Mark Salmon, Ger Pender and Kevin Lynch punished sloppy defending as Lee Chin’s Wexford Youths’ debut fell flat in a 3-1 loss at Ferrycarrig Park.
It’s just one defeat now in 14 games for Bray with this result confirming their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division status for next season as second-bottom Youths slumped to a fourth defeat in five games.
As expected, new signing, Wexford hurling star Chin, lined out for Youths in central defence alongside Lee Grace in one of seven changes from the side beaten 1-0 at Bohemians on Monday night.
With influential winger Dylan Connolly suspended, and teenage midfielder Darragh Noone out also, Bray made two changes from the side that trounced Sligo Rovers 4-0 last Saturday with Alan McNally and Alan Kehoe coming into Harry Kenny’s starting eleven.
Youths started positively, Chin twice going up for Craig McCabe long throws in the opening minutes, and they had a scrambled effort turned out for a corner from the second of them.
The hosts remained in command early on, Paul Murphy miscontrolling a diagonal ball from Andy Mulligan on 15 minutes that would have put the striker in on goal.
Despite their early possession, however, Youths fell behind from Bray’s first attack on 20 minutes.
Alan McNally threaded a ball in behind the poorly positioned Chin for the run of Jason Marks and though the winger’s shot was parried by home keeper Graham Doyle, midfielder Salmon followed up to tuck away the loose ball.
Chin was then booked for a rash challenge on Bray striker Pender on 40 minutes that presented the visitors with a chance but Hugh Douglas headed powerfully over the bar from Karl Moore’s resulting free-kick.
As in the first, Youths began the second half on the front foot; Aidan Keenan had a 52nd-minute goal disallowed as the whistle had already gone for a high foot.
But once again Youths were undone by poor defending as they conceded a soft second goal right on the hour.
Left-back Andrew O’Connor’s back-pass fell way short, which allowed Pender to race in, take the ball around Doyle, and slide it to the unguarded net to score for the fourth match running.
Lynch then wrapped it up for Bray on 72 minutes, latching onto another through ball to fire to the corner of Doyle's net.
Chin had a chance from Jonny Bonner’s 84th minute free-kick, but Peter Cherrie made his only save of the night to tip the effort round a post.
Shane Dempsey then drilled home Youths' consolation goal three minutes later when Bray failed to clear O’Connor’s corner.
Wexford Youths: Graham Doyle; Craig McCabe, Lee Grace, Lee Chin, Andrew O’Connor; Erci Molloy, Shane Dempsey, Jonny Bonner, Andy Mulligan (Shane Dunne h-t); Aidan Keenan, Paul Murphy.
Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Hugh Douglas, Conor Kenna, Tim Clancy (Chris Lyons 76), Alan Kehoe; Alan McNally; Jason Marks (Sean Harding 79), Mark Salmon, Karl Moore, Alan Kehoe; Ger Pender (Andrew Lewis 69).
Referee: James McKell (Tipperary)
