Leinster Senior Cup

Carlisle Grounds
25 February 2010

Bray eased their way into the next round of the revived Leinster Senior Cup, though not without some nervous moments.

Shane O'Neill's early strike was cancelled within the half-hour by Austin Skelly's penalty, but Jake Kelly capitalised on a lay-off by O'Neill to fire home from a narrow angle just before the end of normal time to seal the tie.

The opening score came from a long throw by home skipper Daire Doyle, O'Neill running through to meet Dean Zambra's flick-on with an easy tap in from 8m, as Chris Bennion was out of position.

But the midlanders were not going to go down without a fight, and Brian Kane had to stretch to push away a free seven minutes in.

Ten minutes later at the other end, Jake Kelly's free from the edge of the area after Chris Shields was brought down by Eoin O'Shea forced Bennion into a superb flying push away.

Halfway through the first period, Richie O'Hanlon shot wide from the right after a long-range free.

But the home side's advantage was then cancelled when referee Declan Hanney pointed to the spot after Doyle brought Austin Skelly to the ground near the end line. Skelly stepped up himself and duly converted.

Both sides had further chances before the break, Shane O'Neill going close after loose play in the left-hand corner, and O'Hanlon blasting over.

However, Bray went closest toi a further goal, Chris Shields's shot from a John Mulroy cross crashing off the right-hand post.

In the final minute of the period, Gareth Kenna headed off target from Stephen Place's corner.

Kelly was off-target five minutes after the restart and again another five minutes in, this time from a Dean Zambra corner.

Athlone defended well from another Zambra flag-kick just before the hour, and Shane O'Neill's eventual shot was well taken by the diving Bennion.

Kelly's efforts seemed to be getting ever closer, narrowly right of the post after a David O'Neill cross just after the hour, and bringing a fingertip touch from Bennion five minutes later.

The entertaining game flowed in both directions, a Shields effort seeming to be deflected just left with a quarter of an hour to go, and Dane Massey shooting over after a corner on the left.

As the clock wound down, Athlone's Brian McCarthy was narrowly over Kane's crossbar after an O'Hanlon corner.

Then Kelly finally found the target after Shane O'Neill, having just rounded the keeper and found himself on the wrong foot, laid off to the Bray winger, who fired home from a very narrow angle with Bennion wrong-footed.

Athlone felt hard done by when referee Hanney blew up as McCarthy shot goalwards - but the ball flew past the far post in any case.

It was a heartening opener for the young Bray side, who are now unexpectedly catapulted into Premier Division action.

Mícheál Ó hUanacháin

Bray Wanderers: 1 Brian Kane; 2 Daire Doyle (c), 4 Philip Knight, 5 Shane O'Connor, 3 Dane Massey; 7 Chris Shields, 6 David O'Neill, 8 Dean Zambra, 11 Jake Kelly; 9 John Mulroy, 10 Shane O'Neill
Subs: 12 Colm Tresson, 14 Dean Barrett (for Mulroy 92), 15 Nicky Byrne, 16 James Kavanagh, 17 Ian Tuohy, 18 David Tyrrell, 25 Carl Donnelly (gk)
Athlone Town: 1 Chris Bennion (c); 2 Mark Nolan, 5 Des Hope, 4 Brian McCarthy, 3 Eoin O'Shea; 11 Richie O'Hanlon, 8 Stephen Place, 6 Gareth Kenna, 7 Noel McGee; 9 Robert Farrell, 10 Austin Skelly
Subs: 12 Gordon Watson (for Skelly 70), 13 Kevin Quinn, 14 Niall Scullion, 15 Robert Benson, 16 Kevin Williamson, 17 Shane Dolan (for McGee 56), 18 Kevin Dunne, 20 Scott Gaynor
Referee: Declan Hanney