Premier

Carlisle Grounds
28 Mar 2015

A dismayed Kelly leaves the fray
pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Bray surrendered what looked like a well-deserved point in the final minutes of a desperately defended encounter at the Carlisle Grounds.

The un-sought record of goalless losses at the start of a League season was - as most observers thought - about to be avoided as the ten-man home side held out until the final five minutes of a tense game in which the Seagulls looked to have the upper defensive hand for most of the second half.

But Cork struck though substitute Kieran Djilali in the 84th minute to deprive the hosts of the point they seemed to have earned against both the run of play and their one-man deficit.

It was always going to be a tough encounter for the Bray side, and they had been doing well to survive unscathed even before the red card.

John O'Flynn headed over the top from Alan Bennett's cross while Darren Dennehy hooked a volley over the bar following a flag-kick by brother Billy, all inside the opening few minutes.

Stephen McGuinness made his first stop 12 minutes in when he turned Karl Sheppard's effort out for a corner after Liam Miller had played him through.

And the young Bray keeper was alert to gather minutes later when Sheppard failed to get a decent touch to turn home a Billy Dennehy free from the right.

Bray even got adventurous, Graham Kelly getting a shot off before Emeka Onwubiko lobbed just over the bar from Gareth McDonagh's flick just past the half hour.

But when Kelly seemed to have judged his tackle well, sliding in behind Billy Dennehy to hook the ball from in front of his toes, Referee Jim McKell (some of whose other decisions also occasioned comment) decided it was a foul of such gravity that only a straight dismissal would suffice.

From that point on, the outcome seemed inescapable, and Sheppard should have seen Cork ahead at the interval, but his effort flew wide across the goal, and Adam Mitchell cleared Bennett's header off the line in time added.

And though they had to defend desperately at times, the home side seemed to have gained a great escape as wave after wave of Cork attacks were beaten back.

Mitchell and Sheppard at close quarters

McGuinness claimed a Sheppard header almost before the opening whistle for the second period had died away, and the Corkman netted from an off-side position following a Ross Gaynor cross in the third minute.

A clear push on Mitchell went unnoticed although the Bray skipper was on the ground for a time, and minutes later McGuinness parried a Billy Dennehy free, but though the visitors retained possession they were uinable to convert from that or the brace of corners they won, still inside the hour.

Sheppard shot just over from another Gaynor cross just before being substituted.

Bray showed their mettle once more, Peter McGlynn surging up the right to win the Seagulls' first corner, but Dan Murray managed to clear.

Midway through the second half, McGuinness had little trouble collected Miller low shot from distance, though Bray benefitted from the officials' award of a goal-kick rather than a corner two minutes after that.

Nevertheless, Cork seemed less than confident with their set-pieces, Billy Dennehy curling a free from the right-hand corner out across the face of goal, and a Djilali free just inside the Bray half was easily cleared.

Mitchell judged well when dispossessing Billy Dennehy in mid-flight, and McGuinness batted away substitute Gavan Holohan's back post header from another Billy Dennehy corner.

But after the half-clearance an ambitious attempt by Cork sub Mark O'Sullivan seemed to shave the outside of the far post on its way past.

Cork seemed intent on pushing their way forward, Alan Bennett's hand in the back of Michael Barker again un-noticed, while the Bray man himself went into McKell's book five minutes later.

But the pressure finally told six minutes from time. McGuinness pushed away Hugh Douglas's sliced clearance attempt, and Gavan Holohan's overhead return allowed Djilali to shoot home from very close range.

The minutes that remained - six of normal time and four added - saw the sides looking very evenly matched, despite their numerical disparity.

Bray took the match to the Cork area, and fought strongly for an equaliser, while Cork took advantage of the gaps left in the defence to counter-attack, Djilali firing wide and Billy Dennehy netting after the off-side whistle.

The final shot came from McGlynn, who fired over from just outside the edge of Mark McNulty's area.

Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 32 Stephen McGuinness; 2 Michael Barker, 6 Adam Mitchell (c), 20 Hugh Douglas, 4 Daniel O'Reilly; 13 Peter McGlynn, 10 Ryan McEvoy, 24 Graham Kelly, 11 Adam Hanlon; 19 Emeka Onwubiko, 23 Gareth McDonagh
Subs: 1 Brian Kane (gk), 3 Jack Memery (for Mitchell 69), 12 Niall Cooney, 14 Luke Gallagher (for McDonagh 40), 17 Peter Durrad, 18 Chris Lyons (for Onwubiko 59), 22 James O'Donnell
Cork City: 1 Mark McNulty; 2 John Kavanagh, 3 Alan Bennett (c), 5 Darren Dennehy, 11 Ross Gaynor; 4 John Dunleavy, 6 Dan Murray; 20 Billy Dennehy, 22 Liam Miller, 19 Karl Sheppard; 9 John O'Flynn
Subs: 8 Gavan Holohan (for Dunleavy H/T), 10 Kieran Djilali (for O'Flynn 67), 13 Kevin O'Brien (gk), 23 Mark O'Sullivan (for Sheppard 60), 24 Rob Lehane, 26 Garry Buckley, 30 Liam Kearney
Referee: Jim McKell