Wanderers Fall Short Despite Late Push Against Athlone Town
Gareth Danaher reports from the Athlone Town Stadium.
A healthy crowd turned out at Athlone Town AFC’s home ground, but the spotlight from a Bray perspective was on how Bray Wanderers responded to their earlier success against the Midlands side.
Bray came into the fixture knowing they had already inflicted Athlone’s first league defeat earlier in the season, and there was a sense they could repeat the trick. However, they found themselves on the back foot early on. Athlone started with intent, and after a couple of warning signs—including a missed chance from distance—Bray’s defence was tested by quick movement in behind.
The breakthrough came from a set piece that Bray struggled to deal with. A delivery from the flank wasn’t properly cleared, and James Crawford rose at the near post to head Athlone in front, leaving Bray chasing the game earlier than they would have liked.
To their credit, Bray responded with a spell of pressure before the break. A clever short corner routine created an opening for Ben McCormack, whose effort was well saved by Andrew Stuart Trainor. Moments later, another scramble in the box nearly led to an equaliser, but again the Athlone goalkeeper reacted sharply to deny Bray.
Despite those opportunities, Bray couldn’t find a way through before halftime and went in trailing.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Bray probing but lacking a clinical edge. Athlone had a chance to extend their lead through Derin Adewale, but his effort drifted wide. Bray then came close to punishing a defensive mix-up, breaking quickly, only to see their shot narrowly miss the target—an opportunity that might have changed the momentum.
As the game wore on, Bray pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but gaps began to appear at the back. One such moment proved costly late on. A turnover in midfield allowed Athlone to break, and a low cross found Cillian Tollett, who reacted quickest to slot home and make it 2–0.
Bray didn’t give up and were finally rewarded deep into stoppage time. A corner into the near post caused confusion, and Tyreik Sammy managed to get the final touch to pull one back. However, it came too late to influence the result, with the final whistle arriving immediately after.
From Bray’s point of view, there were positives in spells of attacking play and resilience late on, but missed chances and lapses at key moments ultimately proved decisive.
The Seagulls face a quick turnaround with Drogheda United at home on Monday, 20th April in the Quarter-final of the Leinster Senior Cup with a 7:45pm kick-off while five days later Cork City make the trip to the Carlisle Grounds on Friday, 24th April with a 7:45pm kick off. Tickets are on sale for both games.
Athlone: Stuart Trainor, Webb, K. O’Connor, E. O’Connor, Maloney, Adewale, Lyons, McManus, Tollett, Cleary, Crawford.
Subs used: Lomboto, Smith, Considine.
Bray Wanderers: Corcoran, Kizenga, Duggan, Brennan, Ferizaj, Achara, Azende Nyembo, Kelly, Doyle, McCormack.
Subs used: Ring, Sammy, O’Neill, O’Shea.
Attendance: 817 (official).
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