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Shamrock Rovers 5 Bray Wanderers 2
Sunday, 25 September 2011 18:28
GARY McCAVE was central to everything as Shamrock Rovers buried their Bray bogey to move level at the top of the table with Sligo Rovers.
Michael O’Neill’s Hoops remain behind Sligo on goal difference but have a game in hand.
Ex-Bray winger McCabe scored twice and was involved in a sending off and in winning a second free-kick from which Rohan Ricketts scored his first goal for the club.
With seven changes to the side that were dumped out of the FAI Ford Cup in Sligo last Monday, Rovers might have been ahead on ten minutes.
Ricketts did well to cross in from the left for Gary O’Neill whose looping header was punched off the line by keeper Darren Quigley.
But Bray were well in it and took the lead on 26 minutes. Rovers failed to clear skipper Gary Dempsey’s corner and Jake Kelly, who got the winner when the sides last met, scored with a stunning rising shot from over 20 yards.
But Bray’s day changed on 36 minutes when right-back Shane O’Connor was harshly sent off for a foul on McCabe, his second yellow. Bray boss Pat Devlin was then sent from the dugout by referee Richie Winter for something he said to fourth official Tom Connolly.
Rovers pressed hard prior to the interval and levelled right on 45 minutes. Ronan Finn collected a Gary Twigg cross to set up McCabe to rifle a crisp shot to the net.
Ricketts put Rovers in front direct form a free-kick five minutes into the second half with McCabe shooting home his second in style seven minutes later after working a one-two with Twigg.
Finn raced onto O’Neill’s through ball to add a calmly taken fourth goal on 68 minutes.
Twigg then headed home a Billy Dennehy cross to make it 5-1 right on the 90.
But Bray had a late say with Kelly racing in behind Enda Stevens onto John Mulroy’s pass to chip Richard Brush for his and Bray’s second goal two minutes into stoppage time.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Brush; McCormack, Sullivan (Dennehy, 72 mins.), Murray, Paterson; McCabe (Stevens, 72 mins.), Finn, Turner, Ricketts (Sheppard, 78 mins.); Twigg, O’Neill.
BRAY WANDERERS: Quigley; S. O’Connor, Mitchell, Prendergast, Massey; Dempsey; McGuinness (Webster, 43 mins.), Shields (D. O‘Connor, 57), Houston, J. Kelly; Murphy (Mulroy, 74 mins.).
REFEREE: R Winter (Dublin).
 
 
 
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