TREATY United brought their time under the club’s current name to a close with a 2-0 victory over Cobh Ramblers at the Markets Field on Friday night.
Second-half goals from Dare Kareem and substitute Jason Oyenuga secured the win for Treaty, while the result ended Cobh’s hopes of reaching the promotion play-offs.
The match marked the end of an era for Treaty United, with the club set to adopt the historic Limerick FC name for the 2027 season.
Treaty hold firm in opening half
The opening half was a relatively even contest, with Cobh Ramblers creating the better chances but failing to seriously trouble Jack Brady in the Treaty goal.
Rhys Gourdie had the first effort inside the opening five minutes, sending a long-range strike towards goal that Brady dealt with comfortably.
The visitors, wearing their claret and blue colours, continued to threaten sporadically, but neither side could find a breakthrough.
Treaty came closest to opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time when a scramble inside the Cobh penalty area saw Robbie Lynch get a shot away from the edge of the box, forcing goalkeeper Timothy Martin into a hurried save.
Kareem and Oyenuga seal the win
Cobh native Luka Le Bervet registered the first attempt of the second half, but Darren Nwankwo intervened with a crucial left-footed block. Nwankwo’s defensive interceptions proved important throughout the contest as Treaty looked to keep the visitors at bay.
Dare Kareem had been a persistent threat for Treaty but had struggled to find the finishing touch. That changed in the 67th minute when a quick break saw Kareem play the ball through to Mark Byrne, who returned it to the Drogheda United loanee. Kareem then lifted a composed finish into the bottom-left corner to give Treaty the lead.
Cobh nearly responded immediately, with Gourdie forcing another impressive save from Brady with a close-range effort in the 70th minute.
Treaty then threatened to extend their advantage through a flurry of attempts. Ben Feeney’s effort was parried by Martin before Kareem saw another shot blocked by the goalkeeper’s legs. Ronan Manning’s follow-up was eventually gathered by Martin.
Byrne had a further opportunity to double Treaty’s lead in the 73rd minute but sent his close-range effort wide.
Brian Cunningham and Manning both came close with long-range efforts as Treaty continued to push forward.
After Shane Griffin saw an attempt blocked, a midfield tussle opened up space for substitute Jason Oyenuga to break clear. With Brendan Frahill in pursuit, Oyenuga drove towards goal before slotting home in the 89th minute to seal the victory.
Cobh’s night ended on a sour note when Frahill was shown a red card in stoppage time following an encounter with substitute Colm Whelan.
Cobh miss out on play-offs
Cobh Ramblers’ 2-0 defeat to Treaty United ended their hopes of reaching the promotion play-offs, as the final First Division standings were confirmed on Friday night.
In the Midlands derby, Longford Town secured fifth place with a 1-0 victory over Athlone Town, while Kerry FC claimed fourth after drawing 1-1 with champions Cork City. Both Kerry and Longford finished on 52 points, three ahead of Cobh, who ended the season in sixth place on 49 points.
UCD finished second on 56 points despite a 5-2 victory over Wexford FC, while Bray Wanderers held on to third place despite losing 2-0 to Finn Harps.
The play-off semi-finals will see UCD face Longford Town, while Bray Wanderers take on Kerry FC over two legs. The winners will meet in the final, with the victorious side going on to face the ninth-placed Premier Division team for a place in the 2027 topflight.
Read a full explainer here: Limerick Voice Play-offs Article Explainer
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End of the Treaty United era
Friday night marked the end of Treaty United’s final season under its current name, with the club set to become Limerick FC from the 2027 season.
Manager Tommy Barrett has confirmed he will remain in charge for the transition, leading the club into its next chapter. The change follows an agreement between Treaty United and Limerick FC stakeholders to resolve the issues surrounding the club’s future identity and establish a sustainable senior football structure for the city and the wider Midwest.
Further squad changes are expected in the coming weeks, with players considering full-time opportunities ahead of the 2027 campaign.
Treaty United
Starting XI: Jack Brady (GK); Richkov Boevi, Colin Conroy, Mark Byrne (82’ Roy Lawlor), Ben Feeney (75’ Jason Oyenuga, 89’ goal), Darren Nwankwo, Mark Walsh (c) (63’ Billy Regan), Robbie Lynch, Matt Jones (75’ Colm Whelan), Ronan Manning, Dare Kareem (67’ goal; 82’ Brian Cunningham).
Substitutes: Killian Fitzpatrick, Steven Healy, Eric Yoro, Mark Murphy.
Cobh Ramblers
Starting XI: Timothy Martin (GK); Callum Honohan, Brian Linehan (77’ Dara McCormick), Brendan Frahill (90+2’ red card), Rhys Gourdie (c), Kai O’Neill (62’ Dylan McGlade), Anthony Adenopo (77’ Mikey Carroll), Prince Jordan Adeyemi (62’ Rhys Kelly-Noonan), Oran Crowe (77’ Cian Coleman), Shane Griffin, Luka Le Bervet.
Substitutes: Rory Moloney, Lucas Curtin, Jonas Stjernberg, Alan Zborowski.