Nathan Lumingo hits the equaliser as Finn Harps end unwanted Cobh away record

A first competitive goal for Nathan Lumingo in a Finn Harps jersey sealed a draw against Cobh Ramblers in St Colman’s Park on Friday night.

The hosts took the lead just before the break as Kai O’Neill headed in, but Lumingo#s strike on 72 minutes from the edge of the box levelled things.

And while Cobh had chances to win the game, with Anthony Adenopo and Jason Abbott both hitting the woodwork, the Harps held out for a first point at St Colman’s Park since 2018, ending a run of six losses in a row.

The Harps made one change from their win over UCD at Finn Park as captain Tony McNamee dropped out of the squad, with Bernardo Monteiro replacing him.

A slow starter of a game, the early chances fell for the visitors, with Joel Bradey Walsh’s free kick from 25 yards and a Josh Cullen effort from a similar distance were both on target, but nothing that Corey Chambers had any trouble with saving.

Cobh had a first real chance, albeit a big chance, midway through the first half as Shane Griffin advanced on the left and pulled the ball back for Rhys Gourdie, but he poked the ball just wide from inside the box.

Harps enjoyed success on the wings, and Alex Fanle and Cullen had a couple of dangerous crosses well dealt with, while at the other end, Rhys Brennan chested down the ball and volleyed just over the bar from 20 yards.

Bernardo Monteiro did similar moments later for the Harps, while Cullen had another effort go just wide.

And it looked like the sides would go into the break level, but Cobh went ahead on 47 minutes.

Gourdie picked up possession after a blocked O’Neill shot and slipped in Brennan on the left of the box, with the 19-year-old chipping a cross into the late-arriving O’Neill to head home.

The Harps almost hit back instantly as Bradley Walsh’s free saw Chambers come off his line to catch, but he was beaten in the air by Max Hutchison, although the Englishman couldn’t get his header on target.

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After the restart, Garry Buckley and Gourdie both had shots in the box blocked, while Hutchison again threatened in the air, heading a Cullen cross goalwards, but it was straight at Chambers.

The Harps then rode their luck as Cobh almost had a second, Brennan slicing a shot after a Callum Honohan cross, which fell to Wilson Waweru, but a Harps defender just got a block on it.

From the corner, Jason Abbott found Shane Griffin at the near post, and his glancing header looked to be going in, but again it was blocked and cleared eventually.

They should have been level moments later when Aaron McLaughlin was played in by Hutchison, and the Kerrykeel man was in one-on-one with options to square it, but his low shot was saved by Chambers.

But the equaliser did come on 72 minutes, a long ball forward towards Temiloluwa Ajibola was headed down to Lumingo.

The Frenchman played a 1-2 with Hutchison and fired low into the bottom left corner with an effort from the edge of the box.

The hosts almost went back ahead instantly, Anthony Adenopo getting in down the right of the box, and he pulled it back for Waweru, but his effort came off the post.

Adenopo forced another good save from Sheridan soon after, with the ball going out for a corner, and as it was cleared out of the box, Abbott unleashed a ferocious strike that came off the post and was cleared.

The hosts upped the pressure in the final minutes, and a quick move from an Abbott free saw Oran Crowe in space in the box, but McLaughlin did well to block his shot.

After that corner, a cross from Shane Griffin was headed goalwards by Brendan Frahill, but Sheridan made a great diving save to deny the hosts a winner in the 93rd minute as the spoils were shared.

Cobh Ramblers: Corey Chambers; Callum Honohan (Brian Linehan 86), Cian Coleman, Gary Buckley (Brendan Frahill 67), Shane Griffin; Rhys Gourdie, Jason Abbott, Rhys Brennan, Mikey Carroll (Oran Crowe 86); Wilson Waweru, Kai O’Neill (Anthony Adenopo 52).

Finn Harps: Corey Sheridan; Josh Cullen, Conor Tourish, Joel Bradley Walsh, Alex Fanle; Perrault Tokam, Max Hutchison, Gavin McAteer (Daniel de Lacerda 90), Bernardo Monteiro (Aaron McLaughlin 61), Idir Zerrouk (Nathan Lumingo 61); Shaunie Bradley (Temiloluwa Ajibola 61).

Referee: Mark Houlihan