Bray all but relegated as Limerick make them pay
BARRY MAGUIRE and Connor Ellis clinically punished sloppy defending to win this basement battle for Limerick at the Carlisle Grounds to effectively relegate Bray Wanderers.
Utterly dominant in running up their two-goal, half-time lead, Limerick’s victory moves them 12 points clear of Bray with four games to play.
But such is Bray’s much inferior goal difference, it all but brings to an end the Wicklow side’s 14-year stint in the top flight.
Their first points in five matches keeps an escape from the play-off place tenuously within reach for Limerick, Sligo Rovers’ defeat at Waterford leaving Tommy Barrett’s side eight points behind with four games to play.
With five changes from their tanking at Shamrock Rovers last week, Limerick started impressively to punish a sluggish Bray and comfortably run up their match-winning lead by half-time.
Karl O’Sullivan’s cracking drive brought a brilliant save from Mark O’Connor, on his full debut in the Bray goal, before the visitors took a deserved 18th-minute lead.
Limerick worked it well down the left flank with Ellis finding Cian Coleman who had to stretch to get in a low cross.
O’Connor was slow to react to the danger, allowing Limerick captain Shane Duggan to nip in and take the ball around him and present Maguire with a tap-in.
First to every ball, Limerick were stretching the sluggish home defence with Ellis outpacing Jamie Crilly to shoot into the side-netting minutes later.
Despite being under the cosh, Bray wasted a glorious chance to level on 33 minutes.
Sean Harding’s cross picked out the run of Jake Ellis, but the striker completely mis-kicked in front of goal.
Further dreadful defending then cost Bray a second goal two minutes before the interval.
O’Sullivan powered past two challenges to cross low from the right end-line.
Bray skipper Conor Kenna appeared to be in control, but a poor first touch merely set up Ellis who was alert to rush in and toe-poke home.
Going three at the back from the resumption, Bray had more about them as they pressed Limerick higher up the pitch, forcing three corners early on.
Try as they might, though, the Seagulls failed to work Tommy Holland in the Limerick goal while O’Connor, at the other end, had to make decent saves from Shaun Kelly and Maguire.