2025, just days after the scheduled Irish Premier League restart which some say could put Conor McDonald’s team at a particular disadvantage.

FC Porto come in as the bookies favourites to win the tournament this season, especially given their kind draw against last season’s Greek Superleague One runners up AEK Athens.

The First Leg will take place at Thomond Park on Thursday, 20th February 2025 before Cobh travel to the Italian capital for the Second Leg at the famous Stadio Olimpico the week after on Thursday, 27th February 2025.

---

Scott: She was designed for your exact reaction
Wolf: Well, it would be harsh to say it wasn't deserved!
tedbro20: Quite possibly
Tango: I think Conor would welcome that

Cobh > Roma, clearly. Appears that everything is coming up Conor atm, bar that Europa draw, and it's now time for Conor to progress further off-the-pitch. How many points will you win the league by this year!?