SSE Airtricity League Premier Division: Bray Wanderers 0 Derry City 0
Seaside shutout for Derry
From Daire Walsh at the Carlisle Grounds
BRAY Wanderers and Derry City had to settle for a share of the spoils at a sun-soaked Carlisle Grounds yesterday as Graham Kelly’s 41st minute penalty miss ensured that Roddy Collins’ below-par charges remain a point ahead of their hosts in the Premier Division table.
While there was obvious disappointment amongst the camp about the way they performed in the game, City defender Cliff Byrne was still eager to accentuate the positives.
“It’s another point away from home. There is a positive there for us that we need to take as a group, and we will moving forward into Monday (against Limerick),” said Byrne.
“When things weren’t coming together there today, you see resolute defending as a team. Working hard, put our bodies on the line. We dug in, and we made sure we kept a clean sheet. Once you keep a clean sheet, you’re always in the running to take three points.”
Having secured their second league victory of the season last week against Collins’ former club Athlone Town, the Candystripes were hoping to extend their unbeaten run against the Wicklow men, which stretches back to 2008.
However, the hosts were the dominant side for much of the opening quarter, and City netminder Gerard Doherty had to be at his very best to turn away early attempts by Graham Kelly and Ismahil Akinade.
Seagulls centre-half Dave Webster was also narrowly off-target from close-range, and just five minutes before the end of the half, guest Welsh referee Iwan Griffith pointed to the penalty spot after Danny Ventre handled an Akinade cross on the left-wing.
This presented Bray with an ideal opportunity to take a deserved lead, but much to the relief of the Brandywell faithful, Kelly’s thundering effort crashed away to safety off the underside of the crossbar.
Derry could count themselves fortunate to still be on level terms when the action resumed, and although there was an improvement in their play after the restart, Bray custodian Stephen McGuinness was having a largely uneventful evening.
Candystripes winger Mark Stewart did shoot narrowly past the right-hand post three minutes into the second period, but the reliable Doherty needed to be alert to tip a long-range Kelly drive over the woodwork in the 69th minute.
The Candystripes held firm during the closing stages, though, and Michael Duffy almost snatched all three points for the visitors one minute from time, only for McGuinness to deny him with a sharp save.
It would have been rough justice on Bray to have conceded a winner right at the death, and Byrne feels that their impressive display shows that you can’t take any team for granted in the League of Ireland’s top-flight.
“They’ve got a certain way of playing. They’ve got a good work ethic about them. It was a tough evening. I’m sure we made it tough for them at times as they did for us,” added Byrne.
“I said it last week, in this league you don’t have any right to go out and play an attractive style of football and deserve three points. You’ve got to go and earn it. As we’ve seen tonight, it was made difficult for us again.”
MATCH STATS
Bray Wanderers: McGuinness; Cooney, Webster, Mitchell, Maloney; Scully, Kelly, Zambra, O’Neill (Hanlon 81); Cassidy; Akinade.
Subs not used: Redmond, Brown, McGlynn, Curran, McGill, Byrne.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; Collins, Byrne, Barry, Jarvis; Stewart (McGovern 62), Ventre, E Curran (McNamee 72), Duffy; P McEleney (S McEleney 32); Patterson.
Subs not used: Gallagher, Foy, R Curran, Elebert.
Referee: I Griffith (Wales).