- Dave Donnelly
- Fri, Aug 21 2015
See pictures from this game, as taken by Tom Beary and Eoin Smith, by clicking here.
Bray Wanderers beat Bohemians for the second time in five days to book their place in the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup as they overcame the Gypsies in controversial circumstances at Dalymount Park.
Dublin's iconic stadium was positively rocking as the home side kicked off in an expectant mood, but they were stunned to silence within minutes as linesman Robert Clarke judged Peter McGlynn's cross to have crossed the line as Dean Delany gathered in the Bohemians goal.
McGlynn was as surprised as any in the stadium when Clarke raised his flag, but referee Graham Kelly trusted the judgement of his official and awarded the goal, to the consternation of Delany, his teammates and most of the 1,218-strong crowd.
Bohemians boss Keith Long brought back six first team members following the loss at Bray on Monday, with Derek Prendergast, Anto Murphy, Keith Buckley and Ismahil Akinade returning, but former Seagull Jake Kelly was cup-tied.
Bray manager Mick Cooke made just one change to his side,with goalscorer – and former Gypsy – Dave Scully returning in replace of John Sullivan, who was cup-tied after featuring for Crumlin United in the opening round.
In spite of their early shock, Bohemians reacted well to falling behind and went close as Dave Mulcahy got on the end of Anto Murphy's header, before Bray goalkeeper Peter Cherrie was brave to snatch a Lorcan Fitzgerald cross from Akinade's toe.
There was a pronounced lull in the middle of the first half as Bray comfortably defended the hosts' rather anaemic dominance of possession, and McGlynn was unlucky not to make it 2-0 when he hit a looping ball first time from 30 yards and only just missed the crossbar with Delany helpless.
Bohs should have gone into the break on level terms, however, as Buckley was marginally too slow to be able to force the ball home after Cherrie had spilled Murphy's cross, but it was Akinade who had home fans shaking their heads when he headed a free header badly wide from six yards right on the whistle.
The Nigerian almost redeemed himself within seconds of the restart as he surged into the box past Michael Barker and pulled the ball back for Buckley, but the midfielder couldn't control the ball quick enough and Cherrie was able to position himself to block the eventual shot.
While Bohs pressed forward in numbers, Bray were looking at least as dangerous as the home side on the counter and, after McGlynn squandered a good break with a weak shot, Lyons saw a retreating Roberto Lopes do brilliantly to clear his goalbound shot off the line.
A long ball forward forced Cherrie to leave his box and clear with his head, and the resulting melee could have seen Paddy Kavanagh hit an empty net, but he could only slice his volley wide under pressure, while Dave Mulcahy saw a goalbound header cleared by Hugh Douglas.
Long introduced former Seagulls striker Jason Byrne in the closing stages in a bid to force the game, and he should have tested Cherrie more with his first act of the game, but he shot straight at the Scot.
Bray lost Scully – who put in the type of hard-working performance that briefly made him a cult hero in Phibsborough – to a possible concussion in the closing stages, but it didn't put the Seagulls off their stride and, by the end, it was they who were pushing harder for victory.
Indeed, were it not for a clever professional foul from Prendergast, Chris Lyons could have squared for an unmarked Dave Cassidy to put the game beyond doubt, and Lyons again did well to cross for sub Gareth McDonagh, who almost finished the game 10 minutes from the end.
There was some trouble at the final whistle as a small number of home supporters attempted to gain access to the pitch to accost the officials, but they were restrained by a mixture of Bohemians playing staff and management, and Bray will look forward to a hard-earned last eight appearance.
Bohemians: Dean Delany; Lorcan Fitzgerald, Stephen Best (Karl Moore 88), Derek Prendergast, Anto Murphy; Dave Mulcahy, Keith Buckley (Jason Byrne 77), Roberto Lopes, Paddy Kavanagh, Adam Evans; Ismahil Akinade.
Subs Not Used: Lee Steacy (gk), Dylan Hayes, Jason Caffrey, James O'Brien, Karl Moore, Kealan Dillon, Jason Byrne.
Booked: Akinade (32), Murphy (40), Prendergast (76).
Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Michael Barker, Hugh Douglas, Alan McNally, Niall Cooney; Chris Lyons, Peter McGlynn, Ryan McEvoy, Graham Kelly (Gareth McDonagh 73), Dave Cassidy; Dave Scully (Luke Fitzpatrick 88).
Subs Not Used: Sean Fogarty (gk), Daniel O'Reilly, Adam Mitchell, Patrick Obijuru.
Booked: Cooney (37), Barker (39), Scully (56), McDonagh (83).
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
Attendance: 1,218.
Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Dave Scully (Bray Wanderers).
