Sweet win in Bray’s final home game
BRAY WANDERERS SHAMROCK ROVERS 1 0
AARON GREENE returned to haunt Shamrock Rovers as Bray Wanderers brought the curtain down on the Carlisle Grounds for 2017.
Greene spent the 2012 season at Tallaght Stadium and was also the subject of numerous bids from Stephen Bradley’s side over the summer but the striker harpooned the Hoops in the 74th minute with his 12th league goal of the season.
That strike moved Greene to joint fifth in the goalscoring charts and it was an effort worthy of winning any football match as he slammed home past Kevin Horgan from 20 yards out.
The atrocious weather conditions dictated the match and left both sets of players fighting an uphill battle from the first minute to the last.
Kevin Horgan unintentionally set the tone for the evening’s proceedings when his early kick-out sailed 20 yards before coming to a stop mid-air and plummeting to the wet surface.
Bray carved out the first noteworthy opportunity when Aaron Greene drove in a cross from the left which Darragh Noone met with his forehead but it was deflected behind for a corner.
Rovers ventured forward next as Trevor Clarke roved forward from left-back and glided by his man. He whipped a teasing cross into the area that Shaw was inches from bundling home but Peter Cherrie did very well to hold the bouncing ball.
Greene was central to Bray’s next opportunity too. He spread the play out to the left for Marks who had space to run into. He launched a devilish low cross into the but Greene couldn’t stretch far enough to tap-in Marks’ return ball.
Former Seagull Gary Shaw was next to probe but it would prove to be his last act of the match. The striker threw himself at Madden’s right-wing cross and flicked it on but appeared to land awkwardly on his left elbow and departed on a stretcher.
The clearest opportunity arrived in the 41 minutes when Rovers were almost architects of their own downfall. Wicklow native Aaron Bolger’s pass held up on the surface and it released Gary McCabe down the left flank.
He crossed it low for Greene but the striker was beaten to it by the extremely brave Horgan who got a stray boot in the face for his troubles.
Horgan was called into action again four minutes later. A long ball out of the Bray defence looped over the Rovers backline but slowed up on the turf which lit up Greene’s eyes. He thought he was clean through but Horgan stormed out and slid in to avert the danger almost 30 yards from his own goal.
Conditions improved considerably in the second period but the damage had already been done to the pitch.
Some delicious feet from Cameron King almost broke the dead- lock – he took the ball from David McAllister and lifted the ball over a defender’s head but lost his nerve at the vital moment and scuffed it wide.
A cross from James Doona nearly proved an unlikely opener as it looped menacingly towards goal but Cherrie did appear to have it covered as it nestled on the roof of the net.
Teen striker Jake Ellis was introduced on 70 minutes and played centrally which meant a shift to the right for Greene and it paid dividends within four minutes. Buckley fed Greene on the right flank and he shifted inside, set his sights, and unleashed a rocket that flew past Horgan like a missile.
The pressure on Bray eased in the 79th minute when a late tackle from Trevor Clarke on Mark Salmon saw him receive a second yellow. His earlier booking was for throwing the ball away in the first period.
Bray Wanderers: 1. Peter Cherrie; 6. Keith Buckley, 5. Derek Foran, 4. Conor Kenna, 10. Karl Moore; 3. John Sullivan, 8. Mark Salmon; 22. Darragh Noone, 11. Gary McCabe, 23. Jason Marks;
9. Aaron Greene. Subs: Jake Ellis for Noone (70); Ger Pender for McCabe (90). Not used: Lee Steacy, Calvin Rogers, Luke Rossiter, Shane Heffernan, Anthony Flood.
Shamrock Rovers: 25. Kevin Horgan; 17. Simon Madden, 6. Roberto Lopes, 3. Luke Byrne, 20. Trevor Clarke; 16. David McAllister;
27. Cameron King, 8. Ronan Finn,
21. Aaron Bolger, 22. James Doona; 14. Gary Shaw. Subs: Sean Boyd for Shaw (32); Dean Dillon for McAllister (69); Daren Clarke for Doona (76). Not used: Tomer Chencinski, Dean Carpenter, Cian Collins, Ryan Connolly. Referee: Graham Kelly. Venue: Carlisle Grounds, Bray.