FAI Cup

Carlisle Grounds
21 Jul 2024

Match Report from

Sean Boyd’s early goal should have signalled a comfortable afternoon at the Carlisle Grounds for Premier Division leaders Shelbourne.

But Damien Duff’s side lost their way in the second half and laboured to a far from convincing 1-0 win over First Division play-off challengers Bray Wanderers.

Indeed, Shelbourne fans had to hold their collective breaths in stoppage time when Wanderers’ Max Murphy first shot wide across goal before bringing the save of the game from Lorcan Healy.

With the kick off delayed for 15 minutes due to crowd congestion at the turnstiles, Shelbourne, with eight starting changes from Thursday’s Conference League win in Gibraltar, laid virtual siege to the Bray half from the start and were deservedly ahead on 15 minutes with a fine team goal.

John O’Sullivan, who slotted in at right-back, got forward to link with new signing Rayhaan Tulloch.

Boyd, wearing a protective mask following a facial injury sustained in Europe, timed his run on to Tulloch’s pass to perfection to side-foot past Jimmy Corcoran to the bottom corner of the net.

Bray had far more about them after the break, Guillermo Almirall working Healy while Ben Feeney headed over the top from a Murphy corner.

And though Evan Caffrey rifled narrowly wide for Shelbourne, Bray pressed till the end, but just couldn’t muster an equaliser.

Paul Buttner

Bray Wanderers: 1 James Corcoran; 2 Max Murphy, 4 Kilian Cantwell (c), 16 Paul Murphy , 15 Zach Nolan; 14 Freddie Turley, 7 Darren Craven , 8 Harry Groome, 11 Callum Thompson, 31 Kieran Cruise; 6 Guillermo Almirall; 10 Ben Feeney
Subs: 5 Cole Omorehiomwan (for Nolan 92+), 17 Thomas Morgan, 18 Peter Grogan (for Thompson 83), 22 Zayd Abada (for Cruise 92+), 23 Shane Griffin, 26 Conor Knight, 27 Josh McGlone, 30 Billy O’Neill, 35 Benjamin Clark (gk)
Shelbourne: 19 Lorcan Healy; 16 John O’Sullivan, 15 Samuel Bone, 5 Shane Griffin (c), 4 Kameron Ledwidge; 27 Evan Caffrey; 14 Alistair Coote, 11 Matthew Smith, 77 Rayhaan Tulloch; 9 Sean Boyd , 7 Harry Wood
Subs: 1 Conor Kearns (gk), 2 Sean Gannon, 3 Tyreke Wilson, 6 Jonathan JJ Lunney (for Smith 59), 8 Mark Coyle (for Coote 65), 10 John Martin, 29 Patrick Barrett, 36 William Jarvis (for Tulloch 65), 67 Liam Burt
Referee: Paul Norton