Kilkenny 0-1 Wanderers

**Roo69** · 04/10/2004, 8:44 AM

Three points may be all-important in encounters like this as the season nears its end, but the manner of gaining them grows in significance as the probability of promotion looms.

After a poor first half on both sides, Bray found perhaps half a gear extra to dominate the second, and the single goal, not long after the break, was well taken by Stephen Fox when Eamon Zayed nodded back Stephen Gifford's long ball out of defence to where he was lurking just outside the area.

But Bray should really have put the ball away several times more in the remaining half-hour plus, and that they did not is a worry as the management begins to contemplate what will be needed in the top flight if another yo-yo performance is to be avoided next year.

Despite winning four corners inside the opening quarter hour, Bray were unable to make the set-pieces work for them, and were lucky eight minutes in when an uncharacteristic hesitation on 'keeper Chris O'Connor's part as Wesley Charles disputed a long Kilkenny ball with David Lee gave the striker enough time to get in a cross, but to empty space.

Kilkenny had the first half-chance from play when Lee shot narrowly wide from 20m after Philip Gorman had provided with a ricochet off Gifford's attempted clearance.

Just after the half hour mark Kevin Grogan, who had shot wide across the goal from a narrow angle moments earlier when trying to feed Kieran 'Tarzan' O'Brien, needed attention, and was to be substituted five minutes later.

O'Connor was kept busy as the half wound down, stopping a Niall Andrews attempt on the ground, and twice tipping out under close attention by Lee and Alan Mulcahy, who shot just over after a sequence of headers from his own dead-ball.

Fox had two good efforts before the half-time whistle, first latching on to a long ball from Maurice Farrell only to find Kevin O'Sullivan well placed, and then shooting over after O'Brien controlled a long cross and squared for him, while Tarzan himself saw an attempt bounce high off a defender giving the home 'keeper time to gather.

The reason the officials changed their strip at half time from the original grey shirts would only become clear much later.

Bray were lucky again in the opening minutes of the second period when O'Connor managed to gather when Charles, after a great turn of speed to intercept Keith Maher, seemed to hesitate, giving the Kilkenny man almost enough time to gather himself again.

Substitute Ciarán Ryan shot high and wide just before Fox's sweet left-footed shot from just outside the 'D' beat the kilkenny keeper, who was not looking comfortable, and was using Mark Andrews as a kicker.

Referee Dan Deady, economical with cards if not with the whistle, frustrated Colm James when he appeared to recover quickest from a minor tangle just in front of the goal by giving a free out, for what was not entirely clear.

Zayed, too, was frustrated, in his case by a succession of involuntary defences: rebounds and deflections getting in the way of what seemed goal-bound shots.

Nevertheless, the next chance fell to Kilkenny, with Padraig Drew putting a 20m free on the corner of the area narrowly over.

When Darren Burke, in a grey 16 shirt, took over from O'Sullivan the mystery of then officials' fresh red shirts was solved, to the relief of a puzzled press-box.

Jody Lynch shot narrowly wide of the far post from a short free following Gorman's foul on Fox, and Bray really shoould have doubled their advantage with twenty minutes to go, when Fox nodded an Eddie Gormley free against the bar, Lynch knocked the rebound down for Ryan, and the final shot was headed over for a corner, Lynch now heading Gormley's effort over.

Kilkenny's defensive style may have looked clumsy, but it was enough to deny several other attempted attacks - but Bray's stuttering precision work played a part too.

Ryan dummied over a Zayed cross, but there was nbo-one behind him, and Zayed himself shot straight at Burke at the end of a running battle with Niall Andrews from half-way.

After Paul Leary shot just wide, Bray substitute Barry McGrory won a further corner in his first action, from which Burke had to look lively to block Lynch's effort.

And in the final seconds of the match, O'Connor got down well to deny Drew on the line.

Considering the quality of football Bray's six or so available front-men are capable of delivering at their best, the team's scoring rate this season has been unimpressive to put it mildly.

Against this opposition, languishing towards the bottom of the Division, this was Bray's sole away goal - and Kilkenny brushed the Seagulls out of the Cup on their home ground with relative ease.

Facts like these may not keep Pat Devlin awake nights, yet, but they don't make for a reassuring bedtime story either.

Bray Wanderers: 1 Chris O'Connor; 2 Stephen Gifford, 5 Wesley Charles, 4 Jody Lynch, 3 Maurice Farrell; 9 Eamon Zayed, 7 Colm James, 8 Stephen Fox, 6 Eddie Gormley (c); 10 Kevin Grogan, 11 Kieran O'Brien

Subs: 12 Barry McGrory (for Zayed 89), 14 Paul O'Reilly (for O'Brien 67), 15 John Flood, 16 Keith Long, 17 Ciarán Ryan (for Grogan 38 inj)

Kilkenny City: 1 Kevin O'Sullivan; 6 Declan Mahon, 2 Brian Mallon, 5 Niall Andrews, 4 Mark Andrews; 10 Paul Leary, 8 Philip Gorman (c), 7 Alan Mulcahy, 3 Padraig Drew; 9 David Lee, 11 Keith Maher

Subs: 12 Andy Cosgrove (for Lee 72), 13 Damien Coogan (for Mahon 83), 14 John Hayes, 15 John Shanahan, 16 Darren Burke (for O'Sullivan 65)

Referee: Dan Deady

http://www.braywanderers.ie/reports.php?game=248