Bray Wanderers 4 Shamrock Rovers 2
Bray finished their campaign in the first phase of the EA SPORTS MU15 LOI with an 100% home winning record.
The 4-2 victory over Shamrock Rovers on Saturday afternoon at a sun-kissed Carlisle Grounds meant the young Seagulls defeated all five other clubs in Group A – having previously overcome UCD, Klub Kildare, Wexford FC and Bohemians.
Having come from 1-0 behind, the Wicklow side went in level at the break at 1-1 with the visitors down to ten players.
After Wanderers took a 2-1 lead earlier in the second period, the Dubliners were reduced to nine players following a second red card.
When the teams met in the reverse fixture last March, Rovers won 4-1 at Roadstone.
The Hoops - playing in their away gear of all black – named nine of their 11 players who were part of the Republic of Ireland U15 squad for the Torneo Delle Nazioni in Austria and Italy last month – in their squad of 15 players.
Rovers took a fourth minute lead when Corey Fay was released on the left wing. His low endline ball across was then tapped in by Seanan Fisher at the near post.
But Wanderers were back on level terms by the seventh minute.
Daniel Oluwadara Olusola was clipped when breaking into the box off the right. The home skipper picked himself up to convert the resulting penalty.
The match then saw the Dubliner’s have a player dismissed in the 40th minute when Oluwadara Olusola was dragged back by the covering defender.
Then the second period was just 25 seconds old when the away side conceded an Own Goal.
It became 3-1 soon after.
Substitute Conor Cunningham played a superb through ball for Oluwadara Olusola to get back the Rovers defence. Then shape his right footed effort to the bottom right hand corner with a placed finish.
The away outfit then had a second player missed for a second bookable offence.
Bray made the most of the advantage when full back Jamie Lynch danced in off the right wing in mazy run. He skipped past three tackle sin the box, went to shoot twice but opted to fire to the net at the third time of asking.
Robers bagged a consolation late when on Fay clipped to the net after being set-up by Ciaran Daly.
Bray wanderers: Shane O'Dowd; Jamie Lynch, Adeyemi Raphael Odogiyan, Ryan Higgins, Rhys Behan; Alex Mernagh, Lewis Brady; Cillian Walsh, Kyle Jackson, Olivier Gnutek; Daniel Oluwadara Olusola.
Subs: Daniel Howard, Fionnan O’Snodaigh, Conor Cunningham, Kristofer Marku, Ross Kavanagh.
Shamrock Rovers: Darragh Roche; Sean Galway, Rian Ennis, Adam Byrne, Charlie Nolan; Charlie Morrissey, Johnny Collins; Max Ellis, Ciaran Daly, Corey Fay; Seanan Fisher.
Subs: Maxim Afonin Jayden Marshall Bobby Zeller, Alex Byrne.
Referee: Patrick Henry.
Pictures: Ethan Finnerty.
* Elsewhere in the section, Bohemians defeated UCD 4-3 at the Oscar Traynor Centre.
The two results meant that Rovers (better goal differnce) and Bosh finished top on 22 points. Bray claimed third place on 18 points, with UCD fourth on 15 points.
* Bray are in Michael Hayes Cup action on Saturday May 24 next. They will take on Derry City in the first round at the Shared Village.
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