Tom Dunstan
Competition: Irish First Division
Market: Cork City win
Odds: 2/5 @ BetUS
Simply looking to widen their buffer at the top of the First Division table, Cork City will welcome Cobh Ramblers to Turners Cross on Thursday night.
Starting with the hosts, making a welcomed return to winning ways last weekend as they secured a routine 2-0 victory at home against Longford, Cork City have continued on a major First Division romp since opening up the 2024 campaign. Storming their way to what would be an immediate Premier Division return this season, Tim Clancy’s men already hold a commanding nine-point buffer over the chasing pack and are rightfully pencilled in as a landslide promotion contenders. Putting 43 points on the board from their 20 second-tier appearances so far this season, Cork have also suffered just a single First Division defeat throughout the 2024 campaign. Likewise, including a stellar 3-0 romp when they welcomed Cobh to town back on April 5th, it should also be noted that Clancy’s side have conceded just a pair of goals at Turners Cross in any of their first nine consecutive battles in front of their own supporters.
As for the visitors, managing to make an immediate return to winning ways last weekend as they secured a 2-0 victory at home against Finn Harps, Cobh will be desperate to use that performance as a platform to build on. However, struggling to find any kind of stability since opening up the 2024 campaign and still battling it out in the bottom-half of the table, the Ramblers will be bracing themselves for a stern examination at Turners Cross. Winning just a pair of their previous seven First Division appearances, Gary Hunt’s men have also shown some rather glaring issues on the road. Last seen on their travels falling to a routine 3-1 defeat at the hands of Bray, Cobh have registered just a sole victory from any of their previous eight showdowns away from St. Coleman’s Park – a rut that stems all the way back to March 8th. Without a win from any of their eight historic trips to Turners Cross, we are backing a home victory here.
Bet: Cork City 2/5 to beat Cobh Ramblers in Friday’s Irish First Division matchup @ BetUS