Inspired by two early goals from on-fire striker Paddy Madden, Bohemians stayed in third place in the Premier Division after a comprehensive victory over bottom of the table Bray wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday.

 

Bohemians showed no hangover from last Tuesdays disastrous 4-0 Champions League defeat by Welsh side TNS in Oswestry. Manager Pat Fenlon made four changes in his starting line-up with the recall of Mark Rossiter, Glenn Cronin, Gareth McGlynn and Aaron Greene.

 

And it was the champions who had their noses in front as early as the ninth minute. A Killian Brennan header allowed striker Paddy Madden to get in a shot blocked by the legs of keeper Brian Kane. Madden was quickest to react firing home the rebound from close range.

 

A Derek Prendergast defensive error on 14 minutes allowed McGlynn to feed the ball to Greene who set up Madden to rifle home a shot from ten yards. That was his eighth goal in his last six league games.

 

Bohemians should really have stretched their lead on 32 minutes when a perfect ball from Cronin set up a chance for Greene. But he delayed too long and Kane was able to smother the ball at the edge of the box.

 

McGlynn again went close just prior to the interval but this time his effort was deflected for a corner by Prendergast .

 

Bohemians effectively wrapped up the three points in the 49 th minute when following a corner on the right, Paul Brennan created the opening for Brennan to fire home past Kane to the corner of the net from 20 yards.

 

Little was seen of Bray as an attacking force  although John Mulroy did have one long range effort comfortably gathered by ‘keeper Barry Murphy in the 72nd minute.

 

But that was isolated effort and now with just seven points from 21 league games, the Seagulls seem  certain to face the relegation trap door at the end of the season.        
 
Bray Wanderers: Kane; S O’Connor, Mitchell, Prendergast, Massey (Houston 45); D Doyle, D O’Connor (Kavanagh 79), G Kelly, J Kelly ; O’Neill, Mulroy.
 
Bohemians: Murphy; Shelley, Heary, Oman, Rossiter; McGlynn, Keegan (Higgins 82), Cronin, Brennan (Quigley 69); Madden, Greene (Byrne 77).
 
Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).