Goalkeeper Brian Kane brilliantly denied Mark Quigley and Keith Ward as Dundalk fell to an unlucky 1-0 defeat by Bray Wanderers in their final game of the season at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night. Both sides had chances in a poor first half, the best of them falling to the hosts’ Adam Mitchell just past the half-hour mark but he blazed over when one-on-one. Bray broke the deadlock after the break when Dean Zambra found the net from close-range following a cross from the impressive Kieran Waters. But Dundalk should have taken at least a point, only to be denied by the heroics of the stand-in ‘keeper, who recovered to tip Quigley’s deflected shot over before he somehow got a hand to Ward’s delicate chip.
One change
Dundalk manager Ian Foster made one change to the team that narrowly defeated Drogheda United in the Louth Derby seven days earlier as Stephen McDonnell, who was doubtful for the game with a knee injury, was replaced by Ross Gaynor, who came back in following suspension. In typical end-of-season fare, the game failed to come to life in the opening exchanges, with the first chances falling to Bray, captain Colm Tresson involved on both occasions as he flashed a low cross into the box, before shooting tamely wide after connecting with a Waters delivery following a break. Dundalk also struggled to create goalscoring chances early on, Quigley seeing a free-kick blocked.
Breen chances
However, midway through the half, they could have been in front, Johnny Breen firstly overrunning a Ward pass before Dundalk’s No19 then headed over from six-yards after an inch-perfect delivery from Gaynor. It was then the turn of Bray to miss a golden opportunity. Greg Bolger fouled Waters in the build-up but play was allowed to continue, with Mitchell breaking through, but with just Peter Cherrie to beat he blazed over. Bolger was then booked for the earlier foul. That was followed by Tresson firing off-target before Waters got behind Cian Byrne on 32 minutes but his shot from the left of the area was well pushed away by the visiting No1. Dane Massey then raided forward and fired into the arms of Cherrie as the hosts threatened a breakthrough.
Bray breakthrough
On 35 minutes, Bolger went down inside the box but his loud appeals for a penalty were waved away, before, seconds later, Gaynor drove a fine strike from 35-yards which was heading for the bottom corner but Kane did well to get down and hold. Before the break, Bolger’s free-kick was met by Colin Hawkins at the back post and he headed across the six-yard box but McHugh’s diving header couldn’t find the target. Five minutes into the second half, Bray broke the deadlock when Waters’ cross was squeezed in by Zambra, who also scored in the meeting of the sides in August. Like that last encounter, Dundalk should have equalised within 60 seconds as Quigley’s shot was deflected and was looping into the net but Kane recovered brilliantly to tip over.
Dundalk pressure
On 58 minutes, Bray went close to making it 2-0 as Gary Shaw beat Hawkins on halfway, and with Cherrie rushing from his goal, the striker decided to shoot early, but his effort from distance went wide. Mitchell then made a good covering tackle to deny a cross reaching Quigley, and from the corner Dean Bennett went close as he hooked Ward’s delivery over the bar. Soon after, Dundalk were again denied a penalty as Gaynor this time went down, Alan Kelly again not interested in the appeals. On 63 minutes, Dundalk went close again as Quigley picked up Bolger’s clever back-heel, but his dipping shot went narrowly wide. Substitute Jason Byrne and Ward combined on 70 minutes, the latter’s deft chip brilliantly tipped over by Kane, and that proved the last real chance as Dundalk narrowly fell short.
BRAY WANDERERS AFC: Brian Kane, Adam Mitchell, Derek Prendergast, Stephen Last (Shane O’Connor 66), Dane Massey, Dean Zambra, Gary Dempsey, Colm Tresson © (Danny O’Connor 73), Conor Early (Anthony Bolger 63), Gary Shaw, Kieran Waters.
Goal: D Zambra (50).
Booked: None.
Unused Subs: Daire Doyle, John Mulroy, Shane O’Neill, Jake Kelly.
DUNDALK FC: Peter Cherrie, Simon Madden ©, Colin Hawkins, Cian Byrne (Jason Byrne 60), Carl McHugh, Keith Ward, Greg Bolger, Dean Bennett, Ross Gaynor, Mark Quigley, Johnny Breen (Bob McKenna 73).
Booked: G Bolger (28).
Unused Subs: Paul Murphy (GK), Nathan Murphy, Stephen McDonnell, Philip Duffy, Conor McDonald.
Referee: Alan Kelly (Cork).
