F.A.I. FORD SENIOR CUP 4TH ROUND

BRAY WANDERERS 2 TRALEE DYNAMOS 0

Padraig Harnett, Tralee Dynamos Media Officer

Tralee Dynamos wonderful FAI Ford Cup odyssey came to an end tonight in Bray following a 2-0 win for the home side. However this was certainly no disgrace to the Dynamos side who really put it up to the Premier side. Dynamos started with a 4-5-1 formation to try and thwart the treat of Bray. The game was played in front of a good sized crowd with a wonderful travelling support including members of Kingdom Boys who had defeated St Josephs Boys 1-0 earlier in the day.

Back to the game and Dynamos started well winning an early free kick which Brian Fitzgerald flicked on but it came to nothing. For Wanderers John Flood, who was later voted Man of the Match, was showing his class early on. Firstly Maurice O’Rahilly stopped him with a good tackle and then in the 10th minute Wayne Guthrie had to be quick off his line to beat Flood to the ball.

In the 16th minute Dynamos won a free on the right, Jamie McIntyre swung it in and the ball almost fell to Eoin Cassidy but Bray managed to sweep it away.

Bray broke quickly but Jonathan Burrows was doing his defensive duties while a few minutes later it was Darren Crotty who headed a dangerous Bray cross to safety as Wanderers turned up the pressure.

Things could have been so much different in the 23rd minute if Dynamos had managed to convert a good break. Guthrie’s quick throw found Kerins and he broke quickly with Sugrue and McCarthy in support but just as he was going to play the killer pass Dane O’Neill put in a good challenge and the chance was gone.

In the 25th minute Dave Webster fouled McCarthy on the right wing. His free was flicked on by Jamie McIntyre but the ball just wouldn’t come down for Cassidy.

Dynamos broke again in the 30th minute with Darren Crotty finding Kerins who tried to play the killer pass through the Bray back line but Chris Deans made a last ditch clearance.

It was in the 32nd minute that Wanderers had their first real shot in anger when Daire Doyle pushed forward and found space but his shot was well saved by Guthrie in the Dynamos goal.

A few minutes later and Guthrie was again called upon to make a save this time from Dane Massey who let fly from 35 yards.

Sugure, Peter McCarthy, Chris Kerins and O’Rahilly all looked for that elusive opening but the final ball just wouldn’t come off and in the 33rd minute it was the home side that opened the scoring.

Bray won a free on the right win McCabe took it and the ball rebounded to Massey whose shot was parried by Guthrie and the ball fell to John Flood who made no mistake from five yards.

For the rest of the half Dynamos were careful not to make any mistakes and hoped to get to half time with only a one goal deficit but three minutes into injury time in the first half disaster struck.

Brian Fitzgerald was harshly adjudged to have fouled the Bray attacker and a free was given just outside the box. Dane Massey stepped up and drilled a thunder shot that got through the wall, giving Guthrie no chance and making the second half a much more difficult task for Dynamos.

To be fair to them they came out with all guns blazing from the start of the second period with McIntyre, Kerins, Adrian Quirke and Kerins again all shooting but not really testing O’Connor in the Wanderers goal.

In the 60th minute Dynamos won a corner, McCarthy picked out Brian Fitzgerald but his header was just over while a minute later they won two frees in a row, the second seeing Sugrue’s effort just headed away by the wall.

Bray were always dangerous on the counter attack and Guthrie was called upon in the 70th minute to save with his feet from Jake Kelly while a few minutes later he made an even better save, diving to his right to push away a goal bound effort by the same player.

Dynamos never gave up looking for a glimmer of hope and the management rung the changes bringing on Eddie Duggan, Wayne Conway and Theo Diggins. It was the latter who came on when Brian Fitzgerald was stretched off with what looked like a serious leg injury but thankfully its only ligament damage and he should be back in time for the next game in two weeks.

Bray were content to sit back now and soak up the Dynamos pressure knowing how important a place in the last eight of the Cup was to the whole club and so the game finished as much of the second half was played – with Dynamos attacking but just not troubling the Bray goal.

Following the final whistle Dynamos thanked their fans who treated them to a huge cheer knowing that the team tried as hard as it could on the night. This has been a wonderful part of the season and what the game showed is that many members of this Dynamos squad are well capable of holding their own in the League of Ireland proper.

It’s now back to the bread and butter of the A Championship, with an away trip to FC Carlow on Sunday week.

We will be back in Bray for our final A Championship game on October 25th with could be a vital fixture in the overall context of our first season at this level.

