Ror deal has Bray in a spot of bother
Bray Wdrs……………………….. 1
Derry City………………………… 1
BY DAIRE WALSH
RORY PATTERSON was Derry City’s saviour at the Carlisle Grounds last night.
In doing so, he damaged Bray’s rescue mission in their fight against relegation.
Alan Mathews’ side could really have done with all three points and for a while it was looking good.
Jake Kelly’s delicate chip over the head of Derry keeper Gerard Doherty crashed off the bar.
Doherty was then forced into a low stop at his right-hand post from David Cassidy’s shot on the turn.
Patterson twice went close for Derry, but just when a scoreless opening period appeared on the cards, Bray centre-half Adam Mitchell headed home from Adam Hanlon’s stoppage-time cross.
Blasted
David Scully’s goalline clearance denied City winger Josh Tracey eight minutes after the restart.
And when Kelly seemed poised to double his side’s advantage on the hour, the reliable Doherty produced a wonderful point-blank save.
This was a major turning point in the game – from the next attack, referee Rob Rogers awarded a penalty to Derry.
Dave Webster was penalised for a foul on Barry McNamee and Patterson calmly converted past Stephen McGuinness.
This set up a grandstand finale but despite being awarded a 78th-minute penalty of their own – following Doherty’s foul on a raiding Kelly – Bray could not get the job done.
Kelly blasted his spot-kick over the top.
Shaun Kelly’s second yellow card offence six minutes from time handed the initiative to Bray once more.
But not for long – as Niall Cooney was also dismissed deep into time added on.
BRAY WANDERERS: McGuinness 7; Cooney 7, Mitchell 7, Webster 7, Barker 7; Scully 6, G Kelly 7, Zambra 7 (Hughes 88), Hanlon 7; Cassidy 8; J Kelly 7.
DERRY CITY: Doherty 7; Kelly 7, S McEleney 7, Barry 7 (McBride 89), Jarvis 7; Tracey 7 (Boyle 96), Houston 7, Lowry 6 (Curran 46), Timlin 7; McNamee 7; Patterson 7.
REFEREE: R Rogers (Dublin).
STAR MAN
David Cassidy (Bray)