Bray Wanderers 1
Derry City 0
THE TURMOIL CURRENTLY engulfing Bray Wanderers appears to have galvanised their players as the Seagulls continue to defy the club’s off-field plight.
Adam Hanlon’s goal 13 minutes from time handed the embattled Seagulls their third straight Premier Division win as Mick Cooke’s tenure got off to a winning, if not perfect, start.
The three points will raise spirits around the Carlisle Grounds but the dark clouds remain. Before the game, supporters staged a protest to voice their concern and anger over the running of the club.
Days after criticising the chairman, Denis O’Connor, on national radio, captain David Cassidy was left out of the squad.
The midfielder was tasked with coaching the side with Cooke serving the remainder of a touchline ban he received while in charge of Athlone.
But the developments of the last few weeks have done little to discourage the players as they produced another valiant performance to overtake Derry into eight place.
In an entertaining first-half, both sides had chances to break the deadlock but a lack of composure and quality in the final third meant it remained scoreless at the interval.
Derry will look back on several gilt-edged opportunities, particularly in the first period, and wonder how they didn’t come away with the points.
Peter Hutton’s side are in an alarming free fall having gone 11 games without a win and now find themselves embroiled in a relegation scrap.
Bray’s game-plan is simple yet so effective. The Seagulls sit tight in a rigid defensive formation and then hit their opponents on the counter-attack.
Without the industrious Cassidy, they lacked fire-power in the final third but Hanlon provided the game’s decisive moment with a piece of individual brilliance.
The substitute skipped inside off his wing and fired an unstoppable drive into the corner past Ger Doherty.
A fine way to end another turbulent week but the future of Bray Wanderers remains as uncertain as ever.
Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Alan McNally, Hugh Douglas, Niall Cooney, Michael Barker; John Sullivan, Peter McGlynn, Ryan McEvoy, Gareth McDonagh, Graham Kelly; Chris Lyons.
Derry City: Ger Doherty; Dean Jarvis, Shaun Kelly, Ryan McBride, Shane McEleney, Stephen Dooley, Philip Lowry, Patrick McEleney, Barry McNamee, Mark Timlin; Ryan Curran.
Referee: Tomas Connolly.
Originally published Saturday at 20.21