There is no doubt we all now want to concentrate on winning the group in the A Championship and to see where that takes us. But this trip to the last 16 of the FAI Ford Cup will live long in the memory of the club and the players, management, officials and supporters. Dynamos have shown they can perform at the highest level, long may that continue.

Finally a word of thanks to our hosts Bray Wanderers for the wonderful welcome they gave to the team and fans and of course not forgetting to our mascot Shane Maher.  

Teams: Dynamos – Wayne Guthrie, Jonathan Burrows, Darren Crotty, Brian Fitzgerald, Maurice O’Rahilly, Adrian Quirke, James Sugrue, Jamie McIntyre, Eoin Cassidy, Peter McCarthy, Chris Kerins. Subs used Theo Diggins, Eddie Duggan and Wayne Conway. Not used Eoin Fitzgerald, Timmy Cotter, David O’Leary and Peter McCarthy.

Bray Wanderers – Chris O’Connor, Derek Pender, Daire Doyle, Dave Webster, Chris Deans, Dave O’Neill, Dane Massey, Dave Mulcahy, Shane O’Neill, John Flood and Gary McCabe.

Subs on – Gareth Coughlan, Jake Kelly. Not used Brian Kane, John Mulroy, Derek Foran, Ian McNeill and Colm Tresson.

 

 

 

Many thanks to the wonderful support. A special word also for Kingdom Boys U12 & our mascot Shane Maher

Bray Wanderers 2-0 Tralee Dynamos PDF Print  extract from www.fai.ie

Bray Wanderers booked their place in the FAI Ford Cup quarter-finals but not before being given a searching work-out by "A Championship" side Tralee Dynamos in last night's fourth round tie at the Carlisle Grounds.

First half goals from John Flood and Dave Webster settled the issue for the Seagulls against the first ever Kerry side to reach this stage of the competition.

Before a pitifully small crowd of just 500, at least half of them from Tralee, Dynamos belied their non-league status with a battling performance against their Premier Division rivals. 

The Tralee men had an early chance when a free on the right by Jamie McIntyre was collected by lone striker Eoin Cassidy only to see his close range effort blocked by Bray midfielder Dave Mulcahy. 

Bray did have half chances when first Dane Massey had a header just wide of the target after a Mucahy cross from the right. Then a long range effort by defender Daire Doyle was comfortably gathered by Tralee 'keeper Wayne Guthrie. 

Massey then had another effort well saved by Guthrie before Bray eventually broke the deadlock on 31 minutes. A cross by Massey was this time spilled by Guthrie and striker John Flood was on hand to take advantage and shoot home from close range. 

Defender Dave Webster had one long range effort prior to the Seagulls stretching their lead in the third minute of first half added time after a foul by Brian Fitzgerald on Flood. From the resulting free by Massey, defender Dave Webster fired home home from 20 yards to the corner of the net giving Guthrie no chance. 

Dynamos refused to throw in the towel and early in the second half, McIntyre ran on to an opening from Peter McCarthy only to hook his shot over the bar when well placed. 

Then Chris Kerins had a shot across the face of the goal with no forwards up to take advantage. 

The Kerry side kept pressing forward in a bid to reduce the deficit and twice went close to piercing the home defence. After Daire Doyle conceded a corner, the ball was swung in by McCarthy only for Fitzgerald to head wide. 

Then a James Sugrue free from the edge of the penalty area struck a wall of Bray defenders and away to safety for a corner. Dynamos were not lacking in self belief but it was their finishing that let them down. 

It was Bray who should really have stretched their lead on 70 minutes when Mulcahy put substitute Jake Kelly in the clear. But his effort was well blocked by the legs of 'keeper Guthrie. 

And there were futher heroics from Guthrie when he got down to brilliantly push away a powerful 12 yards effort from Bray winger Gary McCabe. 

To their credit, Dynamos kept plugging away in the final minutes and it required a push over the bar by home 'keeper Chris O'Connor to deny Theo Diggins long range effort after he latched onto a pass by fellow substitute Wayne Conway. 

Bray Wanderers: O'Connor; Doyle, Deans, Webster, Pender; McCabe, Mulcahy, D.O'Neill (Coughlan 55), Massey; S.O'Neill (Kelly 68), Flood (Mulroy 59). 

Tralee Dynamos: Guthrie; Burrows, B.Fitzgerald (Duggan 85), O'Rahilly, Crotty; McCarthy (Conway 80), Quirke, Sugrue (Diggins 85), McIntyre, Kerins; Cassidy. 

Referee: Derek Tomney.