League Report: Bray Wanderers 0 - 3 Dundalk

Bray Wanderers offered a glimpse into what life will look like post Dylan Connolly, and on this evening’s showing against Dundalk the Seagulls are facing into choppy waters, as they went down 3-0 to Stephen Kenny’s men. The late afternoon cloud gave way to a stunning evening in Wicklow, with perfect conditions for football at the sun drenched Carlisle Grounds.

The game hadn’t found a tempo when the visitors took the lead. The home side won a corner kick in the first minute, however the delivery was poor and allowed the visitors exploit the resultant space. The clearance found its way to Patrick McEleney who rolled the ball into Robbie Benson’s path. The attacking midfielder took the ball around Peter Cherrie in the Bray goal before finishing.

After the goal, the game settled down into a rhythm which saw Dundalk establish a firm grip on possession. On the rare occasions when Bray did venture into the Dundalk half they found stiff resistance in  Stephen O’Donnell, sitting in front of the centre back pairing of Brian Gartland and Niclas Vermulund. However, the captain soon picked up a knock and was replaced by Chris Shields. His fitness will be a concern for the Lilywhites ahead of a few big weeks ahead for the Louth men.

On 30 minutes the visitors doubled their lead. The impressive Jamie McGrath took possession on the left side of the Bray 18-yard box. With no good options available, he carried the ball to the edge of the Bray penalty area, where he laid the ball to the onrushing Robbie Benson. From there the Athlone man played a one-two with Chris Shields before finishing off a stunning second goal.

The second half continued in a similar vein with Dundalk dominating the ball to the frustration of their hosts. This effective possession paid dividends with a third goal just after the half hour mark.

The referee played a good advantage in the middle of the park after a foul by Mark Salmon on John Mountney. The ball found its way to McEleney on the edge of the Bray box. From there he twisted and turned before executing a deft chip which Cherrie could only watch sail into the Bray net.

The rest of the game played out like an extended training session for Dundalk. For the home side, the news doesn’t get any better with off field matters darkening the local mood further. This didn’t feel like a game between second and third, and on a week when the Irish sides commenced their European campaigns again, Bray need to regroup quickly if they are to join them next season.

Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie, Hugh Douglas, Conor Kenna, Keith Buckley, Kevin Lynch, Aaron Greene, John Sullivan, Ryan Brennan, Mark Salmon (Darragh Noone 63), Anthony Flood (Ger Pender 64), Gary McCabe (Jason Marks 80)

Subs not used: Lee Stacey, Conor Earley, Alan Kehoe, Jamie Aherne

Booked: Anthony Flood, Ryan Brennan

Dundalk: Gary Rogers, Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland, Niclas Vemmelund , Dane Massey , Stephen O’Donnell (Chris Shields 20), Michael Duffy (John Mountney 57), Jamie McGrath, Partrick McEleney, Robbie Benson, David McMillan (Ciaran Kilduff 80)

Subs not used: Gabriel Sava, Paddy Barrett, Sean Hoare, Thomas Stewart

Booked: Jamie McGrath

Attendance:  1,538

ExtraTime.ieMan of the Match : Jamie McGrath

Referee: Robbie Rogers