Bray Wanderers 1 - 3 Sligo Rovers

Goals from second-half substitutes Matthew Blinkhorn and Romauld Boco proved crucial in swinging the game in favour of ten-men Sligo Rovers in an entertaining clash against Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday evening.

Paul Cook's side had started the game well on top, though Bray were battling well in the midfield sector, where Gary Dempsey, who has just finished a spell in England with Darlington, was a welcome addition to The Seagulls' starting line-up. However, it was inevitable that Sligo would find a way to create some opportunities in the final-third, and they took the lead after ten minutes when Amond rose highest to coolly head home a Gary McCabe cross from the left-wing.

Padraig Amond has proven to be a revelation for Rovers this season, and his clinical finish left Bray 'keeper Matt Gregg completely stranded in the home side's goal. Further chances would come their way after this, and it looked like they were ready to double their lead when Amond was put through by captain Conor O'Grady five minutes later, but he dragged his shot just wide of the post.

Bray were really finding it hard going at this point, and Gregg had to stretch well to stop Joseph Ndo (one of the few bright spots from the Airtricity XI on Wednesday night) from scoring with a 30-yard drive on 23 minutes, after good approach play by Amond and O'Grady. Bray did have their first attempt on goal just two minutes later though, and Jake Kelly's drive from distance was well-struck, but it was too high to trouble John Gibson, who was deputising for regular goalie Richard Brush.

Sligo seemed to well on top in this game, but a spanner was thrown into the works on 28 minutes when midfielder Richie Ryan was shown a straight red-card after an apparent two-footed tackle on Bray front man John Mulroy. Though this decision from Cork official Anthony Buttimer did seem slightly harsh, this was nevertheless the hand that was dealt to Sligo, and they had to make sure that they dealt with it in the right manner.

To the credit of Bit O'Red, they did respond quite well, and even though Bray (and Kelly and Shane O'Neill in particular) started to come into the game a lot more, Sligo continued to take the game to their opponents, and Amond went close once again on 37 minutes, but the Carlow-native was stretching to get to Alan Keane's delivery.

Bray did have a good chance themselves a minute later, but Kelly's shot from an extremely tight angle on the right went narrowly wide of the far post. This would prove to be the final meaningful action of the opening half, as Sligo went in with a one-goal advantage at the break.

With an extra man going into the second half, Bray still had a great chance though, and they were back on level terms seven minutes after the break when Jake Kelly blocked John Gibson's clearance from a Derek Foran back-pass, which presented him with a simple opportunity to finish into an empty net.

This really threw down the challenge to Sligo, but Paul Cook was quick to react, as he made a double substitution on 56 minutes, with the returning Boco and Blinkhorn coming on for Eoin Doyle and Amond respectively.

This move certainly had the desired impact as Boco twice went close three minutes later, with his second effort coming back off the crossbar. Blinkhorn would add a great physical presence up front himself, and he restored Sligo's lead on the hour mark, when his thundering header from an Ndo corner proved too much for Gregg in Bray goal.

This provided Sligo with some much-needed breathing space, although Bray did begin to press a lot more as the game entered into the final quarter. Sligo always had the potential to hurt the Wicklow men on the break though, and Boco completed an impressive comeback in the red of Sligo with seven minutes remaining when he delicately chipped the on-rushing Gregg from 25 yards after a long punt.

This was a hard-earned, but well-deserved victory for Sligo, and they currently lie in fourth place with 11 games remaining in their quest for a European place. Bray, on the other hand, are running out of time in their bid to avoid relegation, as they are currently eight points behind nearest rivals Drogheda United with 13 games to play.

Bray Wanderers: Gregg; Webster (Tuohy '46), Prendergast (Tresson '88), S O'Connor, Houston; Doyle, Dempsey, Zambra, Brennan (Shields '80), Kelly; O'Neill.
Subs not used: Vickers, Kane.

Sligo Rovers: Gibson; Keane, Foran, Lauchlan, Davoren; McCabe, O'Grady, Ryan, N'do; Amond (Blinkhorn '56), Doyle (Boco '56).
Subs not used: Kelly, Ventre, Dillon.

Referee: A. Buttimer (Cork).
Extra Time Man Of The Match: Conor O'Grady (Sligo Rovers).