Bray Wanderers 3 Shelbourne 1
Bray produced a stunning second half display to knock out EA SPORTS MU17 LOI Mark Farren Cup holders Shelbourne.
The Red’s led 1-0 at the interval on Sunday afternoon at a blustery Carlisle Grounds.
But amid the rain and sunshine, the Green and White’s stunned the Dubliner’s in the second period with two brilliant long range efforts by Flynn Ryan and then Sean Howard before Cristiano Bramley sealed the first round victory in stoppage time.
With the contest in the 58th minute, Ryan intercepted a pass in his own half. Taking a leaf out of David Beckham’s book, the attacking midfielder launched a stunning shot from the halfway line – after spotting away goalkeeper Cillian Campion Wigglesworth off his line – with the ball dropping into the unguard net.
It got even better for Wanderers in the 64th minute.
After the visitors tried to play out from the back, the hosts intercepted. After an exchange of passes, Bramley teed up Sean Howard whose first time 25-yard drive expertly found its way into the bottom right corner of the net.
With the match into the third minute of time added on, Wanderers hacked clear from their own box.
Bramley chased the ball and was in a foot race with a covering defender. The striker reacted to an under hit back pass, got a touch ahead of the keeper and rolled into an empty net to seal passage in the last 16.
Having also been runners-up in the 2023 competition of the Cup, and won the 2024 U17 LOI League, Shels took the lead on the half hour mark in a tight opening period.
From the right wing, full back Lee Dunne delivered a cross that was powered against the crossbar by striker Joey Wuna.
The rebound came to Aaron Keogh who drilled past a crowded goal mouth with a ten-yard low right-footed half volley.
Bray Wanderers: Alex Forde; Jack Lawless, Max Free, Bailey Shelley, Luke Burke; Leon Creighton, Sean Howard; Billy Feeney, Flynn Ryan, Sean Hennelly; Cristiano Bramley.
Subs: Adeyemi Raphael Odogiyan, Albie Tormey, Karl Ralph, Etan Kelly, Jamie Dalton.
Shelbourne: Cillian Campion Wigglesworth; Lee Dunne, Patrick Brides, Mario Omozee, Jermaine Ryan; Alex Flynn, Alex Kendellan; Cillian Ryan, Aaron Keogh, Emanuele Vaticone; Joey Wuna.
Subs: Niall Murphy, Cillian O'Sullivan, Max Ferguson, Kevin Madu, Thomas Toth, Cole Byas.
Referee: Jacek Pawula.
Pictures: Ethan Finnerty.
* Elsewhere in the competition, Cobh Ramblers, St. Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers, Galway United, Athlone Town, UCD and Dundalk all secured first round victories.
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