U14 Eddie Wallace Cup - Bray Wanderers 3 Wexford FC 1

 

Bray opened their EA SPORTS U14 LOI Eddie Wallace Cup Group C with a hard fought win over Wexford. 

In what was officially their first competitive game for the club, the home side flew out of the traps and led 2-0 by just the fourth minute at a sunny Carlisle Grounds on Sunday afternoon. 

Although the Slaneysiders pulled one back before the end of the first third, the Green and White’s grabbed the vital third score just before the end of the second period to restore their two-goal cushion. 

The fixture was just 30 seconds old when the Seasiders broke the dead lock. 

From virtually their first attack, midfielder Danny Howard drilled on a low shot from the edge of the box to the net. 

That lead was doubled just three minutes later. 

Wanderers pressed the away team from a kick out. Leighton Carroll’s challenge saw the ball only cleared to Oliver Gnutek. He evaded a tackle in the box before angling a left footed effort from 12-yards to the right corner of the net. 

It was almost three in the 11th minute. But Rhys Behan’s towering header off a corner crashed back off the bar. 

Having regrouped, Wexford pulled one back in the 19th minute. Callen O'Grady’s right wing corner taken left footed crept in at the front post. 

It took a superb reflex save by away custodian Luke Carr to thwart Gnutek who’d got ahead of his marker in the 41st minute with a close range flick. 

But the crucial third goal arrived in the final moments of the second period.  

A quick shorty corner wide right, Aaron Kelly-Mladin flighted a cross deep to the back post. Aaron Nolan rose to thump a header goalwards. Carr made another cracking save. But bravely, Behan put his head to the drooping ball close in to find the net. 

 

Bray Wanderers: Finn McKeown; Senan Dutton, Ryan Higgins, Rhys Behan, Aaron Nolan; Daniel Howard, Alex Mernagh; Cillian Walsh, Olivier Gnutek, Aaron Kelly-Mladin; Leighton Carroll. 

 

Subs: Conor Cunningham, Nathan Roberts Byrne, Jamie Hyland, Shane O'Dowd. 

 

Wexford FC: Luke Carr; Rory O’Neill, Cillian Maher, Kian Murray, Callen O'Grady; Hugo Morris, Aleksandar Panic, Archie Renwick, Rhys Farrell O'Connor; James McBride, Harry Nieuwenhoff. 

 

Sub: Zachariah O'Connor 

 

Referee: Mark Wynne (Wicklow ISRS). 

 

* Elsewhere in the section, UCD played out a 3-3 draw with Shelbourne at Marley Park. Shamrock Rovers overcame Klub Kildare 8-0 at Roadstone. 

 

* Bray are scheduled to face Shelbourne on Sunday June 30 next at the AUL Complex in Dublin.