A worthwhile joust for Bray
Seagulls push Drogs hard
IN their last dance of pre-season, Bray Wanderers fell to a 2-1 defeat in a very worthwhile joust against Premier Division outfit Drogheda United.
The top flight side had to come from behind to inflict defeat upon Ian Ryan’s side who took the lead in the eighth minute via Ben Feeney who continues to look sharper week by week.
Drogs levelled almost immediately in a match played behind closed doors at TUD Blanchardstown due to a waterlogged Weavers Park. Markey landed the equalising goal and Kevin Doherty’s charges grabbed a winner in the second period when former Bray man Andrew Quinn netted from a corner.
Despite it being a friendly, the contest was played at a decent enough tempo with both sides giving a good account of themselves.
For Drogheda, the lively Zishim Bawa had an early shot cleared off the line, but it was Bray who struck first in the eighth minute when Ben Feeney got in behind the Drogheda defence, nodded the ball past the advancing keeper Ryan Maher and finishing low to the empty net.
Barely two minutes later, though, the Drogs equalised following great approach play involving Frantz Pierrot, Gary Deegan and Oisin Gallagher. The ball eventually fell to Darragh Markey, and while his first shot was blocked, he quickly seized on the rebound and steered the ball past Jimmy Corcoran in the Bray goal.
On 17 minutes, Conor Kane and Markey combined to release Pierrot whose 25-yard piledriver smacked off the crossbar, and then Hayden Cann saw his powerful header from a Markey corner brilliantly saved by Corcoran.
The Seagulls had two decent chances to restore their lead, but Feeney looped his header wide, and Cristian Magerusan nodded just over from six yards.
In the first minute of the second half Jack Keaney went close with another header from a corner, and Gallagher then teed up Pierrot whose low drive flew just past the upright.
Coming up to the hour mark Maher made an excellent stop from point-blank range to deny Magerusan after great approach play by former Shamrock Rovers left-back Kieran Cruise.
Next to try his luck for Bray was
Callum Thompson who ran from deep, exchanged passes with Feeney and angled his shot narrowly wide. But it was Drogheda who got the winner in some style in the 76th minute.
Substitute Andrew Quinn did superbly to break from his own half before releasing Adam Foley who won a corner kick. And it was Quinn who got on the end of the set-piece delivery by Warren Davis, hooking a superb volley over his shoulder and high into the net past a helpless Corcoran.