Conor McDonald: The Student

I couldn't decide which one to use, so here: have 3!


Well done! Phenomenal result against RB Leipzig, it's now a case of: staying and trying for UCL glory, or, heading abroad to a more testing league to see how you fare against the big boys.

Okay no McGregor GIF here, time to celebrate that incredible achievement, congratulations.

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In April, Cobh fought their way through the Europa League Quarter-Finals with a double win over Hertha Berlin as well as maintaining a 100% record in the month.

Limerick were the first victims in the Munster Senior Cup Quarter-Final with a 6-1 win as Chris Savage scored a brace along with other help from the starting eleven to head into the Semi-Finals.

Cobh’s first league game was their second fixture against Dundalk as goals from Carty, Ventura and Berry led them to a clean, easy 3-0 win.

They defeated Cork rivals Cork City in the EA Sports Cup First Round with a late Layton Stewart goal in the 87th minute.

In the Europa League, the Hertha Berlin tie ended 6-3 over two legs, winning 8-0 against St. Patrick’s Athletic in the midst of European involvement.

Cobh’s second cup tie of the month against Limerick came in the EA Sports Cup Second Round, beating them 2-0 with both goals coming from Chris Savage.

Their last league fixture of April was against Waterford – Cobh’s biggest challengers in the league – and Conor Carty ensured a 3-0 win with a hat-trick over Phil Jagielka’s side.

Conor McDonald’s biggest competitive win in his tenure as Cobh Ramblers boss came against local rivals Cobh Wanderers in the Munster Senior Cup Semi-Final, winning 10-0 with hat-tricks from Conor Carty and Chris Savage.

Cobh finished the month on top with nine wins out of nine in the Premier League despite having played three less games than 2nd place Bohemian.

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May began with Cobh’s first loss since their 1-0 loss to Sevilla in the Europa League Second Knockout Round, once again in the Europa League. They lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the Semi-Final at Thomond Park however, this was brutally overturned in North London as Cobh demolished them 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

In between those results, Cobh secured another derby win against Cork City with Chris Savage on hand again to score a 4-1 victory.

Their league form continued with a 3-2 win against Sligo Rovers as their opponents finished the game with ten men thanks to David Cawley’s late red card.

Cobh went further in their EA Sports Cup venture, winning 2-0 against First Division outfit Wexford.

Four wins in a row came Cobh’s way in the Premier League, including a 6-0 win over Shamrock Rovers, just before Cobh’s biggest game in their history in the Europa League Final.

Conor McDonald’s architecture at Cobh was completed, beating RB Leipzig at Ibrox Stadium to lift the cup for the first time in Irish history.

In the league, Cobh extended their lead at the top with 15 wins out 15 games in the Premier League, as well as adding their biggest trophy yet. They now have a 12-point lead over Waterford with two games in hand.

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tedbro20: I think McDonald is solidified in the Cobh archives at this point, don't you worry
Scott: Savage has come from Gateshead to lifting the Europa League, that is some trajectory!
Seb: I don't think Conor would have asked had it not been on his mind, particularly after lifting the Europa League...
James: Indeed, the Europa League was a fantastic journey against some great teams but I feel like Cobh would be pushing their luck in the later stages of the UCL
Griffo: Thank you very much sir

Savage comes from an elite town then It's still somewhat astonishing that Cobh are Europa League champions. I never expected such a meteoric rise in such a short space of time.

Southampton have unveiled Kyle Magennis as their first transfer of the summer following their Play-Off promotion last month.

Fabio Grosso paid £2,500,000 for the right-winger after their immediate return to the English Premier League was confirmed with the Play-Off Final victory against Cardiff City.

Magennis arrived at Cobh Ramblers on a free transfer following the expiry of his Celtic contract.

He made 47 appearances in all competitions under Conor McDonald, scoring 11 goals and assisting 19 times during his time at St. Colman’s Park.

Magennis won six trophies throughout his time in Ireland and he came on as a substitute for Pelayo Ventura in the Europa League Final against RB Leipzig, just one of the trophies to his name.

Cobh will now be in the market for a replacement for Magennis, with Pelayo Ventura the only current option on the right flank.

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Scott: Some would say he is Honestly, it was a surreal space of time - even I am stunned!

Just caught up with the last two updates, and amazing result against Leipzig in the EL final! Very good stuff. Will give you huge a reputational and financial boost I can imagine!

That's a shame. Magennis was a great player to have albeit enjoying a rather brief spell. He certainly doesn't depart without plenty of silverware to his name. A decent fee gathered considering he joined the club for free, also.

Conor is proving to be some manager not just winning the league but a 100% record in the league as well. Magennis will be a loss but a tidy profit on him for sure.

Leeds United have confirmed the signature of Kern Hernandez from Europa League winners Cobh Ramblers.

The Whites confirmed their automatic promotion back to the Premier League under Eddie Howe last season with a 2nd placed finish in the Championship.

Leeds paid £10,500,000 for the English centre-back who spent two seasons at the Irish Premier League outfit.

Hernandez was previously at Sheffield United – who paid £3.5million for him from Coventry City in 2020 – before joining Conor McDonald’s side for €105,000 as they paid out the rest of his contract at Bramall Lane.

