Shamrock Rovers ... 3 Bray Wanderers ... 1: A dominant second-half performance last night earned Shamrock Rovers a vital win in their quest for European qualification and pushed Bray Wanderers nearer relegation.
The win - courtesy of goals from Stephen McGuinness, James Keddy and Tony Grant - puts Rovers third, ahead of Cork City on goal-difference. It was just what manger Liam Buckley required with his side's visit to Turner's Cross on Friday looming.
With UCD and Drogheda picking up points last night, a third successive defeat for Bray leaves them needing favours, even if they were to win their remaining three games.
Bray, with eight changes in the side beaten in Cork last week, started positively, forcing three early corners from which they made nothing of.
Passing the ball well, Rovers soon came into the match and James Keddy, having worked two clever interchanges with Terry Palmer and then Trevor Molloy, brought the first save of the game with an angled shot on 10 minutes.
A more direct approach almost caught Rovers out at the back within a minute as Eamon Zayed was in behind them from a Maurice Farrell ball to shoot against a post.
Zayed retrieved the ball from the rebound to keep the pressure on, his cross picking out Stephen Fox whose shot was deflected out for a corner.
Rovers settled, getting hold of the ball to pass it well and Molloy cleverly played Noel Hunt in on goal on 21 minutes. The Dunfermline-bound striker seemed set to score with only Matt Gregg to beat, but he sliced his shot dismally wide.
But you could sense a goal was coming in what was an open game and two duly came in quick succession mid-way through the half.
Not unexpectedly, it was Rovers who took the lead on 24 minutes. Stephen Grant's free-kick in from the left wasn't dealt with by the Bray defence and Stephen McGuinness was on hand at the far post to sweep the ball home, the big defender scoring on his return to the first team after five months away.
However, Bray hit back immediately when Stephen Fox scored out of nothing with a delightful dipping volley from 20 yards.
Bray's defence was finding Molloy a handful and the striker showed good feet to carve out an opening only to spoil it at the finish, ballooning the ball over the top.
Jason Colwell breathed a sigh of relief in first-half stoppage-time when he got away with what appeared a clear handball from John Flood's cross in from the left.
If Bray felt aggrieved at that, they had only themselves to blame as they gave away a bad second goal within three minutes of the restart.
Hunt won a corner that Steven Gough played short to Keddy and the Rovers left back wasn't closed down as he cut in from the left to score with a low drive off his weaker right foot.
Grant made sure of the win for Rovers on 77 minutes.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Gough, McGuinness, Palmer, Keddy; Robinson, Colwell, Dimech, S. Grant; Molloy, Hunt (A Grant 61 mins).
BRAY WANDERERS: Gregg; O'Reilly, Lynch, Charles, Farrell; Tresson, Fox, Keogh, Flood (Ryan 82 mins.); Byrne (O'Brien 70), Zayed (Morgan 65).
Referee: H Whoriskey (Meath).
