EA Sports Cup

Richmond Park
17 Apr 2017

Former Seagull Graham Kelly's final penalty for the home side gave them the victory and a spot in the Quarter-Finals of the League Cup this evening.

Bray Wanderers had keeper Peter Cherrie to thank for keeping their hopes alive into additional playing time in this second round match.

The Saints could claim that their interceptions had had the same effect for their prospects.

A distinct lack of scoring chances marked almost the whole of the regulation ninety minutes, so much so that both managers had hedged their bets in terms of substitutions, leaving one each for Extra Time.

But even the insertion of fresh legs on both sides in the first half of the additional period couldn't produce a result.

With six changes from the starting eleven that beat Dundalk the previous Friday, Bray's was never going to start as a balanced team, and it was a full seven minutes before captain Conor Kenna headed wide from a Karl Moore free.

And even then, Pats took a further eight minutes to produce their first chance, which Darragh Markey sent left of the target, though it wasn't that far off.

Minutes later in a threatening movement, Anto Flood over-ran his own tap on, and following a counter-attack Josh O'Hanlon could only find the side netting.

Within a minute, Conan Byrne fed the striker again, but his attack was eventually cleared for a throw and Peter Cherrie claimed the resulting high header.

There was nice open play for a time in the middle of the half, but not much advantage accrued to either team in what was becoming a game of no especial quality.

Shortly before the half hour, Rory Feely shot well wide following a 35m free, and with five minutes to go to be break former Bray man Michael Barker hit the net stanchion with a strongly booted effort.

In the final minute of the half, Kenna got possession from a free and fed Derek Foran, who failed to control the ball and consequently headed out to a goal kick.

To end the period, Markey had another shot this time to the right of the goal.

Both sides initially looked more lively on the resumption, and though the Seagulls had a first minute corner, the hosts broke away and it took a good tackle by Alan Kehoe to dispossess O'Hanlon.

Five minutes in, Conan Byrne managed to fire left of the goal - from the left, though he had little time to compose himself before shooting.

A Bray attack came to nothing when despite continued possession in the hosts' area, no-one seemed willing to take the responsibility of shooting.

Markey was cautioned for simulation, again frustrating a Pats attack, and when Conan Byrne won a corner off Kehoe, O'Hanlon skied over following JJ Lunney's flag-kick.

The hosts certainly seemed to have the upper hand at that stage, winning several more corners, with Cherrie kept warm, but more than once Markey failed to pull the trigger in time.

Mid way through, a slightly dubious foul on Ryan Brennan produced another Moore deadball that failed to trouble Barry Murphy.

Barker had to produce a quality tackle to stop the gallop of Jason Marks, and with little more than a quarter of an hour left, Cherrie clashed with Kurtis Byrne in trying to claim a cross from substitute Alex O'Hanlon, who had replaced his namesake.

Another series of home corners followed, but the Saints seemed unable to create any advantage from them.

They came closest to scoring then, with barely three minutes left, when Conan Byrne gained possession and got behind Kenna, but Cherrie produced a marvellous reaction block at point blank range.

In time added, Bray came close to a spectacular winning goal when​a Moore free found substitute Jamie Aherne, whose shot was deflected high in the air, remaining in play only until the attack was halted by the offside flag.

Bray were on the back foot in the early part of Extra Time, and a clash between Feely and Aherne didn't help matters, Assistant Referee Alan Patchell relieving the pressure slightly in the fourth minute when he signalled a free out to the visitors.

But in truth there was little sign of a goal, although Cherrie made an acrobatic leap to parry away a Feely effort that had seemed headed straight for him.

Three minutes into the second half of Extra Time, Aherne was narrowly off target to the right, and three minutes after that Graham Kelly shot narrowly over.

With only minutes left in it, Aherne - who was proving a little hard to handle - couldn't get enough on his low shot, and Murphy claimed at the foot of the near post.

John Sullivan, who also made a strong contribution when he came on, ended the encounter by skying over following a good run by Aaron Greene.

Facing the penalties, Cherrie guessed right for Conan Byrne's opener, but the Pats man put it too high for him.

And after Ryan Brennan had inexplicably lofted his spot-kick out of the park, the kickers all scored and the goalies guessed every one wrong, Kelly's giving the home side the match.

Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Penalties

St Patricks Athletic shot first

ST PATRICKS ATHLETIC	5-3	BRAY WANDERERS
C Byrne		R Brennan missed
A O'Hanlon		Noone
Lunney		Greene
Feely		Sullivan
Kelly

Bray Wanderers: 1 Peter Cherrie; 6 Keith Buckley, 5 Derek Goran, 4 Conor Kenna (c), 15 Alan Kehoe ; 22 Darragh Noone; 7 Ryan Brennan, 17 Gerald Pender, 10 Karl Moore, 23 Jason Marks; 20 Anthony Flood
Subs: 3 John Sullivan (for Pender 69) , 9 Aaron Greene (for Marks 102), 11 Gary McCabe, 14 Jamie Aherne (for Flood 75), 93 Lee Steacy (gk)
St Patricks Athletic: 16 Barry Murphy; 2 Michael Barker, 4 Gavin Peers (c), 13 Rory Feely, 11 JJ Lunney; 10 Sam Verdon, 12 Lee Desmond; 18 Kurtis Byrne, 14 Darragh Markey , 7 Conan Byrne ; 26 Josh O'Hanlon
Subs: 1 Conor O'Malley (gk), 6 Patrick Cregg, 8 Graham Kelly (for Markey 101), 15 Jack Bayly, 20 Billy Dennehy, 23 Alex O'Hanlon (for J O'Hanlon 72), 24 Aidan Keena (for K Byrne 86)
Referee: Rob Rogers