First Division

Carlisle Grounds
17 Jun 2022

Not exactly the return to form the fans had been hoping for. Galway's Stephen Walsh opened the scoring well inside the first minute, and it was almost predictable that things would go downhill after that.

Midway through the half, Wilson Waweru doubled the Tribesmen's advantage, burying a Walsh cross, and it was almost a relief for the home support that the scoreline remained 2-0 until the break.

A strike by half-time substitute Darragh Lynch midway through the second proved to be a false dawn, as ten minutes later Galway defender Max Hemmings played a poor cross into the Bray area, and Michael Kelly, watching the waiting Galway players, was deceived by the flight of the ball as it floated just under his bar and out of his reach.

Seven minutes after that, a Walsh shot which seemed straight at the Bray keeper inexplicably passed through or under him. and three minutes later a rash challenge by Daniel Blackbyrne on Galway sub Francely Lomboto led to Referee Kevin O'Sullivan pointing to the spot.

David Hurley duly fired just above Kelly's outstretched arm to put the icing on a particularly indigestible cake for the Seagulls.

Bray Wanderers: 25 Michael Kelly; 2 Daniel Blackbyrne, 12 Jack Hudson, 3 Kevin Knight , 11 Paul Fox ; 16 Callum Thompson, 28 Darragh Levingston, 6 Conor Clifford (c) , 7 Keith Dalton; 9 Rob Manley; 10 Kieran Waters
Subs: 1 Stephen McGuinness (gk), 14 Jamie Callaghan, 17 Karl Manahan (for Dalton H/T), 20 Eoin McPhillips (for Waters 79), 21 Conor Knight (for Thompson H/T) , 22 Vilius Labutis (for Clifford 90), 24 Darragh Lynch (for Levingston H/T) , 32 Ugo Anny-Nzekwue
Galway United: 1 Conor Kearns; 27 Max Hemmings , 6 Diego Portilla , 5 Killian Brouder, 25 Alex Murphy; 10 David Hurley , 22 Conor McCormack (c), 24 Edward McCarthy; 18 Wilson Waweru , 3 Stephen Walsh , 14 Ronan Manning
Subs: 2 Conor O'Keeffe (for Waweru 69), 4 Charlie Lyons (for Portilla 84), 7 Gary Boylan, 9 Manuel Dimas (for Manning 57), 11 Shane Doherty, 12 Jordan Adeyemo (for Walsh 84), 16 Matthew Connor (gk), 19 Francely Lomboto (for McCarthy 69), 20 Evan O'Connor
Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan