GALWAY UNITED'S dismal season continued with a four goal trashing by Bray Wanderers in a game that saw them operate with just ten men for 88 minutes.

 

Sean Connor's Tribesmen fell to their 20th successive league defeat of the season while Wanderers recorded only their second win in eight league games with a comfortable victory at the Carlisle Grounds.

The Westerners had that worst of possible starts when defender Laurence Gaughan was red-carded by Cork referee Anthony Buttimer after just two minutes following a reckless two-footed challenge on Bray's Shane O'Connor.

The Seagulls took the lead on 12 minutes when a cross by Dean Zambra on the right was pushed out by diving 'keeper Conor Wynn only for the ball to fall perfectly for winger Jake Kelly to fire home from close range. 

After a quick throw-in on the right, a cross by defender O'Connor found the unmarked Zambra on the left but he shot wide when the home side should really have stretched their lead. Then striker Chris Shields scuffed a shot wide of the target after midfielder Danny O'Connor had created the opening.

Against the run of play Galway almost grabbed an equaliser on 51 minutes when Korean Jin Lu Kim put Victor Collins in the clear only for his effort to be brilliantly saved by Bray 'keeper Darren Quigley 12 yards from his goal.

And just four minutes later an Alan Murphy effort was blocked by Seagulls defender Derek Prendergast. Galway were to regret those misses when the excellent Danny O'Connor headed home Bray's second goal from 12 yards after a Jake Kelly cross from the left.  

The home side's numerical advantage told further on 68 minutes when Shane O'Neill fired home from the edge of the box, the ball bouncing off the crossbar into the net after substitute Marty Waters had set up the chance on the left.

Victory for the home side was guaranteed on 85 minutes when after a short corner on the left by substitute Kevin Knight, Zambra crossed for left for central defender Derek Prendergast to head powefully home at the far post.

BRAY WANDERERS: Quigley; S.O'Connor, Mitchell (Waters 60), Prendergast, Houston; Zambra, G.Kelly, D.O'Connor  (Knight 71), J.Kelly (Mulroy 80); Shields, O'Neill.

GALWAY UNITED: Wynn; E.P.Kelly, Gaughan, Brown, Holland (Gilmore 60); Kim, G. Kelly, Sinnott, Walsh (Caldwell 83); A. Murphy, Collins (Eduardo 60).

Referee - Anthony Buttimer (Cork).