Late strike steals win from Bray
SHAMROCK ROVERS cashed in their get out of jail card to deny Bray Wanderers victory on Friday evening.
It took a Gary McCabe strike from the penalty spot 17 minutes from time to rescue a point for the Hoops. That goal restricted the Seagulls to a single point but also brought an end to their clean sheet bonanza.
Speed sensation Dylan Connolly had nudged Harry Kenny’s men into the lead midway through the first period but a Bray handball gifted the Tallaght outfit a chance of a leveller which they gladly took.
It was a frustrating night for Kenny on two fronts; firstly he saw both Ryan Brennan and Dean Kelly limped off the field inside the opening 23 minutes and then he witnessed what he felt was a harsh decision which led to Rovers’ reply.
Kelly’s place in the starting XI was the only change from the victory over Harps; an ankle injury to Andrew Lewis paved the way for Kelly’s brief return.
What so nearly was a brilliant start for Bray quickly turned into a severe blow as they lost key man Brennan. His pass was allowed to find Connolly on the right-hand side. With the angle too tight, he tried to slide the ball in front of the in-rushing Brennan. The pass cut out Rovers goalkeeper Craig Hyland but evaded Brennan who wrapped himself around the post which caused a thud that evoked winces all around.
He soldiered on but waved the white flag six minutes later and by the 23rd minute he was joined on the treatment table by Dean Kelly.
Kelly’s replacement – Ger Pender – would make an instant impact. As Connolly again streaked down the left, he went to ground on the edge of the area. With referee Anthony Buttimer awarding nothing, the winger leapt back to his feet and saw his shot blocked. The rebound fell to Pender who almost had the goal at his mercy but he coolly made absolute certain as he rolled it right to the looping Connolly to stab past the covering defender.
Connolly had nearly broken the deadlock in the 16th minute. On the right flank, Karl Moore turned away from goal in order to swing in a left-footer. Rovers seemed content to let it run through for Hyland but they hadn’t anticipated Connolly storming in and coming within inches of pinching a free header.
The flier almost created a second for Bray on the stroke of halftime as he pushed the ball ahead of himself on the left and galloped clear of the defence but his low cross was missed by Pender and Darragh Noone.
Rovers’ best offering was a Rob Cornwall header from a Brandon Miele free that cleared Peter Cherrie’s crossbar late in the first period.
Cherrie’s delaying tactics started as early as the hour mark as he began dreaming about beating his own club record set in the previous fixture against Finn Harps and Rovers gave little evidence to believe he wouldn’t manage it.
They bossed possession but were toothless in attack before getting handed a chance to level which they took full advantage of. With Rovers stroking the ball around aimlessly, a frustrated Brandon Miele fired off a shot which struck a Bray hand on its way wide. After a few moments of hesitation, Buttimer bowed to the visiting fans’ roars and pointed to the spot. Hoops captain Gary McCabe maintained a fixed gaze on Cherrie as he strolled up to the ball and sent him the wrong way to score.
Both managers reacted swiftly; Bradley swapping strikers and Kenny chucking on Gareth McDonagh in place of Noone.
Rovers refused to loosen their chokehold on Bray but the home side were breathing comfortably and strolled to a well-deserved point.
It was a point Kenny would have taken prior to kick-off but he can be disappointed on the balance of play and he’ll be even more disappointed following the results of Wexford Youths (victory) and Longford Town (draw).
The Seagulls’ six-match unbeaten run faces serious threat next as they welcome Dundalk to the Carlisle Grounds but they must endure another two week wait until that fixture.
Scorers - Bray Wanderers 1 (Connolly 25), Shamrock Rovers 1 (McCabe pen 73).
Bray Wanderers: 1. Peter Cherrie; 2. Hugh Douglas, 27. Tim Clancy, 4. Conor Kenna, 19. Kevin Lynch; 3. John Sullivan; 10. Karl Moore, 22. Darragh Noone, 7. Ryan Brennan, 16. Dylan Connolly; 9. Dean Kelly. Subs: Mark Salmon for Brennan (15); Ger Pender for Kelly (23); Gareth McDonagh for Noone (76). Not used: Lee Steacy, Alan McNally, Sean Harding, Jason Marks.
Shamrock Rovers: 25. Craig Hyland; 17. Simon Madden, 2. Rob Cornwall, 23. Sean Heaney, 15. Gavin Brennan; 10. Brandon Miele, 11. Killian Brennan, 16. Pat Cregg, 18. Dean Clarke; 14. Gary Shaw, 26. Aaron Dobbs. Subs: Gary McCabe for K. Brennan (27); Sean Boyd for Dobbs (57); Trevor Clarke for Shaw (75). Not used: Barry Murphy, David Webster, Stephen McPhail, Shane Hanney.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer.