Bray v Shamrock Rovers - Match Report
taken from http://myirishfootballblog.blogspot.com/
Shamrock Rovers v Bray (2-0)
Shamrock Rovers made the short trip to the Carlisle Grounds yesterday for a clash against Bray Wanderers. Amazingly a win for Bray would have given them as many leagues wins this season after five games as they managed in all of last seasons thirty games. Rovers on the other hand were aiming to bounce back after their loss in the Dublin Derby.
Rovers kicked off the first half and immediately their intent was visible. The last minute defeat to rivals Bohemians during the week had obviously been a sore point and they attacked Bray consistently from the off. It took just seven minutes for them to get off the mark. Relentless chasing and closing down by the Rovers midfield resulted in the ball being blocked down by Pender - the ball found its way to Purcell who took two touches to steady himself and create an angle before cleverly passing the ball into the corner of the net
The remainder of the first half didn't see much more goal mouth action as both teams cancelled each other out. The only openings were as a result of set pieces and Bray in particular looked well organised and versed, both in attack and defence.
Bray came out for the second half similar to how Rovers did an hour previously. Manager Eddie Gormley added an extra man up front to the Bray attack as his side changed to a 4-3-3 formation. The change was paying off and for the first twenty five to thirty minutes of the half Bray had the large majority of possession and put the Rovers defence under constant pressure. Rovers broke away quickly on two separate occasions and Hoops favourite Ger Rowe was twice unlucky as his attempts both went wide of the mark without causing the Bray 'keeper any concern
Wanderers should have heeded the warning signs. With ten minutes remaining another quick Rovers breakout from defence looked to have been halted but Bray central defender Gough hesitated momentarily in possession and that was enough for the ever sharp Purcell to nip in, steal the ball , advance on goal and nutmeg the keeper who had done well to keep on his feet for as long as possible.
After that giant central defender Clive Delaney was thrown up front for the reminder of the game. Unsurprisingly he won nearly everything in the air but the Rovers defence stood firm and concentrated on winning the second ball. Bray pushed further with two corners in the dying minutes but again Rovers were able to handle everything, clear the ball to safety, and register their third win of the season
As I said before the season started - this Rovers team will surprise a few people this season - including the bookies who are still underestimating them. Rovers now lie third in the table with an impressive ten points. They are an extremely hardworking team who defend in numbers, they are young and hungry and in Manager Pat Scully they have someone who continues to show that his man management and motivational skills are among the best in the country
However at this early stage its already evident that if their is a fault in their set up and tactics its that they have a tendency to be happy with what the have got once they have taken the lead. While their defence is very well organised, tight and compact they do seem to sit a little deep once they ahead - now this of course is all part of the plan to draw the opposition out with a view to exploiting space quickly on the counter attack but there is no doubt that the longer you spend defending and holding the eighteen yard line the more chance there is that your defence will be breached. This happened against Bohemians last week and nearly happened against Galway prior to that as well as today
taken from http://myirishfootballblog.blogspot.com/
