Sport

Devlin works his magic again with Bray

SOCCER: Bray Wanderers 1, Shamrock Rovers 0 A BRILLIANTLY struck 64th-minute opportunist goal by winger Jake Kelly gave Bray…

Fri May 27 2011 - 01:00

SOCCER:Bray Wanderers 1, Shamrock Rovers 0

A BRILLIANTLY struck 64th-minute opportunist goal by winger Jake Kelly gave Bray Wanderers a deserved victory over the league leaders in a hugely entertaining clash at a windswept Carlisle Grounds last night.

It was the Hoops’ second defeat in 14 league games this season.

Pat Devlin’s side are now just three points adrift of Rovers and are certainly proving the bogey team for Rovers in the current campaign having also won 1-0 at Tallaght Stadium last month.

The Seagulls had a chance on nine minutes, but midfielder Danny O’Connor’s 22-yard effort went agonisingly wide of the taget.

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Then Kelly outpaced Hoops defender Pat Sullivan on the left and his low cross was narrowly missed by striker John Mulroy at full stretch.

Striker Gary Twigg went close for Rovers with a long-range effort, before Bray again went on the offensive with Mulroy flicking narrowly wide of the target after a long free on the left from defender Joe Kendrick.

With the wind in their favour in the first half, Bray were unable to take advantage of the difficult weather conditions.

Kelly should really have put Bray ahead just before the interval when he first miscued an effort from 16 yards and then fired the rebound over the bar.

Chris Shields went close for Bray early in the second half when his long-range effort was narrowly wide of the target after Mulroy had robbed Stephen Rice at the edge of the penalty area.

But Bray got their noses in front on 64 minutes when skipper Gary Dempsey produced the perfect ball for Kelly to turn on the spin and shoot past Alan Mannus from 10 yards into the corner of the net.

Rovers might have equalised on 80 minutes only for the unmarked and normally so reliable Twigg to head straight into the arms of Matt Gregg after a clever cross from Conor McCormack on the right.

BRAY WANDERERS: Gregg, S O’Connor, Mitchell, Prendergast, Kendrick; D Doyle, Demsey (G Kelly 90), D O’Connor, J Kelly (Massey 90); Shields (Houston 87), Mulroy.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan (O’Donnell 66), Murray, Oman, Stevens; McCormack, Rice (Turner 66), Dennehy; Sheppard (McCabe 72), Twigg, O’Neill.

Referee: A Buttimer (Cork).