EA Sports Cup Report: Bray Wanderers 0 - 0 Shamrock Rovers (Bray win 4-2 on penalties)

Gareth Danaher reports from the Carlisle Grounds

It was a feisty clash between the top two sides in either divisions tonight at the Carlisle Grounds but it was First Division Bray Wanderers who won out on penalties.

Bray Wanderers are top of the First Division while Shamrock Rovers lie top of the Premier Division and they couldn’t be separated after 120 minutes.

Dylan Barnett netted the decisive penalty for the Seagulls after Brandon Kavanagh and former Bray man Aaron Greene had missed from 12 yards.

Bray started off on the front foot with an early chance seven minutes on with a corner kick. Barnett found Killian Cantwell who rose highest but his header was straight at Rovers’ debutant goalkeeper Leon Pohls.

Ten minutes in and Shamrock Rovers midfielder Kavanagh drove his shot just wide of Gabriel Sava’s post in his first start of the season.

Dylan McGlade looked like he was in on goal twenty minutes in after he sneakily dropped the shoulder to turn Aaron McEneff.

His effort took a deflection off Roberto Lopes which took the power out of it and Pohls gathered it comfortably.

The closest either team came in the first half was Bray striker Joe Doyle after a darting run by Bray’s midfielder Luka Lovic.

Lovic drove out of his own half, holding off Joel Coulstrain well before laying a pass into Phillip Gannon and Doyle struck it to the bottom right, but Pohls saved well again.

Five minutes into the second half, the tempo was fired up as Bray right back Luke Nolan nudged Trevor Clarke on the byline.

Nolan was on a tight rope after that challenge after he was previously booked for another bad challenge, and the Rovers fans shouted for a red after another tough tackle on Clarke.

Ten minutes from the end, Shamrock Rovers newboy Orhan Vojic rattled the post from six yards, much to the relief of the Bray fans.

A minute before the full-time whistle Bray earned themselves a last gasp free kick. Barnett fired in a low cross but it was easily sniffed out by Pohls in goal.

Extra time proved to be a tough test for both sides as they didn’t create many chances. Shamrock Rovers did, however, have a chance in the second last minute after Hugh Douglas took Kavanagh out on the edge of the area.

Sava comfortably saved and pumped the ball into the path of McGlade, who darted down the middle of the pitch, but his low shot effort struck the post and it bounced back out in to play.

Neither side could break the deadlock in normal time and extra-time. The game was decided in penalties.

It was the First Division leaders who were more composed this time as Lovic, Purdy, McGlade and Barnett all netted from 12 yards.

Bray Wanderers: Gabriel Sava; Luke Nolan (Cian Maher 71), Hugh Douglas, Darragh Gibbons, Dylan Barnett, Killian Cantwell, Phillip Gannon (Richie Purdy 64), Luka Lovic, Joe Doyle (Jake Ellis 95), Dylan McGlade, Brandon McCann (Derek Daly 75).

Subs not used: Adam Hayden (gk); Sean Heaney, Andrew McGovern.

Booked: Luke Nolan (45), Brandon McCann (45+1), Cian Maher (100), Luka Lovic (120+1).

Shamrock Rovers: Leon Pohls; Roberto Lopes (Aaron Greene 106), Brandon Kavanagh, Sam Bone (Greg Bolger 58), Aaron McEneff (Lee Grace 46), Sean Kavanagh, Joel Coustrain, Trevor Clarke, Dylan Watts, Orhan Vojic, Dean Dillon (Thomas Oluwa 81).

Subs not used: Alan Mannus (gk); Darren Nugent, James Furlong.

Booked: Trevor Clarke (31), Greg Bolger (107).

Referee: Derek Michael Tomney.

Attendance: 635 (official).

ExtraTime.ie Player of the Match: Gabriel Sava (Bray Wanderers).