Bray Wanderers ... 0 St Patrick's Athletic ... 0The woodwork twice saved St Patrick's Athletic as Bray Wanderers had to settle for a point from a match they know they should have won.
Bray belied their injury crisis to dominate the game, their teenage strike force of Eamonn Zayed and John Flood, with the assistance of wingers Paul Forsyth and Barry O'Connor, causing the uncertain St Patrick's defence many problems. Forsyth, collecting a ball wide from Stephen Fox, exposed the visitors' defence in the second minute to cross for O'Connor whose first-time volley flew wide.
Zayed then almost punished a slip by Jamie Harris with the St Patrick's defender recovering well to get in a good block on the young striker's shot. Another error on 25 minutes, this time from Paul Osam, dispossessed by Forsyth in midfield, had St Patrick's stretched again. But Flood's toe-poke past Shay Kelly was cleared by the retreating Harris.
Osam's redemption was quick in arriving when he did well to get back to clear the ball as Philip Keogh was about to shoot. But it was Bray's impressive front two who continued to trouble St Patrick's. Nineteen-year-old Zayed first showed terrific close control to ghost past three weak challenges before shooting narrowly over the top.
Flood, two year's Zayed's junior, then carved out a chance from nothing, his clever chip going just over Kelly's crossbar.
St Patrick's staged a recovery of sorts from the resumption, putting Bray under pressure from a couple of their trademark set-pieces. Bray weathered that well to carve out two excellent chances. O'Connor was first up to shoot wide after Colm Tresson and Flood created the opening. Fox then won the ball to set up Zayed who curled a shot onto Kelly's crossbar.
Bray were then almost encamped in the St Patrick's half for the remainder of the game. Kelly had to make two very good stops inside a minute as his goal came under increased pressure. Keith Long put Flood in with Kelly saving well from close range. But the ball was kept alive for O'Connor to whip over a superb cross for Fox whose header was brilliantly saved by Kelly.
Tresson then almost caught Kelly off his line three minutes from time but his long-range chip was just wide. Substitute Kieran O'Brien then looped a header onto the bar from Keogh's free-kick in stoppage time as Bray had to settle for two points less than they deserved.
BRAY WANDERERS: Walsh; Long, Doohan, Charles, Keogh; O'Connor, Fox, Tresson, Forsyth; Zayed, Flood (O'Brien 84 mins).
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: S. Kelly; Croly, Foley, Harris, Burke; Marney, Donnelly, Osam, Russell (Griffin 80 mins); McCarthy (Hughes 66 mins), Bird.
Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).
