Dr Tony O'Neill Trophy

Belfield
30 July 2005

The Seagulls soared to the top of the South Leinster table today with a battling victory over previous leaders UCD.

The home side might feel a little hard done by, as they dominated two important stretches of play, and failed to convert a second penalty, but Bray had allowed them few real chances on goal, and keeper Pat Hannigan denied most of those that were on target.

A spell of good open football marked the early stages, and either side might have opened the scoring, but it fell to new Bray lad Wayne Byrne to volley home from a partial clearance of Darren Lacey's attempt to head in Maurice Dunne's cross.

Twenty minutes later, however, College were on level terms after Hannigan had been cautioned for bringing down Liam Tiernan, who looked certain to score. Despite the Bray keeper getting a hand to it, Brian Gannon's spot kick ended up in the back of his net.

Hannigan made some amends thereafter, getting his foot to Conor Sammon's rocket just before the break and diving wide across the box just before the hour to claim.

UCD had the better of the early part of the second period, but Byrne, Ryan Coyle, Kieran Harte and Conor Sammon were all off target. In fact, the game had less than 25 minutes left when Bray had their next chance of any significance, Lacey shooting just over.

But the visitors were coming back, and following a Ross Zambra free from 25m, after several deflections rather than attempts to clear, substitute Stephen Roche took his chance to poke the ball past the stranded Neil Gallagher to put them ahead once more.

In the scramble, Gallagher and Harte had accidentally clashed and needed treatment.

Three minutes later, however, Bray had to survive a scare when referee Conor Fitzgerald pointed to the spot for a second time, after the industrious William Murphy and substitute Willie Tyrrell combined to deny UCD substitute Jimmy Hussey, but in attempting to go down the middle, Gannon was fractionally too high, and the rebound off the crossbar was eventually cleared away.

Things had been a little fractious between some of the players, and Fitzgerald (who had flashed yellow four times already by that stage) had to warn Dunne and UCD's Ronan Finn towards the end of the match when their disagreement began to verge on the physical.

Approaching the half way stage in the section, this result could have a significant bearing on the final placings. Many of the games yet to come ought to be fairly predictable – but of course nothing in football is that clear-cut!

Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 1 Pat Hannigan; 2 Ronan Ivory, 4 Michael Roche (c), 5 Graham O'Hanlon, 3 Willie Murphy; 7 Maurice Dunne, 8 Robbie McGuinness, 6 Conor Sinnott, 11 Ross Zambra; 10 Darren Lacey, 9 Wayne Byrne
Subs: 12 Lloyd Colfer (for McGuinness 76), 14 Stephen Roche (for Sinnott 76), 15 Michael McCann, 17 William Tyrrell (for O'Hanlon 62),18 Luke Nixon
UCD: 1 Neil Gallagher; 2 Brian Gannon, 5 Liam Tiernan, 4 Brian Shortall, 3 Damien Kelly; 7 Ryan Coyle, 8 Ronan Finn, 6 Kieran Harte, 11 James Reilly; 10 Conan Byrne, 9 Conor Sammon
Subs: 12 Jimmy Hussey (for Reilly 76), 13 Colm Keirans, 14 Seamus Long, 15 Francis Moran (for Byrne 85), 16 Stephen Cashen
Referee: Conor Fitzgerald