Bray show total transformation
BRAY WANDERERS DUNDALK 0 2
THEY may have made a point but Bray Wanderers finished pointless against league leaders Dundalk.
Despite a 0-2 success, Lilywhites boss Stephen Kenny labelled Friday’s clash as the toughest that his side have faced all season.
The Seagulls were unrecognisable from their recent pathetic performances. Previous lifeless submissions were replaced by a side with a pulse that fought for everything on Friday but ultimately fell short.
You could be reading a completely different report had Aaron Greene not looked drained of confidence as he squandered a wonderful chance after 13 minutes.
Dundalk punished their hosts when Patrick Hoban swept home with an opportunistic strike midway through the first period and they killed off Bray in the dying seconds of the second half when John Mountney sealed all three points.
With Martin Russell watching from the home dugout, Bray Wanderers displayed a resilient shell in the first half.
They probed first when a Kevin Lynch cross flicked off the head of Stephen Folan and two Dundalk defenders failed to clear.
This saw the ball fall unexpectedly to Paul O’Conor but the midfielder couldn’t react in time and bundled the ball into Gabriel Sava’s hands.
Table-toppers Dundalk should have trailed in the 13th minute. Ronan Coughlan’s threaded pass through a static Dundalk defence set-up Aaron Greene but the striker - without a goal to his name in 2018 - drilled his effor wide when he should have scored.
Aaron Dillon is a man normally under the cosh but in the first half on Friday he only had two things to do; bat away a Robbie Benson cross-cum-shot and pick the ball out of the back of the net.
Ex-Liverpool youngster Kristian Adorjan’s corner bounced around the Bray penalty area and fell to Patrick Hoban and he instinctively swept home with a smart finish.
A frustrated Greene picked up a booking in the 28th minute but channelled his agression in a more positive manner when he latched onto Gary McCabe’s pass and fired a bullet from a difficult angle. Sava took the sting out of it with his first touch and gathered it with his second.
A Rhys Gorman shot was deflected out to the right flank in the 45th minute and worked to Gary McCabe. He danced inside two sliding tackles and cut into the box. A potshot was fired towards the near post but Save dealt with it well.
Sava was called upon moments later when a chipped pass from distance was chased down by O’Conor but Sava timed his run to perfection to beat the midfielder to it in the air and avert the danger.
Graham Kelly made offensive changes in the second period - Ger Pender and Jake Kelly replaced Gorman and McKenna respectively and he also swapped Sean Heaney for Galvin and pushed his full-backs up towards midfield.
Dundalk rarely left their own half in the second period but a lack of a cutting edge was Bray’s downfall. They nearly unpicked the lock in outstanding fashion when captain Gary McCabe spotted Sava off his line from 50 yards out.
His shot had sufficient dip but Sava somehow managed to frantically scramble back and claw the strike away from under his own crossbar to deny McCabe a goal of the season contender.
With Wanderers gamling on finding a leveller, they left themselves exposed and Dundalk took advantage in the final moments to confirm victory. Michael Duffy tricked his way in off the left flank and cut it back to Mountney who emphastically finished past Dillon.
You don’t get any points for a morale victory but it’s a start.
1. Aaron Dillon;
16. Dan McKenna, 2. Hugh Douglas, 4. Conor Kenna, 3. Kevin Lynch; 6. Paul O’Conor, 14. Rhys Gorman; 19. Ronan Coughlan, 21. Gary McCabe, 7. Cory Galvin; 10. Aaron Greene. Subs: Ger Pender for Gorman (65); Sean Heaney for Galvin (73); Jake Kelly for McKenna (82). Not used: Evan Moran, Dylan Hayes, Andy McGovern, Daniel Kelly.
22. Gabriel Sava; 2. Sean Gannon, 21. Daniel Cleary, 15. Stephen Folan, 14. Dane Massey; 18. Robbie Benson, 5. Chris Shields; 10. Jamie McGrath, 11. Kristian Adorjan,
7. Michael Duffy; 9. Patrick Hoban. Subs: John Mountney for Adorjan (H/T); Marco Tagbajumi for Hoban (73); Stephen O’Donnell for McGrath (84). Not used: Ross Treacy, Dean Jarvis, Dylan Connolly, Ronan Murray.
Sean Grant. Carlisle Grounds, Bray.