- Macdara Ferris
- Sun, Feb 22 2015
A penalty shootout win saw Bohemians progress by Bray Wanderers in the fourth round of the Leinster Senior Cup on Sunday. The Gypsies were ruthless in front of goal with their spot kicks, unlike during the previous goalless 120 minutes, winning the shootout 4-2 without the requirement of a fifth penalty after Bray’s two misses.
When the biggest cheer of the opening 45 minutes was for the referee falling over, you knew the two teams were struggling to get going in what was both club’s first competitive fixture of the year. The sides also played out last season’s curtain raiser in this same competition. That game had six goals – five of them scored by Bohs – but there wasn’t even six chances in the opening period this time round.
It wasn’t for the lack of trying that Bohemians couldn’t create a clear cut opening in the first half. The gypsies certainly were looking to get the ball down and play on a heavy Dalymount Park pitch. Keith Buckley, Karl Moore and Paddy Kavanagh were central to their play, linking up with full backs Lorcan Fitzgerald and Bohs captain Derek Pender who looked to get forward to support the home side offensively.
Indeed Buckley’s cross just three minutes into the game was the best opportunity the home side had in the first half. It would assuredly have been 1-0 if the ball had fallen to Jason Byrne but instead it came to Moore, who hit the ball straight at Stephen McGuinness resplendent in an all luminous orange goalkeeping kit.
The closest the visitors came to scoring was eight minutes before the break when David Cassidy’s deep cross had Bohs ‘keeper Dean Delany scrambling but the Seagulls hadn’t got anyone into the box to exploit the space at the back post.
A Stephen Best header, getting forward on the end of a Derek Pendergast punted free kick, and Fitzgerald’s mishit shot saw the first half draw to a scoreless close.
Keith Long’s words at half time seemed to inspire Bohs to step up a gear in the second period but they spurned a succession of chances in the opening five minutes of the half.
Pender’s cross flew across the six yard box a minute after the break but Byrne, on the eve of his 37th birthday, couldn’t find a goal to warm the 350 or so present in Dalymount. Byrne then powered a header just wide two minutes later from a Moore cross.
Moore next set up the lively Buckley who opened up his body to shape around the ball but his effort drifted wide of the post when it seemed Bohs had finally made the breakthrough. Moore then drew a save from McGuinness when Roberto Lopes had charged down an attempted Bray clearance.
Wanderers weathered that intense spell of Bohs possession and did put the Gypsies under some pressure of their own. Bray broke on 65 minutes with purpose through Graham Kelly and substitute Emeka Onwubiko, making a return for a second spell as a Seagull. However Robbie Creevy saw the danger and ruthlessly took down Kelly to earn himself a yellow card. Kelly needed treatment on the resulting leg injury for over seven minutes and was stretchered off to be replaced by Bray’s final substitute Luke Gallagher.
The game opened up in the final 15 minutes of normal time as both teams tired. Delany came off his line to close down Cassidy as the Bray player bore down on the Bohs goal. The goalkeeper then tipped over David Scully’s curling effort.
The visitors thought they had got the winner when Chris Lyons had the ball in the net 10 minutes from time but the former Bohs man was offside. He was then denied by another tidy save from Delany who kept a clean sheet and sent the game into extra time.
In the following half hour period both teams went close to finding a winner. Bohs played the final 12 minutes of extra time with 10 men due to an injury to Pender. The Bohs captain could no longer continue after picking up a knock and went to sit on the bench. Bohs hit the bar through Derek Prendergast and at the other end Onwubiko and Cassidy both went close.
Delany twice denied Bray from well worked free kicks at the edge of the box before the 120 minutes were up and progress in the cup was now to be decided by penalties. Bohs made the advantage of going first count. Both Buckley and Creevy scored the Gypsies’ opening spot kicks while McNally scored for Bray but Lyons missed the Seagulls second penalty.
Kavanagh and McEvoy traded successful spot kicks against their former clubs and when Derek Prendergast scored it meant former Gypsy David Scully needed to do likewise to keep Bray in the competition. He powered his penalty against the crossbar much to the delight of the home fans and Bohs emerged as 4-2 victors on penalties (see here).
Bohemians: Dean Delany; Derek Pender (c), Derek Prendergast, Stephen Best, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Keith Buckley, Kealon Dillon (Robbie Creevy h/t), Roberto Lopes, Karl Moore (Adam Evans 62); Patrick Kavanagh; Jason Byrne (Marc Griffin 86).
Subs not used:Lee Steacy (gk), Jake Hyland, Dillon Hayes, James O'Brien.
Booked:None.
Bray Wanderers: Stephen McGuinness; Michael Barker, Daniel O’Reilly, Alan McNally, Jack Memery (Hugh Douglas h/t); David Scully ©, David Cassidy, Graham Kelly (Luke Gallagher 72), Ryan McEvoy, James O’Donnell (Emeka Onwubiko 58); Chris Lyons.
Subs not used: Brian Kane, Adam Mitchell, Niall Cooney, Peter Durrad.
Booked: Jack Memery (35), Robbie Creevy (65), David Scully (81), Emeka Onwubiko (85).
Referee:Ben Connolly.
Attendance: 350 (estimate).
Extratime.ie man of the match: Keith Buckley (Bohemians).
