Bray Wanderers 2 - 1 Drogheda United

Early goals from Danny O'Connor and Dane Massey proved crucial, as a superior Bray Wanderers side held off a late fight back from Drogheda United in the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night, as Pat Devlin's troops continue their ascension up the Airtricity Premier Division table.

Bray have now accumulated 13 points thus far this season, and they find themselves just one point behind Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Sligo Rovers at the top end of the table.

This is a far cry from the position they were in at the start of last season, and the work done by Pat Devlin and Keith Long has helped to rejuvenate the fortunes of the club as a whole.

The Seagulls had enjoyed a dream start to the game, as midfielder O'Connor recorded his third goal in four matches on six minutes with a firm header from 12 yards following a cross on the right-wing by Dave Webster.

Things would get even better for the Wicklow men just three minutes later when an unmarked Massey found the back of Stephen Trimble's net with a glancing header from a supremely delivered Gary Dempsey free-kick on the right.

Given that Bray sometimes have a propensity to follow up memorable victories with somewhat disappointing performances, this start (coming, of course, on the back of their terrific 1-0 away win over Shamrock Rovers) was as good as they could hoped for in the build-up to the game.

Indeed, Bray would continue to dominate after this explosive beginning, and Jake Kelly was inches away from turning in a Webster cross on 18 minutes, but the talented winger couldn't keep his shot down. It was looking like only a matter of time before Bray scored again, and the excellent Trimble had to be alert to snuff out Kelly and and O'Connor efforts on 26 minutes.

The dominance of Bray would continue as the half wore on, and they, incredibly, had four chances to score from the one incident 37 minutes in, but the woodwork, as well as the ever-impressive Trimble, prevented Shields and O'Connor from finding the net.

In truth, Bray could have been even further in front at the break, but they nonetheless would have been thrilled to be taking a 2-0 lead with them into the second half.

Mick Cooke's side continued to play second fiddle after the re-start, and Trimble did brilliantly to turn away a Massey free-kick four minutes into the half. Things did quieten down slightly after this, though Bray always looked comfortable, and seemed like the more likely of the two teams to score again.

Both David Freeman and Darragh Hanaphy were working their socks off up front for the visitors, but they were having to live off scraps for the most part. Drogheda continued to operate on the back-foot, and disaster almost struck on 63 minutes when a mix-up in defence saw the ball bouncing back off Victor Ekanem, but the ball was eventually cleared.

They also had a bit of a let-off just four minutes later when Shields' firm strike from a tight angle on the right came back off the post, though it would have been a finish worth savouring if he had found his desired target.

Bray continued to control the tempo of the game, and substitute Shane O'Neill went close to scoring with ten minutes remaining when he showed great pace to run through the heart of the Drogheda rearguard, but Trimble was equal to his effort.

It looked like there was to be no way back for Drogheda, but nobody told Hanaphy, and the lively front man brought his side back into the contest by embarking on an enterprising run on 81 minutes, before cutting inside and finishing low past Bray custodian Darren Quigley with his right-foot.

This brought a certain apprehension to the Bray play, but they managed to regain their composure to hold out for their first home victory of the season. This performance shows just how far Bray have come this season, and they will be hoping to keep their momentum going for the visit of Galway to the Carlisle Grounds next Friday.

Drogheda, on the other hand, have a real mountain to climb if they are to beat the drop this season, and they will be hoping that they can pick their form up ahead of an eagerly anticipated derby encounter against Dundalk at Hunky Dory Park the next day out.

Bray Wanderers: Darren Quigley; Dave Webster, Adam Mitchell, Derek Prendergast, Dane Massey; John Mulroy (Dean Zambra '87), Danny O'Connor, Gary Dempsey, Jake Kelly (Sean Houston '90); Conor Murphy (Shane O'Neill '76), Chris Shields.
Subs not used: Daire Doyle, Graham Kelly, Dan McGuinness, Matt Gregg.

Bookings: Mulroy (84).

Drogheda United: Stephen Trimble; Mark Nolan, Brian Gannon, Victor Ekanem, Gareth Whelan (Alan McNally 46); Colin O'Brien (Jack Flynn 57), Stephen Quigley, Mark O'Brien, Philip Hand (Philip McDonagh 46); Darragh Hanaphy, David Freeman.
Subs not used: David Quirke, Sean Skelly, Robert Kovacsevics, Daniel Corcoran.

Bookings: M O'Brien (38), M Nolan (47), A McNally (49).

Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin).
Extra Time Man Of The Match: Danny O'Connor (Bray Wanderers).