Bray Wanderers 0 - 1 Dundalk

Dundalk maintained their perfect away record this season and added to Bray Wanderers’ woes with a hard fought 1-0 victory over the Seagulls at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday evening. Pat Hoban’s early second half header was enough to separate the sides in a tightly contested encounter which lacked any real quality.

The Lilywhites have now recorded five victories on their travels this term while Bray are yet to register a point in their last seven league games, leaving them struggling at the foot of the table.

Pat Devlin felt his side deserved more from last Monday’s narrow defeat to Cork and as a result kept faith with the same side after Kieran Marty Waters passed a late fitness test but it was the visitors who dominated the early proceedings.

However, Stephen Kenny’s side looked far from threatening in possession and failed to create any noteworthy opportunities in a largely uneventful first period.

In fact, it was the hosts who were the first to have a sight of goal despite spending large periods of the opening half hour without the ball. John Mulroy engineered a bit of space on the corner of the box before seeing his half-volley sail just over Peter Cherrie’s bar.

It took forty minutes for either side to win a corner, a measure of the lack of attacking prowess shown as a midfield battle developed.

The introduction of Darren Meenan and Kurtis Byrne at the break was ultimately the deciding factor as the visitors stepped up the intensity with their manager’s words no doubt still ringing in their ears.

In a game which lacked a killer edge in the final third, the winning goal from a set-piece as Meenan’s in-swinging corner from the left was headed home by Hoban from point blank range, giving Quigley no chance.

Bray looked to hit back immediately but Kevin Knight’s goal bound effort from a deep cross was well saved by a largely redundant Peter Cherrie.

That was as good as it got for the Seagulls as they searched for an unlikely equaliser which would have ended a run of seven defeats on the bounce.

Second-half substitute Ismahil Akinade had Bray’s best sight of goal but couldn’t convert when a corner landed at his feet in the six yard box with a quarter remaining.

Tame efforts from Richie Towell and Keith Ward did little to worry Quigley in the closing stages as the visitors comfortably held on for another win away from Oriel Park and continue their fine start to the campaign.

Bray Wanderers:  Darren Quigley; Eoin Hyland, Dave Webster, Paul Malone, Conor Earley; Kieran Marty Waters, John Mulroy (Daire Doyle 84), Gary Dempsey, Dean Zambra, Kevin Knight (Shane O’Neill 71); Jason Byrne (Ismahil Akinade 67) .
Subs not used: Shane O’Connor, Danny Joyce, Sean Holmes, Adam Cox.

Booked: Malone (68).

Dundalk: Peter Cherrie; John Sullivan, Andy Boyle, Mark Rossiter, Dane Massey; John Dillon (Darren Meenan 46), Keith Ward, Richie Towell, Stephen O'Donnell; Pat Hoban (Vinny Faherty 77), Tiarnan Mulvenna (Kurtis Byrne 46).
Subs not used: John Mountney, Eoghan Osborne, Stephen McDonnell, Aaron Shanahan.

Booked: O'Donnell (82).

Referee: Dave McKeon.

Attendance: 1,000 (estimate)

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Keith Ward (Dundalk).