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Bunclody
26 February 2006

Wayne Byrne has a go
pics Michael Tierney

The arctic chill in Bunclody on Sunday must have felt familiar to Wes Charles. The giant West Indian defender, recently returned from his Russian hibernation, gingerly tested the temperature of the Wexford air when he substituted for Michael Roche at half time and promptly got a kick on the shin for his pains as Bray Wanderers eased to a 3-1 victory. A pre-season friendly against junior opposition is difficult for players with nothing to prove but provides opportunity for youngsters eager to impress.

There were plenty of those on view as the Seagulls kicked off with only four recognised first team players. Prominent among the newcomers was Ali Farahmand, recently signed from Garda, who scored a fine goal and patrolled both Bray flanks to such good effect that he was one of only three visiting players to complete ninety minutes. Fittingly, although Bray manager Pat Devlin watched the game it was under 21 boss John Finnegan who was in charge of the technical area.

Bunclody started with spirit that belied the club’s status as members of the Wexford League, Division 2. But Bray soon imposed themselves with the veteran Kieran O’Brien and Wayne Byrne proving a handful. After twelve minutes the strike partnership turned investment into profit when home keeper Patrick Kavanagh could only parry Byrne’s shot and a rejuvenated Tarzan tucked the ball home.

The home team struck back on the half hour with the goal of the game. Bunclody have most of the trappings of a modern soccer club including the obligatory player with the exotic foreign name. And it was he, winger Adrian Wychek, the representative of a Polish population of no fewer than four hundred in this rural Irish town, who cut in from the right and fired an unstoppable drive past O’Connor into the roof of the net. Two minutes later the Seagulls restored their advantage. A fine passing movement released Farahmand and he coolly tucked the ball past the diving Kavanagh’s left hand.

Ali Farahmand tries it on

Bray made four changes at the interval and the game began the inevitable decline caused by exits and entrances. The spectacle was not enhanced by fussy refereeing from Mr Sean Grant who stopped the game at every opportunity.

The eircom League side prevented any possibility of embarrassment with a third goal in the seventy seventh minute. Colm James filleted the Bunclody defence and substitute striker Darren Lacey beat the tentative Kavanagh to the bounce and glanced the ball over the stranded keeper into the empty goal.

Bunclody, who possess a brand new state of the art indoor training facility that any Premier club would die for, are reduced to a park team when they trot out on to their pitch, the surface of which is appalling. So I’m pleased to hear they are about to rectify this grievous fault to an otherwise splendid setup. But not so pleased, I imagine, as the Bunclody players who deserve a better arena in which to display their surprisingly sophisticated skills.

As for Wesley Charles, as he applies another ice pack to his leg, he must be hoping that the next time Devo engineers another loan deal for him, it takes him to sunny South America.

Brian de Salvo

Bray Wanderers: 1 Chris O’Connor; 2 Ronan Ivory, 5 Michael Roche, 4 John McShane, 3 Willie Tyrrell; 11 Ali Farahmand, 6 Colm James, 8 Maurice Dunne, 7 Cian Connolly; 9 Kieran O’Brien (c), 10 Wayne Byrne
Subs: 12 Darren Lacey (for O’Brien 55), 13 Alan Young (for O’Connor H/T), 14 Keith Kelch (for Dunne H/T), 16 Robert Manley (for Connolly 70), 17 Billy Manley (for Tyrell 63), 18 Wesley Charles (for Roche H/T), 19 Luke Nixon (for Ivory 70), 20 Willie Murphy (for McShane H/T)
Bumclody: 1 Patrick Kavanagh; 2 Keith O’Hara, 4 Noel Conway, 5 Timmy Bolger, 3 David Halpin; 11 Adrian Wychek, 8 Justin Power (capt), 6 Joe Kavanagh, 7 Albert Furlong; 9 Johnny Flynn, 10 Dylan Keogh
Subs: 12 Timmy Halpin (for O’Hara 57), 13 Christie Atkinson (for Furlong 57), 14 Robert Morehead (for Halpin 70), 15 Michael Cowman (for Wychek 70)
Referee: Sean Grant