UCD put on a brilliant display at the Carlisle Grounds to defeat Bray Wanderers last night, handing The Seagulls their third consecutive defeat, their first such run since October 2022.
Bray had the chance to take the lead after just two minutes, but Dara Kavanagh was quick off his line to smother Danu Kinsella-Bishop’s chance.
Just one minute later, Éanna Clancy glanced home a corner whipped in by Ciaran Behan a to open the scoring for The Students, marking the fourth game in a row where Wanderers have conceded in the opening ten minutes.
There was a lack of a response to the concession from Bray, although they could’ve had a penalty when Rhys Knight’s shot sparked huge appeals for handball in the 19th minute.
It didn’t take long for UCD’s second, however. After 33 minutes, Ciaran Behan delivered a cross from just outside the box on the right hand side, it evaded everyone in the area, but it ended up in the back of the net, giving the visitors a two goal cushion.
Bray had the chance to halve the defecit straight after, when Max Murphy’s corner was cleared only as far as Richard Ferizaj, whose strike rose just over the crossbar.
That would go on to be Bray’s best chance of the half, as UCD went into the break with a two-goal lead.
Bray looked much improved after the break, and they almost pulled one bqck in the 50th minute, when Cian Doyle played Danu Kinsella-Bishop in, who turned his man, and forced a top class save out of Dara Kavanagh.
It was all Bray in the opening twenty minutes of the second half, and their efforts finally paid off in the 65th minute, when Max Murphy fed the ball to Rhys Knight on the edge of the box, and his low, driven shot from 20 yards beat Dara Kavanagh to give The Seagulls a fighting chance in the game.
The goal acted as a bit of a wake-up call for UCD, who grew back into the game and kept Bray from creating anything of note.
As UCD settled back into the game, they began to dictate the pace, and in the 93rd minute they made it count with a third. Adam Wells cut inside and rifled an unstoppable strike past Jimmy Corcoran, to put the cherry on the cake for The Students.
This victory for UCD sees them stay in 5th, while stretching their gap over 6th placed Wexford to three points after they played out a stalemate with Treaty United. The Students travel to Bishopsgate, hoping to beat Longford and push ahead of their playoff competition.
On the other hand, this loss for Bray Wanderers is concerning as it sees them having lost their last three games, and they were quite comfortably outplayed by UCD. Bray once again conceded early, and this has been a recurring theme so far this season. Bray will face Athlone Town on Friday, and they will hope to finally put it right with all three points.
MY MOTM: Brian McManus.