Cobh Ramblers are back in the battle for the First Division title after Cian Bargary scored a dramatic winner at the death against second-placed Bray Wanderers.
The result means that Mick McDermott and his players are now just five points off league leaders Dundalk and one behind Wanderers in what is shaping to be a three-horse race.
The pressure was on Bray to deliver as the club went to Cork on the back of a seven-game winning streak, which had propelled them up the table.
A dramatic game opened up with Jamie Duggan scoring inside 90 seconds and Cian Murphy equalising midway through the first half.
What a moment!😮
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) May 2, 2025
Cian Bargary wins it in the 94th minute. pic.twitter.com/wI9frKyt1g
The Seagulls tried to get an early goal and their advance was helped by a yellow card shown to Timothy Martin inside the first minute after the goalkeeper handled the ball outside the box.
Max Murphy took the free-kick and Duggan turned this in to make it 1-0 to Bray with less than 90 seconds on the clock.
The Ramblers were patient as they restarted and out of that came a low David Bosnjak pass that set up Cian Murphy for a low shot that went beyond the reach of Jimmy Corcoran in the 22nd minute.
The hosts did not sit back after getting back on level terms, they continued to push and should have taken the lead approaching the half-hour mark. That shot fell to an off-balance Barry Coffey, and this was blocked down by the Bray defence.
It was 1-1 at the break and the game restarted with Rhys Knight finding his brother, Conor, and his tame effort went out for a corner that came to nothing.
Billy O’Neill then spun around and narrowly missed the target with a venomous strike in the 55th minute.
The Republic of Ireland U17 international followed that up by trying his luck from close range and hitting the crossbar. The loose ball went back out to the midfielder and this attempt was blocked down by Martin, who stood firm in between the posts.
The Seagulls almost won it late-on with a Jonas Hakkinen own-goal and this was cleared on the line by Coffey.
Bray were going for it at that stage, and that played into Cobh’s strengths as their pace on the counter as they played Bargary through in injury time.
The winger held his nerve and got this third goal in four games with a blistering strike in the final seconds.
Cobh Ramblers: Timothy Martin; Nolan Evers (Jonas Hakkinen 68), Cian Coleman, Shane Griffin, Luke Le Bervet, Shane Griffin, Niall O’Keeffe, David Bosnjak (Samiel Bellis 61), Barry Coffey, Cian Bargary, Cian Murphy.
Bray Wanderers: Jimmy Corcoran; Rhys Knight (Guillermo Almirall 63), Killian Cantwell, Harvey Warren, Max Murphy, Rhys Bartley, Jamie Duggan, Billy O’Neill, Cian Doyle, Conor Knight (Calum Costello 63), Cian Curtis (Thomas Considine 80).
Referee: Oliver Moran
Elsewhere tonight, leaders Dundalk were held to a scoreless draw in Athlone.
Kerry won their third game of the season and climbed two places to eighth, a 55th-minute penalty from Sean McGrath enough for a 1-0 victory at UCD that lifted them ahead of Athlone on goal difference.
There was another away win as Treaty United beat Finn Harps 2-0 thanks to an early strike from Robbie Lynch and a late clincher by Mark Byrne.
Longford now prop up the table but have the chance to move off it when they host Wexford on Saturday.
