SOCCER/UCD 0 Bray W 1:A DANNY O'Connor header midway through the second half was enough to give Bray Wanderers their first away league victory over UCD in a decade in a closely contested encounter at the Belfield Bowl last night.
Bray created the first real opening on 36 minutes. A long throw-in on the right by defender Dave Webster was flicked on by Danny O’Connor to cause chaos in the defence. Adam Mitchell then had a first-time effort from 12 yards brilliantly blocked by goalkeeper Ger Barron.
Seconds before the interval College might have broken the deadlock when a long ball from Robbie Creevy put Graham Rusk in the clear, but Matt Gregg was quickly off his line to save.
Early in the second half Bray spurned a chance when a corner by Joe Kendrick was headed just over the bar by Chris Shields – but that was one of the few opportunities in a lacklustre affair.
The Seagulls took the lead on 68 minutes after a foul by Tomas Boyle on winger Shane O’Neill. The free by Kendrick on the left was powerfully headed home from eight yards by O’Connor.
UCD: Barron; Harding (David O’Connor), Boyle, Leahy, Nangle; Creevy, Corry, Marshall, O’Conor; Rusk, Belhout (Haro 68).
BRAY WANDERERS: Gregg; Webster, Mitchell, Prendergast, Kendrick; O’Neill (McGuinness 85), Dempsey, Danny O’Connor, Kelly (Massey 77); Shields, Mulroy (Houston 89).
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).
