Cobh Ramblers today announced their first signings of the season as they prepare for their second year back in the First Division. Goalkeepers Shane Hallahan and Robert Birdsall , defenders Brendán Frahill, Anthony O’Donnell, Eoin Hastings and Adam Thompson have all re-signed for the 2014 season along with midfielders Roy Kenny and Bobbi Donoghue.
The signing of netminder, Robert Birdsall is the most notable capture. The Kerryman started off his career with Tralee Dynamos before moving cross channel to Blyth Spartans and Bradford amongst others. He is capped at u21 level for Ireland. Despite interest from Premier Division clubs, he signed with the Rams last year and is continuing his spell at St Colman’s Park.
Anthony O’Donnell is also a shrewd signing by manager Dave Hill. A promising young defender, Anthony played with Limerick FC at A and u19 level and also captained the Munster Schools team in 2012. He featured against Ramblers for Limerick in a friendly last year. He joined the club midway through last season and impressed in his time at the club. He was recently called up to the Irish Colleges team
Young centre back Brendán Frahill is another player with a big future ahead of him. A player who came through the ranks at Ramblers, Brendán was a member of the u16 National Cup and u19 Southern Division winning teams. He was awarded the Young Player of the Year for his efforts last year and is set for another big season.
Under 19 midfielder Christopher McCarthy has also been promoted from the u19 squad to the senior team after his performances for the underage team this season. These nine signings are the first players to have officially signed for the Rams this year. The club hope to announce more in the coming days.
After the departure of striker Kynan Rocks to Waterford United in the off season, these signings should bring some comfort to the Cobh fans. Despite their lack of experience, a lot of these players performed very well last year especially Frahill, Kenny and Hallahan.
As clubs continue to improve their squads for the upcoming season, we’ll bring you all the latest transfer news here on the LOI Blog!
By Thomas Stafford
