Soccer

St Patrick’s Athletic get back back to winning ways against Bray Wanderers

Chris Forrester comes off the bench to score late on for the champions

Lee Lynch of St Patrick’s Athletic score’s his side’s second against Bray Wanderers. Photograph: Donall Farmer / Inpho
Lee Lynch of St Patrick’s Athletic score’s his side’s second against Bray Wanderers. Photograph: Donall Farmer / Inpho
Mon Apr 07 2014 - 22:15

Bray Wanderers 1 St Patrick's Athletic 3

Champions St Patrick's Athletic got back on winning track with only their second victory in six Premier Division games this season as they eventually saw off the challenge of Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds on Monday night.

The Seagulls had some good early pressure with David Scully going close. But St Pat’s soon upped the tempo and Daryl Kavanagh went closest on 41 minutes when his angled shot from 20 yards was narrowly wide .

But the Inchicore men soon went in front a minute before the interval when a Conan Byrne cross from the right was headed home at the far post by Christy Fagan.

Lee Lynch stretched their lead on 51 minutes when he ran onto a neat ball from substitute Chris Forrester to steer the ball past the advancing Stephen McGuinness.

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David Cassidy pulled a goal back for the home side when firing in from 16 yards through a crowded goalmouth on 80 minutes but it was too little, too late. St Pat's restored their two goal advantage in added time when Fagan unselfishly laid the ball off to Forrester who drilled the ball home from 20 yards.

BRAY WANDERERS: McGuinness; Cooney, Webster, Mitchell, Maloney; Scully (O'Neill 81), Zambra, Kelly, Cassidy; S.Byrne (Brown 87), Akinade.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O'Brien (McCormack 45), Browne, Hoare, Bermingham; Chambers, Fahey (Quigley 81), Lynch; C.Byrne, Fagan, Kavanagh (Forrester 45).

Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).