Bray Wanderers (2) - St Patrick's Athletic (1)

Bray Wanderers 2 - St Patrick's Athletic 1

Second-half goals from Ger Pender and Alan McNally saw Bray Wanderers run out 2-1 winners over St Patrick's Athletic at the Carlisle Grounds.

The visitors had taken an early lead through Jamie McGrath, but the Seagulls dominated the second half to register a clean sweep of league victories over the Inchicore side and jump above them to sixth in the table.

The home side, as they have tended to do under Harry Kenny, dominated possession in the early stages and looked to catch the Saints cold in the early stages.

Ryan Brennan forced the first save of the game within 60 seconds as Pat's keeper Brendan Clarke was forced to tip his floated cross over the bar, and Clarke was at full stretch to deny Darragh Noone's long-range drive shortly after.

Liam Buckley's Saints are more comfortable playing on the counter-attack, however, and it was with their first real attack of the game that they took the lead against the run of play.

Captain Ger O'Brien did well to make space on the right touchline and dug out a cross that was met by the teenager McGrath, and his header from 12 yards beat the weak hand of Peter Cherrie.

The Saints grew in confidence from that point and continued to look threatening on the counter, while Lee Desmond and Graham Kelly worked tirelessly to render their final third a no-go area for the Seagulls.

Bray, for their part, continued to dominate possession but could do little with it, the best opportunity they could muster a speculative shot from distance that Brennan saw deflected wide.

Pat's should have doubled their lead shortly before the break as a swift, one-touch move saw Desmond release Billy Dennehy down the right.

The Kerryman centred for an unguarded Christy Fagan on the penalty spot, but there wasn't quite enough on the pass and, though Fagan poked the ball past Cherrie, Kevin Lynch got back to clear off the line.

Bray emerged a side renewed in the second half and, crucially, started to get Connolly on the ball to use his pace to turn around the Pat's defenders, and he had two shots saved in quick succession as the Seagulls turned the screw.

They got the goal their second-half pressure deserved just before the hour as Kevin Lynch's header was flicked goalwards by captain Conor Kenna, and Pender was on hand to turn the ball home.

Kenna's header was likely to cross the line in any case, but poacher Pender made doubly sure to make it six goals in his last seven games and eighth overall, and his third in three games against Pat's.

Bray took the lead with 20 minutes remaining as Alan McNally met Lynch's corner with his head. Clarke saved the initial attempt, but could do nothing about the rebound as the defender blasted the ball into the net.

Christy Fagan should have secured a point for the Saints as he found himself one-on-one with Cherrie late on, but his normally reliable aim let him down as he drilled the ball wide.

© rte.ie

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Bray Wanderers 2 - St Patrick's Athletic 1

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