Scottish Challenge Cup

Borough Briggs
02 Sep 2017

Frustration:
Greene's shot hits the wood with Waters beaten

Goals at the start and end of the second half put an end to Bray's Scottish adventure as they lost two-nil in Elgin.

They were not alone: of the four invited teams that played early today, the Northern Ireland teams (Crusaders away and Linfield at home) both won, but Wales's Connahs Quay Nomads join Bray in defeat.

With the game scoreless at the break, Chris Dodd's shock opener within a minute of the resumption unsettled the visitors, and even with substitutions aimed at beefing up the Seagulls' attack, it was the home side that struck late in time added to seal the victory.

Referee Arnold Hunter seemed to have awarded Bray a penalty with about a quarter of an hour left to play, which would have made a material difference to the final passages - but he changed his mind.

The home side started relatively quietly, according their visitors possibly more respect than the play deserved. Nevertheless, it wasn't until half-way through that Peter Cherrie was called for more than goal-kicks or offsides.

The sides traded early frees to no particular effect, and a corner by Bray's Gary McCabe before the visitors came a little closer with shots from McCabe and Aaron Greene, all before a quarter hour had passed.

And Greene had a further corner and McCabe and Keith Buckley frees before the home side started to assert themselves midway through the first period.

Darryl McHardy brought a good save from Peter Cherrie at the expense of a corner, Jamie Reid's flag-kick finding Stephen Bronsky in position to have a go, but his header failed to find the target.

Ryan Brennan and McCabe both had half-chances before Reid again tested Cherrie in the Seagulls' goal, and Thomas Reilly was spurring on the Elgin attack in the minutes leading up to the break.

The opening minute of the second period provided a wake-up call as Chris Dodd curled a right-footed shot from the centre of the area to the bottom left corner of Cherrie's net.

But it was the home side that woke. Heartened by their lead, the City side turned up the pressure with shots by midfielder Brian Cameron, the second of which needed careful action by the Bray keeper, playing on his home turf for once.

Coming up to the hour, however, Bray seemed to have got the measure of their opponents, and McCabe brought a fine stop from Marc Waters in the Elgin goal who also had to be alert for a Ryan Brennan effort minutes later.

McCabe, Greene and John Sullivan all had chances for the visitors, Waters bringing off a fine tip over from the second, and City captain John Paul McGovern clearing Sullivan's ball off the line.

But the home side weren't idle, and with less than a quarter of an hour to go Reid again brought Cherrie into play.

Faithful: Seagulls fans at Borough Briggs

Keith Buckley was coming more into the game as the end neared, and Greene had a piledriver come back off the post ten minutes from time, but substitute Jordan Allan put the result beyond doubt in time added.

The former Derry City man was fed by fellow-sub Calum Ferguson who had nursed the ball to the end-line and then slipped it into the goal area for his colleague to blast past the Bray minder from close range.

Compiled by Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 1 Peter Cherrie; 21 Tim Clancy, 4 Conor Kenna (c), 2 Hugh Douglas, 10 Karl Moore; 8 Mark Salmon, 3 John Sullivan; 7 Ryan Brennan, 11 Gary McCabe , 6 Keith Buckley; 9 Aaron Greene
Subs: 17 Gerald Pender (for Moore 87), 18 Calvin Rogers, 19 Kevin Lynch (for Douglas 60), 22 Darragh Noone (for Salmon 63), 23 Jason Marks, 24 Jake Ellis, 93 Lee Steacy (gk)
Elgin City: 1 Marc Waters; 2 Cameron Eadie, 5 Stephen Bronsky, 4 Darryl McHardy, 3 Scott Smith; 7 Jamie Reid, 6 John Paul McGovern (c), 8 Brian Cameron, 11 Chris Dodd ; 10 Thomas Reilly, 9 Chris McLeish
Subs: 12 Ally Sutherland, 14 Calum Ferguson (for Dodd 84), 15 Jordan Allan (for McLeish 70) , 16 Matthew Cooper (for Smith 58), 21 Trevor Dear (gk)
Referee: Arnold Hunter (NI)