Leinster Senior Cup

Carlisle Grounds
05 Feb 2024

Match Report from the

The knockout stages of the Leinster Senior Cup beckon for Bray Wanderers after a routine 2-0 victory over a youthful Shels side.

First goals for the club from Shane Griffin and Cristian Magerusan in the opening half were enough to secure the Seagulls’ passage to the quarter-finals as group winners – irrespective of what happens in the final group meeting between Shels and Wexford FC.

Ian Ryan named a strong starting XI as Bray played at home for the first time in 2024.

When the team-sheets confirmed that Shels had indeed left all their first-teamers behind, one-way traffic was expected at the Carlisle Grounds.

But in the first minute, Tyreik Sammy skipped by Max Murphy and delivered a cross from the left that Fiachra Coffey probably should have headed home. That would prove to be an outlier as the Seagulls quickly began to dictate proceedings.

On three minutes, Shane Griffin floated a corner into the Carlisle Grounds sky. With very strong winds to contend with, Shels goalkeeper Jamie Gamble got minimum power behind his punch and Freddie Turley’s half-volley was blocked on the line.

A Griffin free kick three minutes later saw Cristian Magerusan escape his man, but his header was kept out due to a fine save from Gamble.

Gamble had a moment to forget after a quarter of an hour. He completely fluffed a clearance, and it went to Magerusan 12 yards out. By the time he controlled it, defenders had submerged on him and snuffed out the danger. A defender then laid it back to Gamble to clear but the shot-stopper was on a different wavelength and allowed it to roll to Ben Feeney whose shot was somehow blocked – sending it looping over the bar from 10 out.

Bray continued knocking on the door. A surging run from Freddie Turley saw him play a one-two but his low drive was held by Gamble.

It seemed only a matter of time until Bray would make the breakthrough. A McGuinness clearance was nodded down and Guillermo Almirall played a brilliant first-time pass to release Feeney. The attacker pulled the trigger, but Taylor McCarthy slid in at the last moment to block it behind.

Shels’ clean sheet was vanquished in style after 25 minutes. Shane Griffin looked eager to shoot from the edge of the area but instead slipped it inside to Magerusan. The striker immediately returned it to Griffin who brilliantly flicked it onto his left peg before beautifully bending it to the far corner.

With an assist now to his name, Magerusan decided to add a goal to his tally. He was 20 yards out and to the left of the area as he unleashed a rocket that screeched into the top corner via the underside of the crossbar.

Despite being under the cosh, Shels battled well. They nearly pulled one back on 39 minutes. Callum Thompson coughed up possession on halfway and Sammy took it to the byline before cutting it back. Daragh Murtagh slid in to meet and was inches from bundling it home.

Bray quickly recommenced turning the screw. The ball was tossed into the middle and Ben Feeney was outnumbered but battled and outmuscled two men but was denied by a point-blank stop from Gamble.

Bray Head Coach Ian Ryan made four changes at the break with Cole Omorehiomwan, Thomas Morgan, Caleb O’Neill and Alain Kizenga all given a chance to prove their worth.

Omorehiomwan almost grabbed an assist just after the hour mark. Following a break of play for treatment, referee Rob Hennessy blew his whistle to restart and Omorehiomwan caught the Shels defence static by immediately chipping in behind for Max Murphy. He had options in the middle, but Murphy tried to squeeze in a strike at the near post which Gamble turned behind.

Minutes earlier, Zach Nolan made a tidy run down the left flank before finding Feeney in the area. The attacker poked past Gamble but was denied a goal as Cormac O’Donoghue cleared it off the line.

With the clock ticking down, the intensity levels dropped. Substitute Josh McGlone wanted to mark his return to the club with a goal on 75 minutes, but his attempted lob was batted away by Gamble.

Daniel Gorman

Bray Wanderers: 25 Stephen McGuinness; 2 Max Murphy, 4 Kilian Cantwell (c), 12 Jamie Duggan, 15 Zach Nolan; 11 Callum Thompson, 6 Guillermo Almirall, 14 Freddie Turley; 23 Shane Griffin ; 9 Cristian Magerusan , 10 Ben Feeney
Subs: 5 Cole Omorehiomwan (for Cantwell H/T), 17 Thomas Morgan (for Magerusan H/T), 20 Alain Kizenga (for Turley H/T), 21 Josh McGlone (for Feeney 64), 22 Caleb O’Neill (for Griffin H/T), 31 Kieran Cruise, 35 Benjamin Clark (gk)
Shelbourne: 1 Jamie Gamble; 2 Luca Cailloce, 5 Lewis Temple (c), 28 Taylor McCarthy; 7 Fiachra Coffey (, 6 Cian Doyle, 8 Aaron Maloney, 17 Sean Cummins; 22 Leo Healy ( half time), 29 Tyreik Sammy; 11 Daragh Murtagh
Subs: 9 Daniel Bergin (for Murtagh 78), 12 Fintan McNamara (for Coffey 87), 13 Cormac O’Donoghue (for Healy H/T), 15 Mark Isong (for Cummins 78), 20 Rocco Byrne, 24 Dylan Atanda, ?? Cian Kavanagh
Referee: Rob Hennessy