Bray Wanderers 3 - 2 Cork City

• Finbarr O'Sullivan
• Fri, Oct 09 2009


Bray Wanderers kept their hopes of Premier Division survival alive with an astonishing 3-2 victory of Cork City at the Carlisle Grounds. The Seagulls scored three goals in the final ten minutes to overturn a 2-0 deficit and win with the last kick of the game.

City will feel hard done by as they seemed to be cruising to victory at 2-0 and it wasn't until the Rebels were reduced to ten men and Wanderers scored from the penalty spot in the 80th minute that the hosts began to turn the screw.

Bray did have the first chance of the game on three minutes when Dane Massey volleyed goalward from 30-yards but his effort was calmly saved by Dan Connor.

Three minutes after that, Cork had their first opening. A Billy Dennehy throw-in on the left was skillfully controlled by Fahrudin Kuduzovic. He juggled the ball forward before unleashing a strike from 25-yards. Unfortunately, it sailed wide of Chris O'Connor's far post.

In the 27th minute, Cork forced a fine save from O'Connor. After Stephen Brennan fouled Dennehy, the City winger dusted himself down and struck a vicious strike that needed O'Connor to push it around the near post.

Two minutes after, Cork were once again denied by O'Connor. Greg O'Halloran's ball behind the Bray defence was collected by Guntars Silagalis and he advanced on goal. When fifteen-yards out, he tried to slip the ball under O'Connor but the Wanderers keeper got down to palm the ball away for a corner.

The Rebels deservedly took the lead four minutes before the break through captain Dan Murray. Billy Dennehy's corner from the right was flicked on by Kuduzovic at the near post and met by Murray inside the six-yard box. He then powered a header into the goal to put his side 1-0 up.

After the restart, it took the Leesiders only seven minutes to double their lead. Silagalis was adjudged to have been fouled by Dave Webster in the box and Fahrudin Kuduzovic cooly slotted the ball home from the penalty spot, sending O'Connor the wrong way.

Bray struggled to create chances in the second half and the closest they went was in the 66th minute when Jake Kelly's cross from the left was headed wide at the far post by Paul Byrne.

City should have wrapped up the victory in the 71st minute through Gareth Cambridge. A Dennehy cross from the left was spilled by O'Connor and the ball fell to Cambridge ten yards out. With the goal at his mercy, the sub side-footed wide of the left post. This was to prove costly later on.

The game was turned on it's head in the 78th minute when Bray were awarded a penalty and Cork were reduced to ten men. After a goal- mouth scramble in the City box, Jake Kelly's shot was blocked on the line by Danny Murphy. The referee ruled that Murphy had used his hand and he was sent off.

After a delay of two minutes, Jake Kelly finally stepped up and smashed the spot-kick past Dan Connor to get Bray back in the game.

From then on in, the Seagulls lay siege to the Cork area with a succession of corners and throw-ins and it was from one such throw-in that they equalised. Gary Cronin threw the ball in from the left and Paul Byrne flicked it on at the near post. Waiting in the middle of the six-yard box was Dave Mulcahy and he pounced to equalise with a header.

Bray continued to push and almost took the lead in the 89th minute when quick-thinking saw Dave Webster play a free to the unmarked Jake Kelly and he advanced on goal. However, Dan Connor was quick off his line and he charged down the Bray attack.

Into the fourth minute of injury time, Wanderers completed their remarkable comeback. Another throw-in, this time by Dave Webster on the right, landed in the box and fell, once more, to Mulcahy. He chested it down before pulling away from his marker and rifling the ball across Connor and into the far corner to seal the three points for the hosts with what proved to be the last kick of the evening.

A dramatic win for Bray who, despite not playing well, managed to win. This win will do wonders for their confidence as they now prepare for their trip to face Sligo Rovers on Tuesday night. Cork's players will be distraught, having lost a game they seemed to have won comfortably. With the club's future uncertain, this will only rub salt into the wounds of City's fans.

Bray Wanderers (4-5-1): Chris O'Connor; Derek Pender, Chris Deans, Derek Foran (Dave Webster, 45), Gary Cronin; Gary McCabe (Jake Kelly, 40), Stephen Brennan, Dave Mulcahy, Chris Shields, Dane Massey (Colm Tresson, 61); Paul Byrne.
Subs not used: Daire Doyle, Brian Kane.

Cork City (4-4-2): Dan Connor; Greg O'Halloran, Kevin Long (Stephen Mulcahy, 41), Dan Murray, Danny Murphy; Davin O'Neill, Cillian Lordan, Shane Duggan, Billy Dennehy; Fahrudin Kuduzovic (Neale Horgan, 80), Guntars Silagalis (Gareth Cambridge, 67).
Subs not used: Paul Deasy, Mark McNulty.
Bookings: Cillian Lordan (65), Dan Connor (80), Billy Dennehy (81).

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Billy Dennehy - very unlucky to be on the losing side, his contribution to Cork's attack was priceless.

Referee: Tom Connolly (Dublin).

Attendance: 350 (estimate).