Premier

Carlisle Grounds
15 Sep 2017

Neither side did itself a favour with tonight's draw in the Carlisle Grounds. True, Limerick's point keeps thei survival on the agenda, and Bray's means they are within touching dustance of fourth spot.

But at this stage in the season one might expect a little more hunger from both teams.

A classy goal by Bray midfielder Darragh Noone cancelled out by Chiedozie Ogbene's wonder strike just after the resumption, and a fine renalty save by Brendan Clarke, meant that the sides had to settle for a share of the spoils.

A lively opening quarter of an hour featured a first minute error by Karl Moore giving Rodrigo Tosi a chance, but Bray keeper Peter Cherrie was well able for it.

The visitors' shouts for a penalty when Chiedozie Ogbene wer ambitious but unsuccessful, and Bray took over with a nice run by Aaron Greene beating Barry Cotter, who in turn recovered and blocked the Bray man's cross.

McCabe tried a speculative effort from distance just inside ten minutes, but failed to direct it.

Moore lost possession again, Stephen Kenny finding Ogbene with the ball, but Bray skipper Conor Kenna charged down the Nigerian's shot.

Then Greene ran towards the Limerick end but sent his final ball past Brendan Clarke's posts.

Minutes later, Greene fired in a tempting cross which Cotter did well to clear at the expense of a corner.

Tosi got a shot away from a Lee-J Lynch free, but it fell among the defence and was easily dealt with.

Midway through the half, a Shane Tracy free when Kenna was cautioned for nudging Ogbene was well within Cherrie's capability.

Limerick were in the ascendant for a time, Bastien Héry getting an opportunity to sho his pace but his final effort was wide, as was Tracy's after a nice piece of skill by Ogbene was blocked by Kenna.

Meantime, a Greene free came to nothing, the visitors' wall blocking well away from goal.

Limerick fell foul of errors in the next little while, Ogbene flagged when he picked up the loose ball Cherrie had parried from Tosi, and Tosi himself handling after Cotter beat Jason Marks to cross.

So Noone's goal when it came was somewhat against the run of things. He got away from Tony Whitehead in the area to meet McCabe's cross and put a strong header past Brendan Clarke in what was clearly Bray's best move so far.

Limerick might have levelled matters within three minutes, when Lynch's corner found David O'Connor, but he headed wide.

And Noone's cross might have doubled the home advantage as it headed for McCabe, but Whitehead intercepted to vital effect.

Aaron Greene pulled a shot just wide before a mistake from Cotter presented a chance to Jason Marks, following a Ryan Brennan cross, but Clarke's shoes got in the way.

But that was quickly forgotten after Ogbene outpaced Moore wide on the right and checked, drawing Tim Clancy out, before ghosting past Kenna and finishing under Cherrie's dive.

You might say it came out of nowhere, but some of the best strikes are like that.

And after Noone had a weak shot trickle into Clarke's hands the game more or less settled into midfield, with neither side finding it easy to create a break.

Just after the hour, Shane Duggan found himself in the Bray area, but couldn't get a decent angle on the ball, and at the other end Greene reached the ball to fire a low shot that Tracy managed to block.

Marks was forward again on seventy minutes but Clarke managed the angle well, and moments later when McCabe was brought down by O'Connor in the area, Referee Paul McLaughlin had no doubt when he pointed to the spot.

Somehow, Clarke read the Bray man's intentions well as he stepped up, and the Limerick keeper dived low to his own right to turn the penalty away.

A Tracy free kick with just over ten minutes to go came close, and substitute Dean Clarke was also just wide of the mark.

Tosi skied the ball in the final minutes, and Ryan Brennan, in time added, chose to cross rather than shoot with the visitors' defence awry.

It might have been a contender.

Compiled by Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 1 Peter Cherrie; 6 Keith Buckley , 4 Conor Kenna (c) , 21 Tim Clancy, 10 Karl Moore; 3 John Sullivan, 22 Darragh Noone ; 7 Ryan Brennan, 11 Gary McCabe , 23 Jason Marks; 9 Aaron Greene
Subs: 2 Hugh Douglas (for Noone 77), 16 Luke Rossiter, 17 Gerald Pender, 18 Calvin Rogers, 19 Kevin Lynch (for Marks 73), 24 Jake Ellis (for Moore 82), 93 Lee Steacy (gk)
Limerick: 26 Brendan Clarke; 28 Barry Cotter, 15 Tony Whitehead, 5 David O'Connor, 11 Shane Tracy; 32 Bastien Hery; 16 Stephen Kenny, 8 Shane Duggan (c), 7 Lee-J Lynch, 21 Chiedozie Ogbene ; 10 Rodrigo Tosi
Subs: 1 Frederick Hall (gk), 9 John O'Flynn (for Lynch 62), 14 Peter Berki, 18 Dean Clarke (for Kenny 74), 23 Joe Crowe, 27 Killian Brouder, 31 Henry Cameron
Referee: Paul McLaughlin