Bray Wanderers 0
Cork City 4
Ryan Bailey reports from the Carlisle Grounds
THE PROVERBIAL STROLL by the seaside for the defending champions in this top versus bottom clash, and rarely has the gulf in class — and indeed attitude — between two teams been as stark.
The game was over as a contest as early as the eighth minute, when Sean McLoughlin slotted home from close range, and although it took the visitors until after the hour mark to get their second, there was an inevitability about the outcome from the off.
John Caulfield’s side were far from their best, with the visitors unable to find a real attacking spark for large periods, but three goals in the space of four second-half minutes was more than enough to maintain their one-point advantage at the summit.
Barry McNamee doubled Cork’s advantage and from there, the floodgates opened with Sadlier bringing his tally for the season to seven with a quickfire double as Cork moved through the gears.
Firstly, Sadlier’s low free-kick from this near side appeared to sail all the way in with McLoughlin’s attempts to get a touch completely wrong-footing Bray ‘keeper Aaron Dillon, although the young defender seemed to claim it for himself.
If his first was somewhat fortunate, Sadlier’s second was a moment of individual brilliance. Latching onto a loose ball 30 yards from goal, the former Ireland underage international unleashed a fierce drive past Dillon into the top corner.
It was the highlight of an otherwise nondescript affair which was riddled with mistakes, particularly in the first half, as basement club Bray — devoid of any confidence or quality – were condemned to an eighth straight defeat in all competitions.
Dave Mackey’s side stayed in the game for as long as they could, but offered little going forward, and as soon as Cork moved the ball with purpose and precision, they coasted to their biggest win of the campaign with plenty left to spare.
The visitors made just one change from last week’s defeat of Bohemians, and if truth be told, it mattered little what side Caulfield fielded here tonight, as Bray, frustratingly limited in every department, rarely threatened the end result.
Gearoid Morrissey replaced Garry Buckley in a straight swap in the middle of the park, and Cork were quick to establish a foothold, with the former pulling the strings alongside captain Conor McCormack.
The opening goal wasn’t long in coming. Sean Heaney needlessly fouled Graham Cummins down the right and when McNamee delivered an in-swinging free, the Bray defence failed to clear and McLoughlin finished from close range.
Now it was a question of how many City would score.
Sadlier was left unmarked on the far side and the standout performer on the night forced Dillon into a smart save, the Bray ‘keeper getting down low to his left to push the dipping volley behind.
Despite their dominance, the defending champions very nearly shot themselves in the foot just before the half hour mark.
McCormack, the schemer in front of the City back four, had done the initial firefighting but Aaron Barry was far too lax in possession outside his own box, gifting Jake Kelly a precious opportunity to draw his side level, only for Mark McNulty — practically reductant at one end until this juncture — to pull off a fine stop.
To their credit, Bray grew in stature as the game wore on and Darragh Noone impressed in midfield but they looked vulnerable defensively every time City moved the ball with purpose — which would have been far too little for Caulfield’s liking.
Mistakes were a common thread throughout a disjointed first half, but City moved up a gear in the final 10 minutes and ended it pushing for a second, with Sadlier again testing the handling of Dillon with a low effort from the left after he found space in behind Hugh Douglas.
With Bray content to sit deep in a rigid defensive formation, Cork desperately needed to inject some intensity into proceedings but lacked any sort of cutting edge in the final third, with Cummins regularly isolated up top until the introduction of Karl Sheppard.
The striker was involved straight away after good work from Shane Griffen down the left and a neat pullback by Cummins, with Dillon again forced into action.
From the resulting corner, the Bray shot stopper had to backpedal furiously to parry the in-swinger over the bar and then Morrissey spurned a gilt-edge chance after Conor McCarthy had headed back across goal.
It was only a matter of time before the second arrived, and it came courtesy of McNamee’s sweet strike from the edge of the area after a well-worked one-two with Sadlier had taken Douglas out of the game.
It was all one-way traffic.
Greene gave away a free on this near side, Sadlier made it 3-0 from the set-piece and then came the moment of the night.
As Bray’s defence backed off, Sadlier didn’t need a second invitation to test the strength of the netting stanchions with a piledriver from range, much to the delight of the travelling supporters.
Four goals, three points. Never in doubt.
BRAY WANDERERS: 1. Aaron Dillon, 2. Hugh Douglas, 4. Conor Kenna, 5. Sean Heaney, 23. Andrew McGovern, 22. Darragh Noone (Paul O’Conor 67′), 17. Daniel Kelly, 8. John Sullivan, 11. Jake Kelly (Corey Galvin 72′), 21. Gary McCabe, 10. Aaron Greene.
CORK CITY: 1. Mark McNulty, 21. Conor McCarthy, 5. Aaron Barry, 29. Sean McLoughlin (Colm Horgan 72′), 20. Shane Griffen (Tobi Adebayo-Rowling 76′), 25. Barry McNamee, 8. Conor McCormack, 6. Gearoid Morrissey, 7. Jimmy Keohane (Karl Sheppard 59′), 11. Kieran Sadlier, 9. Graham Cummins.
Referee: Ben Connolly.
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