Since then, the England Under-20 international has been outstanding at St. Colman’s Park. He made 83 appearances for Cobh, becoming somewhat of a goalscoring centre-back with 15 goals to his name throughout his time.

In what was an emotional departure from a successful period at the club, Hernandez delivered a statement to the Cobh Ramblers fans.

Hernandez:

“My time at St. Colman’s Park has been a delightful one. I will never ever forget the club and what we achieved here in Ireland.

“From the title wins to the most recent success – the Europa League – it’s all been the most perfect adventure and I doubt there will be many moments in my career to top what I have done here.

“I have to give special thanks to the gaffer for giving me two incredible years at the club and being such an inspiring leader throughout my time at the club.

“I look forward to my time at Leeds United and working under Eddie Howe who is another great manager but Cobh Ramblers will always remain in my heart.”

Cobh’s defensive midfielder and former captain Eneko has also departed to Real Murcia for a fee of 135,000

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Zed: Thank you, it certainly has but inevitably people want to leave as exemplified in the past two updates.
Scott: He had a great period at the club, as did Hernandez. I'm sure the Europa League will be the highest of his career achievements!
Seb: The league is weakened by our dominance in Europe and in the domestic sphere, that's for sure. I'm happy to turn a profit on Magennis but he is a disappointing loss.

Hernandez leaving is a major loss but an incredible profit on a player who did a lot at the club. It's not as though Cobh are light in the defensive area but I wonder if Conor will be looking at any potential replacements.

The club are now reaping the rewards of their recent success. Many would view it to be a negative that Cobh are losing a lot of their squad but I have absolute faith that this money will not only be reinvested sensibly, but will be used to significantly strengthen the squad. McDonald has demonstrated his talent at working effectively in the market time and time again.

Cobh Ramblers have confirmed the additions of Norwich City’s Adam Idah and Derry City’s Ryan McClelland.

With the transfer funds of Kyle Magennis’ and Kern Hernandez’s transfers, Cobh have been able to make their first deal of the summer transfer window.

Adam Idah – an eight-time Irish international – joined from Premier League side Norwich City for a fee of €475,000.

Idah grew up in Norwich’s academy and finally made his senior debut in the Premier League in 2019/20 season. He made 12 appearances in his first season before heading out on three consecutive loan spells to Forest Green, Hamilton and Millwall where he scored 53 goals in 101 appearances over three seasons.

He returned to more first-team action at Carrow Road in 2022, scoring 2 goals in 12 games in the Championship before heading out on his most recent loan spell in Spain to join Real Valladolid in La Liga where Idah failed to score in all 6 games.

However, he came back as a man in form, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances for Norwich in the Championship, helping them secure promotion that season. Things didn’t go to plan for him last season as Idah only managed to score 2 goals in 22 substitute appearances under Graham Potter.

Ryan McClelland had a different approach to arriving at Cobh, coming through the Derry City academy and installing himself in the first-team from 2022 before consolidating his place ever since.

In his four seasons in the Derry first-team, he made 100 appearances, scoring four goals and assisting seven times.

With Eneko departing to Real Murcia, McClelland will almost certainly find his way into the Cobh team with ease.

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Seb: He's been simply incredible, possibly the best player I've worked with at Cobh so it's no surprise to see him go for that fee in my eyes, particularly with a Europa League title under his belt. The search will continue for a replacement for now!
Scott: Absolutely, I'm gutted we couldn't keep hold of Hernandez but with an enhanced reputation presents an opportunity for even more valuable assets to come in.

That deal for McCelland looks like excellent signing and weakens a domestic side, not that you really need to do that with your dominance. Idah hasn't had the best scoring record in recent years but I am sure under Conor that'll be sorted.

Cobh Ramblers have finalised their club record transfer by signing 19-year-old Italian striker Ottavio Mirabella from €3.5million from Frosinone.

The move was unexpected by Cobh fans as many were thinking that the club would be announcing a replacement for either Kyle Magennis or Kern Hernandez who left this summer for Southampton and Leeds United respectively.

Mirabella joined as Frosinone began preparations for their revived life in the Italian top-flight following one season in Serie B.

The striker made seven appearances for Frosinone since joining for a fee of €55,000 from Serie D outfit Cavese 1919.

It is unknown whether Mirabella will go straight into the first-team with Conor Carty, Chris Savage and new arrival Adam Idah all presumably ahead of him in the pecking order or whether he will head back out on loan.

Cobh have given Mirabella the number 34 shirt for the remainder of the season.

In other transfer news surrounding Cobh, they also completed the signing of Brazilian right-back Ananias for his Sport Recife release clause of €31,500.

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Seb: McClelland was a deal that needed to be done simply because we were desperate for a man to fill that role and I'm lucky we got him for the price we did. As for Idah, he's done well in individual seasons such as his loans to Hamilton and Millwall but he's perfect for what we are doing at Cobh without a doubt.

An interesting addition considering the depth at talent you have going forward. A big price to pay but that is to be expected now that Cobh are an established European club. He looks a decent prospect who could be a very good option in the future.