Premier

Turners Cross
18 Aug 2014

McGuinness leaps to claim an O'Sullivan header
pics Michael Tierney

Battling Bray took an unlikely point from Turners Cross despite going a man down with more than an hour to play.

The visitors took a shock lead, with Gareth McDonagh firing to Mark McNulty's net after less than a quarter of an hour.

But at least as shocking was the dismissal just after the half hour of defender Michael Barker for a late tackle on John Dunleavy.

The Seagulls managed to hold out until the break, but Garry Buckley levelled matters only four minutes after the resumption.

The final half hour of the tie saw an almost unbroken sequence of Cork attacks on the Bray goal.

Almost, but not quite: just inside the hour, Bray substitute Philly Hughes beat McNulty, but Dunleavy cleared off the line.

Graham Kelly and Dave Scully also troubled the City defence without restoring the visitors' lead.

But the ten-man Wicklow outfit survived even the six minutes of time added that were played to bring a vital point back home.

Cork had the first meaningful attack, nine mninutes in, when Gearóid Morrissey played in Billy Dennehy on the left hand side, but none of the City players in the area were able to take advantage of the cross.

Four minutes later Mark O’Sullivan couldn’t get a meaningful touch on Brian Lenihan's long ball and Stephen McGuinness was able to gather.

And against the early run of play when Issy Akinade latched onto a loose ball at the edge of the area and slipped, the ball carried on into the path of McDonagh, who turned tight and buried it low into the bottom right-hand corner.

The home side came close an a quick equaliser when Buckley forced a fingertip save from Stephen McGuinness, following good work from Dunleavy and Billy Dennehy.

Minutes later Buckley was played through on goal, but was adjudged to have fouled the Bray keeper.

On the half hour Darren Dennehy's long ball found O'Sullvan, but the City player fouled Niall Cooney in attempting to head the ball.

And just two minutes later Referee Dave McKeon reached straight for his back pocket after Barker’s clumsy late tackle on Dunleavy. Cillian Morrison hit the bar from Billy Dennehy's resulting free and no one was close enough to take advantage of the rebound.

In spite of their deficit in numbers, Bray found chances to further their advantage, but Joe Gorman's 37th minute free sailed wide.

And two opportunities for Cork followed, as Morrison's low drilled ball from the right found McGuinness's hands. The Bray keeper then saved Gearóid Morrissey's low shot.

Cork started the second period in lively fashion, and within 30 seconds O'Sullivan almost levelled but his 15m shot from Danny Morrissey's feed, after he recovered from a poor first touch, was just wide.

Lenihan then tried a spectacular chip, but McGuinness managed to save.

There was little the Bray man could do when Garry Buckley equalised on the hour mark, smashing a low left-footed shot to the net after Billy Dennehy's cross from Gearoid Morrissey's ball up the wing was mis-controlled by O'Sullivan.

McNulty, Scully and Lenihan
form a climbing frame

Minutes later Danny Morrissey missed an opportunity to put Cork ahead when his powerful drive from Billy Dennehy's pass was well over.

He missed a second gilt-edged opportunity moments later when he hooked the ball wide from near the penalty spot.

But Bray came agonisingly close to restoring their lead with a quick break from defence. Akinade fed Hughes, whose shot went between McNulty's legs and was goal-bound until the bandaged Dunleavy cleared acrobatically from the line.

Darren Dennehy headed over from a corner and a Buckley shot created something of a problem for McGuinness, who eventually controlled.

Bray almost created another good chance but the final ball from Graham Kelly to Hughes was not good enough and Cork quickly broke to create a chance for themselves but as was becoming a pattern, the shot was off target.

Midway through the half, Buckley teed up Billy Dennehy, who shot high and wide into the shed end.

A Buckley wide was followed by a Colin Healy effort over the target from 30m.

Billy Dennehy got the better of Shane O'Connor on the wing, but Buckley's shot from the cross was blocked by Mitchell.

Gearóid Morrissey followed up with another looping header only to see McGuinness, once again, save comfortably.

There was another Bray chance fifteen minutes from time when Graham Kelly cut in from the wing but McNulty had no difficulty with it.

Mitchell blocked another Dennehy effort at the cost of a corner, and Gearóid Morrissey saw his shot hit the post while namesake Danny tested McGuinness with a header.

In a short respite from the waves of Cork attacks, Dave Scully had a shot saved.

The home side failed to take advantage of a series of corners and a combination of good defence and poor finishing meant that Bray were just about able to hold out until the final whistle.

Compiled by Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 32 Stephen McGuinness; 14 Michael Barker, 12 Niall Cooney, 5 Adam Mitchell, 4 Joe Gorman; 9 Ismahil Akinade, 24 Graham Kelly, 8 David Cassidy, 19 David Scully; 16 Dean Zambra (c); 23 Gareth McDonagh
Subs: 1 Gavin Sheridan (gk), 2 Sean Hurley, 10 Jake Kelly, 13 Ryan Coombes, 15 Shane O'Connor (for Cassidy H/T), 20 Philip Hughes (for McDonagh 56), 22 Robert Maloney
Cork City: 1 Mark McNulty; 5 Darren Dennehy, 4 John Dunleavy (c), 17 Dan Murray; 26 Garry Buckley, 20 Billy Dennehy, 7 Colin Healy, 19 Brian Lenihan, 6 Gearóid Morrissey; 10 Cillian Morrison, 23 Mark O'Sullivan
Subs: 3 John Kavanagh, 15 Daniel Morrissey (for Morrison H/T), 18 Michael McSweeney, 21 David O'Leary, 27 Kevin O'Brien (gk), 29 Joshua O'Shea (for Buckley 89), 30 Liam Kearney
Referee: David McKeon