Bray Wanderers 1-0 Drogheda United
A late headed goal from Hugh Douglas - his first for the club - brought Bray Wanderers a fifth 1-0 win from six games.
Capping a solid all-round display, right-back Douglas arrived to power home Ryan McEvoy’s free kick with a firm header on 88 minutes.
It was a victory Mick Cooke’s Bray fully deserved as they dominated Drogheda for good spells. And but for visiting keeper, Micheál Schlingermann, they would have won by more.
While Bray were unchanged from last week's defeat to champions Dundalk, Drogheda boss John McDonnell made four switches in personnel as he looked to stem a run of results which had brought them just one point from their previous four games.
But it was Bray who started much the brighter with Peter McGlynn working Schlingermann before McEvoy drilled narrowly wide inside the opening five minutes.
The home side were caught square on 13 minutes, though, when Drogheda should have snatched the lead. Left-back Jason Marks’ ball over the top found the run of Lee Duffy in behind, but his toe-poke over home keeper Peter Cherrie bounced wide.
Bray maintained the upper hand, however, with Drogheda having Schlingermann, and the woodwork, to thank for not being three goals down at half-time.
Schlingermann’s agility was first tested on 20 minutes when he had to tip over a 30-yard drive from Graham Kelly.
And the big keeper was there again with a sublime save three minutes before half-time, somehow getting a touch to Kelly’s shot from inside the area to force the ball onto the bar and over after the tenacious Chris Lyons set-up the chance.
And when he was cleanly beaten, from McEvoy’s cracking 25-yard left-foot shot in first half stoppage time, Schlingermann’s right-hand post came to the rescue.
Drogheda were improved on the resumption with Lee Duffy not far wide with an improvised overhead kick seven minutes in.
His side having regained the initiative, Bray midfielder McEvoy, set-up by his captain David Cassidy, drilled a low shot wide just past the hour mark.
Substitute Dave Scully then headed wide before Douglas arrived to win it two minutes from time.
Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Hugh Douglas, Alan McNally, Niall Cooney, Michael Barker; David Cassidy, Graham Kelly, John Sullivan, Ryan McEvoy, Peter McGlynn (Emeka Onwubiko 67); Chris Lyons (Dave Scully 79).
Drogheda United: Micheál Schlingermann; Mick Daly, Lloyd Buckley, Robert O’Reilly, Jason Marks; Adam Whelan (Ger Pender 59),Stephen Maher, Sean Thornton (Robert McKenna 90+2), Tiarnan Mulvenna; Sean Brennan (Robert Bayly 74); Lee Duffy.
Referee: Ben Connolly (Dublin).
