Gareth Farrelly's Bohemians side progressed to the semi-finals of the league cup but their 1-0 victory was greeted by a chorus of boos by the home support at Dalymount Park.
Vinny Arkins headed goal in injury time in the end saved his bosses blushes but Bohemians who are fourteen points off the Premier Division lead failed to impress.
Ramblers had come into this tie with a nine game unbeaten run with included six straight runs on the trot.
But with John Paul Kelly having an influential game down the right hand side, Bohemians made the early running with Vinnie Arkins heading over from a Gareth Farrelly corner on fourteen minutes.
And shortly afterwards from the other side, Stephen Ward directed a header straight at the keeper following an inswinger from Kelly on the left.
Kelly, an Irish under 19 international, was proving something of a troublesome customer and a direct run through the middle resulted in the first booking of the game for Ramblers centre half, David Breen, midway throught the half. But from Kelly's resultant free, Arkins again failed to find the target.
Ramblers having weathered the storm had the first shot on goal just after the half hour when Darren Murphy played a ball through the middle into Kieran O' Reilly.
O'Reilly with just the keeper to beat could only direct his shot straight at Bohemians keeper, Stephen O' Brien and It was to ultimately prove a costly miss.
And shortly afterwards, Stephen Ward was denied by the advancing James Mc Carthy before Bohemians finally broke the deadlock in the first minute of injury time.
John Paul Kelly had floated over a cross from the right with Arkins arriving at the far post to direct a downward header beyond McCarthy.
The second half by comparison was something of a non-event which surprisingly failed to produce a chance over the course of the 45 minutes.
Indeed the only incident of any real note was the dismissal of Cobh Ramblers Darren Murphy for a second yellow in the dying seconds.
