Premier

Carlisle Grounds
29 Aug 2014

Muted celebrations: Out of practice?
pics Michael Tierney

It has taken more than a third of the season, but Bray Wanderers have finally taken three points in game again.

This wasn't just a six-point tie: as Bill Shankly might have said, it was more important that that.

The home side went in to the break one ahead, courtesy of a rare strike – and a good one -by Issy Akinade.

The Seagulls were in fact unlucky not to be further in front, given their dominance of the first 45 minutes.

And unlucky again in the opening minute of the second, with three promising efforts off target.

But the home side did double their advantage with barely a quarter of an hour to go, Jake Kelly firing home when a long ball out of defence eventually fell to him.

So for the time being, Bray are out of relegation trouble. It's not over yet, but a win is a win.

Dave Scully had a first minute effort off target, and Dean Zambra shot high just four minutes in from an early corner.

Graham Kelly saw his second flag kick land on the top netting five minutes later as Bray continued to press, with frees out rescuing the visitors twice.

Akinade's good cross ten minutes in had to be swiftly intercepted, but he was well placed a minute later to receive and convert David Cassidy's scrambled cross at the end of a strong run by the midfielder. Cassidy's may have intended to reach Gareth McDonagh, but he slipped and the young winger made the most of the opportunity.

The Students couldn't make use of a brace of corners, following which Akinade again delivered well into the danger area, but Cassidy was ruled off-side.

Bray's defence looked solid, and the hosts continued to dominate play.

McDonagh came close midway through the period with a volley when Cassidy managed to keep a stray ball in play, and as the break neared, Joe Gorman saw his effort from an early ball by Scully crash off the top of Conor O'Donnell's crossbar.

Cassidy felt he had grounds for a penalty shout when he went to ground shortly thereafter, but he could just as easily have suffered a caution had referee Neil Doyle missed the contact.

In the final minute, Akinade and Cassidy again combined, and it wasn't entirely clear whether UCD had O'Donnell or the woodwork to thank that they were only a single goal down when the whistle went.

The Seagulls resumed their pressure on the resumption, Graham Kelly volleying just wide from a Cassidy corner and McDonagh trying his luck with a long-range effort that drifted wide.

Gorman's 19m free following a foul on McDonagh curled a little too much, before the visitors lifted their game for a good spell of pressure, but the home defence stood firm, and their very threatening counter-attack won a corner.

Up, up and away
Cooney takes to the sky

Half way through the second half, Conor Cannon saw a rare effort call Stephen McGuinness into action, but it slid over the bar onto the top of the net.

With less than twenty minutes remaining, Bray substitute Jake Kelly had a go, but his shot took a heavy deflection and O'Donnell was able to reach it.

But the Students' keeper had less time to avert Cassidy's next attack, the Bray man getting to the ball first, and after a scramble it found Jake Kelly free on the left, and he fired a fine finish, a rising ball that flew into the middle of the net.

UCD tried to move up a gear in the time remaining, and Ian Ryan had a half-chance just too high immediately before he was substituted, while sub Timmy Molloy shot straight at McGuinness.

With less than ten minutes left, Scully sliced narrowly wide, and Akinade went close courtesy of a massive deflection that pushed the ball to the crossbar, the defence getting to the rebound to head safely back to O'Donnell.

The visitors peppered the Bray area for the five remaining minutes of normal time and the six minutes that were eventually added, but though Robbie Benson, sub Chris Mulhall (from a free) and Hugh Douglas following a Samir Belhout corner all had chances, the Bray goal stayed unbreached.

Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 32 Stephen McGuinness; 12 Niall Cooney, 2 David Webster (c), 5 Adam Mitchell, 4 Joe Gorman; 9 Ismahil Akinade, 16 Dean Zambra, 24 Graham Kelly, 19 David Scully; 8 David Cassidy, 23 Gareth McDonagh
Subs: 1 Gavin Sheridan (gk), 7 Ryan Swan, 10 Jake Kelly (for McDonagh 60), 17 Michael Brown, 18 Sean Noble, 20 Philip Hughes, 22 Robert Maloney (for Mitchell 42 inj)
UCD: 1 Conor O'Donnell; 14 Hugh Douglas, 4 Ian Ryan, 6 James Kavanagh, 2 Gareth Mathews; 17 Colm Crowe, 8 Robert Creevy, 10 Robert Benson (c), 19 Ayman Ben Mohamed; 22 Samir Belhout, 24 Conor Cannon
Subs: 7 Gary Burke, 11 Christopher Mulhall (for Crowe 53), 12 Timothy Molloy (for Cannon 76), 15 Sean Coyne, 16 Niall Corbett (gk), 21 Thomas O'Halloran, 25 Gregory Sloggett (for Ryan 79)
Referee: Neil Doyle