TRAPDOOR LOOMS
Wanderers relegation threat grows after latest defeat
THE Premier Division trapdoor is looming ominously underneath Bray Wanderers following their 21st league defeat of the season.
With nine goals leaked in their previous two outings, confidence was low for the Seagulls as they travelled to out-of-sorts St. Patrick’s Athletic but the Saints marched back to winning ways comfortably against the Co. Wicklow side that finished with 10 men.
Wanderers went into this clash knowing that they had to overhaul a nine-point deficit in nine matches. That gap remains the same but there are now only 24 points left up for grabs and Bray’s goal difference is inferior to Limerick’s by 22 - virtually another point to Limerick in essence.
Ryan Brennan set Pat’s on the path to victory with a typically lovely strike on 32 minutes. Jake Kelly would be denied by the woodwork on the stroke of half time but that was as good as it got for Niall O’Driscoll’s club as strikes from Ian Turner and Graham Kelly secured a 3-0 success for Liam Buckley’s charges.
The presence of a sponsor on the front of the Bray Wanderers’ jerseys - O’Driscoll O’Neill Insurance - for the first time all season may be another off-field positive in this time of many, many offfield positives currently swooping through the club but their slide towards the First Division now seems to be inevitable.
There were three changes to Graham Kelly’s starting line-up, Darragh Noone and Sean Heaney dropped to the bench while Paul O’Conor was ruled out. In came Dylan Hayes, Darragh Gibbons and Jake Kelly.
It was a former Seagull that registered the first shot of the night when Ryan Brennan’s tame strike from distance was a bread-and-butter save from Evan Moran.
Brennan went closer on 16 minutes. Lee Desmond - slotting in at left-back - spread the play brilliantly from left to right and Simon Madden subsequently delivered a cross that Brennan met but he couldn’t keep his header down.
Conan Byrne had a sniff of goal in the 24th minute as Bray failed to clear a corner but Darragh Gibbons eliminated the threat with a brave block.
From the resulting corner, Mick Leahy rose highest and met the cross with a powerful header but he was brilliantly denied by Moran who tipped the effort over the crossbar.
Wanderers showed a sign of life when captain Gary McCabe waltzed up the field but his shot failed to test Brendan Clarke.
Within two minutes of that effort, Ryan Brennan would show his ex-teammate how it was done. Conan Byrne saw his shot blocked but it rebounded into Brennan’s path and the silky midfielder met it ever so sweetly to send to flying into the top corner.
The visitors almost pinched a leveller as the first half came to a close. Sean Harding delivered a cross from the right and Jake Kelly hadn’t been picked up at the back post.
He looked to have applied the perfect touch to the delivery but it crashed back off the crossbar and the Saints breathed a sigh of relief.
It was an encouraging end to the first half for the Seagulls but their uphill struggle grew in enormity when Ian Turner doubled the home side’s lead 10 minutes after the interval.
Conan Byrne supplied a cross from the right wing and Turner supplied the finish for his first league goal of the season.
On 58 minutes, McCabe would pick up a booking that he would later go on to regret.
A Conan Byrne free didn’t quite have enough dip on it as it sailed over the crossbar shortly after the hour mark as they looked to put the final nail in Bray’s coffin but Graham Kelly’s side then shot themselves in the foot as McCabe picked up a second booking for a foul on Jamie Lennon.
Another ex-Seagull - Graham Kelly - was introduced with 10 minutes left on the clock and he would add a third on 87 minutes.
It proved to be another assist for Conan Byrne and this time it was Kelly arriving at the perfect time to nod home the third and final goal of the contest.
Bray will get the chance to put their miserable league story behind them on Friday as they host Finn Harps - currently second in the First Division - at the Carlisle Grounds in the FAI Cup.
St. Patrick’s Athletic: 26. Brendan Clarke; 17. Simon Madden, 23. Michael Leahy, 4. Kevin Toner, 5. Lee Desmond;
20. Jamie Lennon; 7. Conan Byrne, 11. Ryan Brennan, 15. Darragh Markey,
18. Dean Clarke; 14. Ian Turner. Subs: Conor Clifford for R. Brennan (64); James Doona for D. Clarke (74); Graham Kelly for Lennon (82). Not used: Barry Murphy, Killian Brennan, Jake Keegan, Joe Manley.
Bray Wanderers: 29. Evan Moran;
12. Dylan Hayes, 15. Darragh Gibbons,
4. Conor Kenna, 3. Kevin Lynch; 31. Sean Harding, 14. Rhys Gorman; 24. Jake Ellis, 21. Gary McCabe, 11. Jake Kelly; 9. Ger Pender. Subs: Dragos Mamaliga for Ellis (63); Darragh Noone for Kelly (77); Alex Rafferty for Harding (89). Not used: Enda Minogue, Sean Heaney, Jamie Crilly, Cian Walsh.
Referee: Ray Matthews. Venue: Richmond Park, Inchicore.