Seagulls slip up away to Drogheda
DROGHEDA UNITED BRAY WANDERERS 3 1
BRAY WANDERERS’ inconsistency remained consistent as they came up short against a superior Drogheda United side.
The Seagulls have now won two, lost two and drawn one match this season as their ability to blow hot and cold was evident at United Park where they were second best.
A quickfire double for Tim Clancy’s side early in the first period meant the dye was probably cast for the Co. Wicklow club but they did pull a strike back through Sean McEvoy in the second period.
Wanderers spurned one glorious chance to level the tie but late on, whilst they were huffing and puffing in search of a leveler, United wrapped it up with a tap-in.
It was a tame start for both sides and then suddenly the visitors found themselves trailing by two goals.
The opener arrived as Brandon Bermingham delivered a routine low cross into the Btay penalty area. Paul Keegan looked to clear but failed to do so and Mark Doyle was able to take a touch and swivel on the ball before dispatching it to the bottom corner.
Within three minutes, Drogs had doubled their lead. A deep free kick from the Drogheda right was nodded away. Gary Cronin would have been happy to see it cleared but less happy to see James Clarke tame it on his chest before volleying it to the same corner that Doyle had found minutes earlier; a strike of genuine beauty.
Just before Drogs’ second, Bray sniffed out a half-chance when Paul Keegan switched it out left to Derek Daly whose cross was glanced by Joe Doyle but it dropped wide.
United raided the right flank again and came very close to adding a third on 16 minutes. Clarke was a menacing presence before delivering a cross to Doyle but he got his feet in a muddle and the chance evaporated.
With their foot on Bray’s throat, the home side tried to possibly kill them off with another but were twice denied well by Brian Maher.
First, a lovely pass from Clarke found Brandon Bermingham but Maher quickly got down to his right to repel the strike.
Next, Bray’s defence were a bit lax and Clarke looked to punish them as he released Lyons but the striker’s attempt to lift it over Maher was foiled as the shot-stopper stood tall and made the block.
Sean McEvoy had a decent effort on the Drogs goal in between those two chances. Callum Thompson lost the ball on the left but worked hard to win it back. His deflected cross was touched back into Sean McEvoy’s path and the midfielder hit the target from 20 yards but David Odumosu dealt with the strike with the minimum of fuss.
The Seagulls would fire two more warning shots at Drogheda before the interval as they finished the half strongly but both were half-chances at best. Killian Cantwell was at a tight angle as he met Keegan’s free and it looped into the arms of Odumosu and then McEvoy saw another effort from the edge of the box blocked behind.
Some of the optimism drained as Shaw limped off on the stroke of half-time, seeing Ryan Graydon called into action but it eight minutes into the second period the deficit was halved.
Feeling the pressure from a Bray press, Drogheda lost possession sloppily inside their own box and McEvoy snapped up the chance as he guided it home from 15 yards.
It should have been a level game by the 57th minute. Sean Brennan stood over a corner and decided to try and play it back to Conor Kane. His pass was not accurate and Callum Thompson charged onto it and shifted into fifth gear. There was no catching him and a goal looked inevitable as he squared it for Daly but his attempt was hacked off the line by Clarke.
From the resulting corner, the ball would land at the feet of Daly and he forced Odumosu into a fine save as the Drogheda custodian managed to tip it over his crossbar.
With nothing to lose, Darragh Lynch was sprung from the bench to replace holding midfielder
Keegan for Wanderers as they tried to force the issue and salvage a point but it was not to be as Bray looked inexperienced and ineffective in attack.
The tie was put to bed when Bermingham centered the ball from the right for substitute Stephen Meaney to convert.
David Odumoso couldn’t switch off though as his goal would face a smattering of stoppage time efforts but he was alert to keep the two-goal cushion alive.