Bray Wanderers 1 - 2 Cork City

A dramatic late winner from Shane Duggan, following an 87th minute penalty from Ian Turner, gifted Cork City the points against Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds on Monday night.

It took a while for the teams to warm up with nothing of significance happening until the eighth minute when Bray defender Dave Webster blocked away an effort from Shane Duggan. This seemed to relax the visitors and in the 15th minute they executed a passage of play that included a back heel from Denis Behan, a nutmeg from Colin Healy and a classy feint from Daryl Horgan, but tellingly they failed to get a shot away.

Kieran Marty Waters and John Mulroy, flanking the ever dangerous Jason Byrne, soon started to impress for Bray and they took the lead on 25 minutes when Kevin Knight headed home a cross from Eoin Hyland.

This was Bray’s cue to dominate. Jason Byrne flashed a volley inches over three minutes later and Waters came even closer ten minutes before the break, smacking an excellent shot off the City bar having worked his way forwards from Mulroy’s pass.

Remarkably, Waters hit the woodwork again three minutes later when he got on the end of some good hold-up play by Byrne, hooking a shot off the butt of the post and away.

City give themselves a boost on the cusp of half time when Denis Behan headed Ian Turner’s cross straight at Darren Quigley but Bray won the first half comprehensively on points.

Bray continued to dominate in the second half and John Mulroy force McNulty into a decent save at the foot of his right hand post on 55 minutes. City were struggling to build a passing game while the pace of Mulroy and Waters, flanking the ever dangerous Byrne, were far more fluid in their attacking play.

Bray then lost Waters, presumably to an injury, while City also made a key change, sending on Danny Morrissey for Gearoid Morrissey and switching to 4-4-2. From this point on City had a new sense of energy and Bray found themselves on the back foot.

Duggan and Healy both had shots courageously blocked before, in the 68th minute, Healy got his head to an Ian Turner corner and nudged it onto the crossbar. Three minutes later Behan dummied a pull-back from Danny Morrissey only fro Turner to crash his shot wide of the target when he had acres of time and space.

With twenty minute to play Bray almost scored against the run of play when Mulroy whipped a dipping shot inches over from Byrne’s subtle pass, and Dean Zambra charged into the box on 83 minutes only to shoot narrowly past McNulty’s far post.

But with just three minutes left on the clock Cork got the reward their second half efforts deserved. Turner delivered a corner deep into the Bray box and Daryl Kavanagh let losse with a shot that careered off Dave Webster’s arm. Referee Tom Connolly awarded the spot kick an Turner hammered it home.

City were at last on the end of some late good fortune of their own and perhaps the pain heaped on them over the past weeks was behind some devine influence as things were about to get better for the Rebels.

As the game slipped into added time both teams still tried to win the game and there was a big shout for a Bray penalty when substitute Ismahi Akinade went down under a challenge from Darren Dennehy, but the real drama occurred at the other end. Turner let fly with a wickedly moving shot that Quigley managed to parry, but the ball squirted up from the keepers grasp and Shane Duggan headed goalwards. The bray custodian got some thing on what was a relatively mild effort but the ball trickled on towards goal and was adjudged to have crossed the line before he recovered to scoop it clear.

In dramatic circumstances Cork stole three points and some redemption, while Bray will be terribly frustrated to have let three slip away from them.

Bray Wanderers: Darren Quigley; Eoin Hyland, Dave Webster, Paul Malone, Conor Earley; Kieran Marty Waters (Shane O’Neill 57 (Daire Doyle 79), John Mulroy, Gary Dempsey, Dean Zambra, Kevin Knight; Jason Byrne (Ismahil Akinade 83).
Subs not used: Sean Holmes, Adam Cox, Daniel Joyce, Shane O’Connor.

Bookings: Webster (86).

Cork City: Mark McNulty; John Dunleavy, Darren Dennehy, Kalen Spillane, Danny Murphy; Ian Turner, Gearoid Morrissey (Danny Morrissey 61), Colin Healy, Shane Duggan, Daryl Horgan (Adam Rundle 67); Denis Behan (Daryl Kavanagh 78).
Subs not used: Kevin Burns, Neal Horgan, Garry Buckley, Danny Furlong.

Bookings: None.

Referee: Tom Connolly.

Attendance: 300 (estimate).

Extratime Man of the Match: John Mulroy (Bray Wanderers).