Champions have

CORK CITY BRAY WANDERERS 4 0

THE scoreline flattered Cork City but the result hit Bray Wanderers hard as they were cut further adrift in the race to avoid relegation.

Goals early and late in the first half had effectively made the long trip down the M7 & M8 a fruitless one but the league champions flexed their attacking muscles further in the second period and inflicted further damage on the worst goal difference in the league.

Buoyed by their late point against Waterford, the Seagulls travelled to Cork with relative confidence. An injury list of crippling proportion meant that caretaker boss Graham Kelly not only fielded the same starting XI but also the same substitutes.

With a team fighting for the top hosting a team fighting to avoid the bottom; a good start would be vital. Bray did not enjoy one.

Four minutes were on the clock when Barry McNamee caressed a through-ball through to release Jimmy Keohane and he had the composure to lift the ball over Evan Moran to give the Leesiders a dream start.

Kieran Sadlier is a man that has tormented the Seagulls in the past and he threatened to do so again on Friday as he flew down the left flank and arced his run centrally but his shot was a bread and butter save for Moran.

The one-way traffic continued as Graham Cummins and Garry Buckley combined to feed McNamee but although his shot had plenty of power, it didn’t have much direction and Moran caught it cleanly.

McNamee tried his luck again a few minutes later but on this occasion, his 20-yarder zipped passed the top corner - all of this with barely a quarter of an hour played.

The ex-Derry man’s shooting practice continued in the 22nd minute. He saw his cross blocked and he decided to go for broke himself from the rebound but it wasn’t his finest effort very nearly exited the stadium entirely.

It was midway through the first half when the City defence were finally truly involved. Daniel Kelly was the man probing as he shifted in off the right flank and his shot looked to be on target but City captain Conor McCormack blocked it well.

A 29th minute corner from Sadlier very nearly produced the second of the tie but Sean McLoughlin’s header whizzed