Time running out for Bray
Status hanging by a thread
WATERFORD BRAY WANDERERS 2 0
COUNTY WICKLOW’S only League of Ireland club may not have much longer to wait before they are put out of their Premier Division misery.
A battling performance at the RSC was not enough to prevent them from sliding to a 24th defeat of the season and their top flight status is now hanging by a thread.
Goals from Estonian international Sander Puri and ex-Republic of Ireland attacker Noel Hunt kept Waterford in the hunt for the European places.
Despite a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Shamrock Rovers on the last day out, Bray boss Gary Cronin fielded the same starting XI for the first time in his tenure as his suspension and injury worries eased somewhat.
There was a welcome sight on the bench as midfielder John Sullivan took his place amongst the teenagers - his first appearance in a matchday squad since April.
Cronin knows better than to take on Waterford and his plan worked rather well until first-choice goalkeeper Evan Moran departed injured to be replaced by Mark O’Connor - the second time a teen has made their bow between the posts in the last two months.
Waterford took full advantage to the disruption as minutes later ex-Seagull Cory Galvin - a summer departure from the Carlisle Grounds - threaded a fine pass through for Puri who ensured O’Connor’s first act would be to take the ball out of his net.
It was a deserved goal for Waterford who had dominated possession and threatened on a few occasions already.
Early on, Rory Feely met a Stanley Aborah corner but failed to hit the target and then Puri was unable to finish when played in by Galvin - a tactic that would bear fruit before long.
There was almost a spectacular goal when right-back Noe Baba’s delivery floated temptingly towards Galvin but he didn’t connect with his overhead kick as well as he would have liked.
Mark O’Connor pulled off a save just before the break when Kenny Browne got on the end of an Aborah free but the young shot-stopper got his hands to the effort.
Noel Hunt thought he’d doubled Waterford’s lead early in the second period but sight of a raised linesman’s flag meant that Bray were still in contention but they were struggling to make any kind of progress up the other end.
Some neat play from Puri almost saw him turn provider for Galvin but the tiny trickster was crowded out of it as the Bray defence did all they could to keep the tie alive.
The decisive second for Waterford was eventually produced and it was Hunt that did the damage. Feely whipped in a cross from the right and the Waterford assistant manager/striker managed to turn on the ball before dispatching it past O’Connor.
John Sullivan entered the fray with five minutes of normal time remaining but there was to no Roy of the Rovers-inspired comeback fuelled by Sullivan as the time ticked away and another loss was confirmed with time now rapidly ticking away on Bray’s time in the Premier Division.
Cronin will hope to get his first victory under his belt as Wanderers host ninth placed Limerick who were thumped 5-0 by Shamrock Rovers at the weekend.
Defeat against Limerick would leave Bray 12 points shy of the Shannonsiders with four matches remaining but the Seagulls have a vastly inferior goal difference.
It will be Bray’s third last home match of the season and if Cronin can guide Bray to victory, they’ll then face the prospect of needing to pick up results against Sligo Rovers (away), Derry City and Bohemians (home) before wrapping up the season away to Cork City.
25. Niall Corbet; 4. Noe Baba, 5. Kenny Browne, 3. Gary Comerford, 19. Dylan Barnett; 22. Stanley Aborah, 6. Paul Keegan; 16. Rory Feely,
17. Cory Galvin, 7. Sander Puri; 10. Noel Hunt. Subs: Gavan Holohan for Galvin (67); Ismahil Akinade for Hunt (80); Dessie Hutchinson for Aborah (89). Not used: Matthew Connor, Dean O’Halloran, Carlos Wilson,
29. Evan Moran;
15. Darragh Gibbons, 4. Conor Kenna,
5. Sean Heaney, 3. Kevin Lynch; 21. Sean Harding, 14. Rhys Gorman, 6. Paul O’Conor, 22. Darragh Noone; 11. Jake Kelly; 9. Ger Pender. Subs: Mark O’Connor for Moran (35); Jamie Crilly for Noone (80); John Sullivan for Harding (84). Not used: Jake Ellis, Glen Hollywood, Cian Walsh, Dragos Mamaliga.
Neil Doyle.