Seagulls off the mark with win over Wexford
Seagulls send Wexford packing for opening victory
BRAY WANDERERS 2 WEXFORD FC 0
A late goal from Andrew Moran grabbed all the headlines but it was a professional performance from Bray Wanderers that earned them their first victory of the season.
The Seagulls made the breakthrough on 28 minutes when a Wexford defender diverted Dylan Barnett’s cross/shot and the points were sealed in stoppage time when Moran found the net following a rebound from a Barnett shot.
Moran was already the club’s youngest player to ever make an appearance and his effort against Wexford saw him take the title of youngest ever goal scorer too; a full 14 months younger than previous record holder Jake Ellis.
Bray boss Gary Cronin, 40, has a son older than Moran and he promoted the young attacker to the bench as well as making three alterations to his starting XI; having not recovered sufficiently from the head wound suffered against Cabo, Aaron Barry was dropped to the bench alongside Joe Doyle and Brandon McCann. In their place, Leigh Kavanagh, Derek Daly and Tristan Noack-Hoffman started. This meant some tinkering positionally, with Barnett shifted to left wing to accommodate Noack Hoffman and Daly took up the role behind the striker.
Gary Shaw is keen to make a good impression in his second spell at the club but it was on Janabi Amour’s shin that he left an early impression. Having been let down by his chest control, the striker lunged to recover the ball and caught the Wexford winger high and earned himself a booking.
There were four Co. Wicklow men on display on Friday evening in the starting line-ups and two of them collided in the game’s first talking point. Bray goalkeeper Brian Maher pinged a lovely ball out to the right flank for John Ross
Wilson but his crossfield punt was asking too much of Bray’s Dylan Barnett. However, when the Wexford defender slipped, Barnett was suddenly in on goal until Aughrim’s Tom Murphy raced out and certainly cleared Barnett out but also got the ball too as referee Alan Carey awarded a corner and not the spot kick that Barnett pleaded for.
A counter raid down the left flank almost paid dividends for the hosts on 22 minutes. Dylan Barnett worked the ball into the middle into Ryan Graydon’s feet and he turned and slipped it into the path of the onrushing John Ross Wilson who sent a screeching effort whistling inches wide of Murphy’s goal.
Murphy would be beaten in the 28th minute. Graydown whipped a cross over from the right wing and Dylan Barnett met it from a tight angle with a crisp volley that Shaw managed to divert over the line – most of the congratulations went to the former for the setup.
After the interval, Charlie Smith’s cross for Wexford sailed harmlessly into the Bray area and Cantwell looked to have things
under control but he inadvertently headed his clearance off Kaleem Simon and Maher had to be alert to make a clever save low to his left.
Bray almost got the rub of the green then with a wayward cross of their own when Jack Watson floated one over from the right and it looped over the head of the rapidly backtracking Murphy but came back off the crossbar.
Wanderers would seal the win in stoppage time. Dylan Barnett was released down the left channel. He strode into the box and went for power but Murphy stood tall to block. Barnett tried to force in the rebound but when it fell to Andy Moran, the club’s youngest ever player squeezed it in at the near post.
It was undoubtedly a deserved victory for the Co. Wicklow side. They generally dictated play but Cronin will be worried by the lack of chances created. They would get very little change out of Longford on Saturday if they produced the same performance.
As for Wexford FC, they battled hard and were strong defensively but also lacked a cutting edge