AN EASY ONE TO KARL AS REBELS BEAT BRAY
Bray 1 Cork City 3
THERE were few surprises last night as Cork moved back ahead of Dundalk to top the Premier Division.
Rebel striker Karl Sheppard’s first-double helped the visitors sink Bray at the Carlisle Grounds.
A fresh start is expected for the Wicklow outfit after their recent financial troubles, with St Joseph’s Boys chairman Niall O’driscoll now the majority shareholder.
The players were paid their wages for July yesterday afternoon but that wasn’t enough to stop the bottom of the table Seagulls suffering their 20th defeat in 27 league games.
The Leesiders had beaten their Garden County opponents 4-0 in both their previous meeting this season.
Fielding the same starting line-up for the third game in a row, the champions set about making it a treble of victories by taking a 12th minute lead as Sheppard ended his eight-match goal drought.
Gathering possession wide left, Sheppard turned full-back Sean Harding inside out before teeing himself up to drive to the far corner of the net from 20-yards out for only his fourth league goal this term.
City went close to doubling that lead in the 20th minute as Garry Buckley’s 14-yard volley crashed back off the crossbar after the ball hand pinged around the box.
He didn’t miss ten minutes later though.
From a short-corner routine on the right, Barry Mcnamee’s delivery saw the unmarked Buckley power in a free header to the net.
A third almost arrived immediately after when Sheppard intercepted
Bray keeper Evan Moran’s poor clearance. The forward then squared from the left of the penalty area to the in-rushing Mcnamee. But, with the goal gaping, the covering Sean Heaney made a last-gasp clearance.
It did become 3-0 by the 36th minute, however.
Damien Delaney returned Moran’s goal-kick with interest and
Sheppard held off two defenders up the middle before squeezing a low shot past Moran from inside the box.
Wanderers pulled one back in style in the 64th minute when Gary
Mccabe scored his first goal since May by beating former team-mate Peter Cherrie with a stunning 25-yard free-kick.