Masterson shines as Bray brush Avondale aside

at Greystones BRAY EMMETS AVONDALE 1-23 0-07

solid goalkeeper in Tom Finn which saw him produce a double save from Mikey Lee who has made a welcome return to the Bray Emmets squad after a lay off.

The winners responded after Finn’s double save and went on to score at will during the rest of the half which saw the Bray men outscore their opponents by 1-06 to no score.

The Avondale defence came under fierce pressure which forced them to foul and this was to prove costly with ace free taker Diarmuid Masterson in excellent form which saw the midfielder score five points from frees and play and a 65, while dual star Marc Lennon scored the only goal of the game and went on to add a point from play.

A brief rally by the men from the Parnell country saw them launch two attacks but they failed to convert both of their chances.

Avondale received a free in and Ray Nolan went for a goal which was impossible with a crowded goalmouth and Eugene Dunne went wide from the resulting 65.

From the puck out, Mikey Lee, who had moved out the field, won possession which saw his shot sail between the posts while one last effort from the Dales saw Ray Nolan shoot wide.

Whatever hope Avondale had of a comeback faded when wing back Conor Sheehan was shown a red card after being involved in a clash with his direct opponent Eoin McCormack who failed to return after the break which saw the winners with commanding lead of 1-11 to 0-0l.

The Bray team back room team took the opportunity to empty the bench at the break which saw them introduce four subs and one player, Tom Cash, really took the chance to impress the selectors as he was involved in the first three scorers after the break.

Better known for his free taking, Tom Cash landed two points for play and was involved in a passing movement when he set up Mikey Lee for a point from play to stretch the lead even further.

Another half-time substitute, Conor McNally, was not so lucky. He was forced to leave the field of play with a bad injury which saw him removed to hospitial and no doubt the Gaels of Wicklow wish him a speedy recovery.

A rare Avondale rally saw them land two points in a row through Ray Nolan and Eugene Dunne but with a man down and trailing by 1-14 to 0-03 they were faced with an impossible task.

With time almost up, a melee took place which involved a number of players pushing and shoving which saw two Avondale players receive second yellow cards.

However, one of the players sent off was not happy to have received the card and he re-entered the fray and on this occasion was shown a straight red card which leaves a depleted Avondale side with a mighty task to reach the knockout stages of the campaign, while a player from each side can count themselves lucky to have stayed on the field of play following their antics.

Scorers - Bray Emmets: Marc Lennon 1-01, Diarmuid Masterson 0-08 (5f, one 65), Mikey Lee 0-07, Padraig Doyle 0-03, Tom Cash 0-02, Cian O’Byrne 0-02.

Avondale: Ray Nolan 0-04 (3f), Eugene Dunne 0-01, Paul Gahan 0-01, Niall Heffernan 0-01.

Bray Emmets: Peter O’Reilly, Sean Maloney, Peter Kiely, Conor O’Doherty; Daire Henderson, Luke Maloney, Darragh Maloney; Diarmuid Masterson, Enda Forde; Eoin McCormack, Padraig Doyle, Marc Lennon; Cian O’Byrne, Mikey Lee, Ben McCormack. Subs: Liam Benville for Eoin McCormack, Conor McNally for Marc Lennon, Tom Cash for Ben McCormack, Carl Lacey for Conor Doherty, Luke O’Reilly for Conor McNally.

Avondale: Tom Finn; Dermot Phelan, James Doyle, Eddie O’Shaughnessy; Conor Sheehan, Eugene Dunne, Daniel Owens; Paul Gahan, Cathal Doyle; Niall Heffernan Ray Nolan, Dean Gahan; Enna Owens, Joe Kennedy, Eugene Heffernan. Sub used Seamus O’Shaughnessy.

Referee: Paul Porter (Avoca).