Seagulls fall short against City slickers
DERRY CITY BRAY WANDERERS 2 0
THERE is no shame but also no salvation in giving Derry City a run for their money in the Brandywell before returning home with nothing to show for your efforts.
A wasteful Bray Wanderers side pushed Derry City all the way in their unenviable trip north of the border on Monday evening but they failed to put any distance between themselves and the First Division and that is the bottom line.
With only 72 hours between the arduous trip to Cork and the gruelling visit to Derry, Graham Kelly made one change as veteran Conor Kenna was replaced by the youthful and inexperienced legs of Darragh Gibbons; meaning that Bray’s centre-half pairing had an average age of 21.
City - as expected - had most of the possession but Bray constantly carried a threat. Jamie McDonagh registered the contest’s first shot but his effort from 20 yards flew high into the Derry night sky and did not worry Evan Moran.
Experienced talisman Rory Patterson will be disappointed not to have broken the deadlock after nine minutes when left-back Jack Doyle’s inviting cross sat up nicely for him but he nodded it over.
The visitors should have taken a surprise lead within a minute. Daniel Kelly’s pace took him clear down the flank and Ronan Coughlan was on hand at the back post to meet the winger’s cross but he headed over with the goal at his mercy.
They would go even closer on 22 minutes. Kelly again stretched those long legs and got them pumping and drew Gerard Doherty from his goal. However, Doherty got his angles wrong and missed his intended interception but he landed a get-out-of-jail free card when Kelly’s shot struck the post instead of bulging the net.
McEneff reminded Bray that they were up against a team capable of hurting them at any moment as his whistling shot screeched a yard wide of the post when Moran had as much chance of saving it as Graham Kelly did in the dugout.
Wanderers were hit with a massive sucker-punch when Cory Galvin was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Jamie McDonagh and referee Tomas Connolly pointed to the spot. McEneff made no mistake from 12 yards as he smashed it home.
Dan McKenna’s first goal for Bray came against Waterford seven days previously and when he found himself not being closed down on the edge of the Derry area, the on-loan Wolves player couldn’t resist but his curling strike finished inches over Doherty’s crossbar.
City had two sniffs of goal prior to the interval as Patterson’s quickfire strike forced Moran into a save before Curtis’ close-range header flew straight into the grateful hands of the shot-stopper.
Dan Kelly got the wrong side of Doyle on 55 minutes and he went for glory but Doherty parried the strike and his defence cleared the danger.
Curtis had another fine headed chance in the 63rd minute as slack marking allowed him to get on the end of McEneff’s free kick but Moran was able to parry it behind for a corner.
The ever-improving Cory Galvin almost bested Doherty with 11 minutes left on the clock as he fired goalwards on his left foot but the goalkeeper kept his side’s lead intact at the expense of a corner.
There were murmurings amongst the home support as Bray continued to tease a late leveller.
Jamie McDonagh almost sealed the points with a clever and ambitious 40-yard free. Having spotted Moran off his line, McDonagh went for it and was only denied by the woodwork.
City would eventually lock in the three points though as McEneff curled home to the bottom corner from the edge of the area on 87 minutes. Bray must now try and bounce back from the defeats against Cork City and Derry City as they travel to Oriel Park on Friday to take on Dundalk.