Bray Wanderers punished abject defending to notch up their biggest win of the season with this facile defeat of an utterly dispirited Monaghan at the Carlisle Grounds.
It all went wrong for Monaghan when Stephen Fox scored early. Maurice Farrell's cross in from the left was cleared only as far as Fox, some 25 yards out, and he hit a superb volley first time with the ball dipping into the roof of the net.
They were 2-0 down on 14 minutes when right-back Ashley White headed a Jody Lynch knock down into his own net. The third arrived nine minutes later when Phil Keogh's shot took a deflection off the foot of White as the ball flew into the corner of the net.
Fox got his second on 79 minutes when turning smartly inside the area from Paul Forsyth's cross to shoot low into the bottom corner. Gormley then put Colm Tresson through for the fifth seconds later and Tresson casually lobbed Downey for a super finish.
Bray Wanderers: Gregg; Tresson, Doohan, Lynch, Farrell; O'Connor (Forsyth 78), Morgan, Gormley (Long 86), Keogh; Keegan, Fox (O'Brien 86).
Monaghan United: Downey; White (McCarville 35), Place, Scully, McDonnell; Meier (Lundy 20), McGrath, McConville, Murphy; King, Vaughan.
Referee: I. Stokes (Dublin)
