Bray Wanderers 2 - 0 Dundalk

• Simon O'Gorman
• Tue, Sep 21 2010


Derek Prendergast and Shane O’Neill scored the goals that kept the Bray Wanderers bandwagon rattling merrily on towards Premier Division survival and sentenced Dundalk to a morale sapping 2-0 defeat.

Bray Wanderers no longer look like a team heading for the relegation and it may worry fans of Dundalk that it was their side that looked more likely candidates for the drop as these teams met in this re- arranged league fixture on Monday night.

Having said that neither team impressed in the opening stages as passes went astray and both midfields struggled to fashion any genuinely coherent play. Tom Miller headed over for the visitors from a Daniel Kearns free kick after six minutes, and Shane O’Neill shot weakly into the arms of Peter Cherrie at the other end a minute later.

Mathew Tipton might have broken the deadlock when he was sent through by Fahrudin Kudozovic seven minutes in but the striker’s first touch was too heavy and the opportunity scurried away from him.

With seventeen minutes on the clock Bray took the lead when Derek Prendergast rose majestically at the back post and powered a Gary Dempsey corner past Cherrie. It was a deserved lead as it was Bray who had looked the more dangerous, breaking with speed and working well around the pivotal figure of Dempsey.

Daniel Kearn’s was the man responsible for Dundalk’s brighter moments, working the right flank with guile and enthusiasm, and it was his low cross that Dean Bennett blasted high over the bar on the half hour mark.

Ross Gaynor went somewhat closer three minutes later when his drive narrowly cleared the Bray crossbar following a high ball from Simon Madden that maybe caused more confusion in the home defence than it should have.

If the game lacked quality then the departure of Bray’s Jake Kelly on 38 minutes didn’t help matters. Chris Shields came on in his place following an aggravation of the hamstring injury that almost ruled him out of tonight’s game.

But Shields proved influential, linking excellently with O’Neill and Mulroy and the midfielder rode shotgun on a number of Bray attacks. Moments before half time Bray should have scored a second. Dean Zambra picked up the ball wide on the right and fed Shields. He delivered a low cross for the inrushing Shane O’Neill and, though at full stretch, the Bray striker side footed towards the corner of the Dundalk net. Somehow Cherrie managed to get a crucial touch, deflecting the ball onto the woodwork and away.

Dundalk began the second half with considerably more vigour. Kudozovic drove forwards with purpose and Miller, Gaynor and Kearns all added to a growing sense of pressure around the Bray goal.

But in the 55th minute Bray scored a second when Shane O’Neill finished off a Danny O’Connor pass from six yards and all but ended Dundalk’s hopes of taking anything from this game.

Stephen Maher came on for Dean Bennett in an effort to revitalise the visitors but the home side had their tails up and were consistently more threatening. On 66 minutes Shane O’Neill raced onto a deft touch from Shields and was narrowly beaten to the ball by Peter Cherrie who came out with speed and conviction to gather at the striker’s toes.

Five minutes later it was John Mulroy who found himself on the end of one of the best moves of the game. O’Neill sped through on the left before dinking the ball inside to Shields. He, in turn, slipped the ball right to Mulroy and the Bray number ten cut inside and took the time to pick his spot from 18 yards. Unfortunately for the Seagulls that spot was a few inches wide of Cherrie’s right hand post.

As time ran out and the points edged their way towards Bray their remained a combative element to the contest that bore witness to Dundalk’s refusal to concede. Tom Miller and Garry Breen both found their way into Neil Doyle’s notebook for meaty tackles and with just five minutes remaining this belligerence should have borne fruit.

It was full back Sean Houston who flailed a leg at Daniel Kearns as he squirmed into the Bray box in the 85th minute and as the ex West Ham midfielder tumbled earthwards he must have known that a second yellow card was coming his way.

As he made his way towards his early bath he might just have heard the delighted howls from the home support as Mathew Tipton drove his penalty into the outstretched palms of Matt Gregg. This final slap in the face typified, not only Dundalk’s evening, but the entire second half of their season.

So, with ten points from the twelve on offer over their last four league games, Bray march on towards a reprieve that seemed so unlikely just a few short weeks ago. And Dundalk travel back up the M1 with nothing to console them but the fact that arch rivals Drogheda must now be favourites to drop into the First Division.

Bray Wanderers: Matt Gregg; Adam Mitchell, Derek Prendergast, David Webster, Dean Zambra; John Mulroy (Dane Massey, 72), Gary Dempsey, Danny O’Connor, Jake Kelly (Chris Shields, 38); Sean Houston, Shane O’Neill (Gary Shaw, 77).
Subs not used: Brian Kane, Daire Doyle.
Bookings: Houston (57).
Sendings Off: Houston (85).

Dundalk: Peter Cherrie; Simon Madden, Garry Breen, Liam Burns, Wayne Hatswell; Daniel Kearns, Dean Bennett (Stephen Maher, 56) Tom Miller, Ross Gaynor; Mathew Tipton, Fahrudin Kudozovic (Steven Lennon, 77).
Subs not used: Paul Murphy, Shaun Kelly, Stephen McDonnell.
Bookings: Bennett (27), Miller (81), Breen (83), Kearns (89).

extratime.ie Man of the Match:Gary Dempsey.
Referee:Neil Doyle.
??Attendance: 300 (estimate).