Bohs let broken Bray off hook
BRAY WANDERERS players remain sceptical about whether the club are capable of paying them every week for the remainder of this season. On the evidence of this performance, it is hard to see where their next win will come from too.
Harry Kenny’s side looked drained and demoralised by the ongoing saga – Thursday’s deadline to produce wages was missed by 24 hours – and other than spo- radic moments of mild promise here, there was little else to be optimistic about for the handful of travelling supporters.
Interim chairman Gerry Mulvey likened Wicklow County Council to North Korea and no amount of propaganda could spin this display into something positive.
Bohemians were just as bad and that is the only reason Bray were able to escape with a point and prevent a fifth straight defeat. Indeed, the home side failed to register a single shot on goal throughout the 90 minutes.
Hardly the sort of homecoming they would have been hoping for following two super victories on the road against bitter rivals Shamrock Rovers and runaway Premier Division leaders Cork City in the space of 72 hours.
Perhaps understandably as a result of the monumental effort required previously, Bohs looked lacklustre and cumbersome. A third game in seven days for the part-time outfit seemed a bridge too far and even Shane Supple was showing signs of a lack of concentration.
The ever-reliable goalkeeper fumbled a routine long range shot from Mark Salmon which travelled at least 30 yards but was tame at best. Supple, though, made a hash of it and luckily for him the ball trickled wide.
It was the closest either came to breaking the deadlock on a night when chances were scarce and quality minimal. Ismahil Akinade, so potent against Rovers in his first start for 11 months, looked fatigued and his main contribution to the evening’s event was smashing a stray elbow into the face of Conor Kenna four minutes before half-time.
It was clumsy rather than malicious but the Bray captain required stitches during the break so the yellow card shown to him by referee Graham Kelly was warranted.
While that bit of class in the final third required to make a difference was lacking, honest endeavour and perseverance was in abundance. It was just hard to properly appreciate without that killer instinct.
Bohs could have leapfrogged Bray into fifth place with victory but they just couldn’t grind it out. They once again started with Akinade and Dinny Corcoran partnering each other in attack but the duo didn’t have the same joy as they did in Tallaght Stadium a week earlier and the latter was withdrawn less than 10 minutes into the second half with playmaker Keith Ward brought on to try and create behind Akinade.
Striker Ciaran O’Connor was then introduced but Bohs couldn’t find the ingenuity required to find a way through. Their two best opportunities arrived in the final 10 minutes . and both were from headers.
First, defender Dan Byrne rose highest at the back post only to miss the target before Akinade failed to trouble goalkeeper Lee Steacy from the centre of the goal six yards out.
Even former Rovers man Gary McCabe’s appearance off the bench for Bray was greeted by muted boos by the home fans on a tepid night at Dalymount Park.