Soccer

Bray move off the bottom with four-goal Sligo win

Trio bag their first league goals, Sligo remain winless under new boss Dave Robertson

Bray’s Andrew Lewis celebrates a late goal. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho
Bray’s Andrew Lewis celebrates a late goal. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho
Sun Mar 27 2016 - 13:13

Bray Wanderers 4 Sligo Rovers 0

Ryan Brennan, Karl Moore and Andrew Lewis all scored their first league goals for Bray on Saturday night to help them climb off the foot of the Premier Division table.

A scintillating second half display saw the Wicklow side secure their first home top-flight victory at the Carlisle Grounds since August 2015 as Sligo remain without a win under new boss Dave Robertson.

With just a point to show for their first four games this season, Wanderers manager Mick Cooke was delighted with the victory that saw them move up four places above Sligo, Wexford, Longford and Bohemians in the standings.

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“It was an important result. Our second half performance was very good. I told the lads at half time to tighten things up a bit. We didn’t allow then to dominate as much as they did in the first half . And we got on top straight away.”

Having stressed his new-look Seagulls will take time to gel, he beamed “It was nice to get four goals and a clean sheet. Having beaten UCD (in the EA Sports Cup), we finally clicked.”

Brennan broke the dead-lock in the 49th minute before Moore doubled the lead on the hour. Regan Donelan deflected Jason Marks’ corner into his own net six minutes later before Lewis wrapped up the win five minutes from the end.

Still pointless on the road, Robertson conceded his side didn’t do the basics right.

“I can sum it up in one word - disappointing. I was disappointed with the basic things we didn’t do in the second half. We didn’t win enough tackles, win enough headers. We didn’t’ earn the right to play.”

He added “By our standards, the performance was no where near good enough. They are the basic bits they have to be right first and foremost.”

The Wicklow side had lined out a 1916/2016 logo in the centre circle to commemorate the Easter Rising.

But were ordered to remove it by the FAI as Fifa rules forbid any ‘non-football’ markings within the boundaries of the pitch. Yet the darkened emblem was still visible during the game.

Bray Wanderers: Cherrie; Douglas, Kenna, McNally, Murphy (McDonagh 84); Moore, Salmon (Byrne 6), Brennan, Marks; Kelly (Pender 80), Lewis.

Sligo Rovers: Nugent; Adebayo-Rowling, Peers, Clancy (Leahy 45), Donelon; Richards (Russell 84), Roddan, Keohane, Sadlier; Lyons (Cretaro 63), Martin.

Referee: Sean Grant (Wexford).