Lively Limerick dump out nine-man Bray

FIRST DIVISION Limerick pulled off a major shock by dumping out Premier Division side Bray Wanderers in last night’s dramatic FAI Ford Cup fourth round tie at the Carlisle Grounds.

Pat Scully’s side were deserving winners against a frustrated Bray team reduced to nine men late on after Adam Mitchell and Danny O’Connor were sent off by referee Rob Rogers.

Defences enjoyed the upper hand for long periods of the first half, although the Seagulls spurned two chances before the interval.

On 33 minutes winger Jake Kelly’s free-kick was pushed away by keeper Barry Ryan. From the resulting corner by Dean Zambra, midfielder Daire Doyle headed inches wide.

Limerick broke the deadlock three minutes before the break.

A long ball from Denis Behan was not properly cleared by keeper Darren Quigley and midfielder Paudie Quinn fired home from the edge of the area.

In first-half injury-time, Bray might have equalised when a short corner by Kelly was whipped over by striker Chris Shields only for defender Derek Prendergast to head just over.

On 54 minutes midfielder Doyle whipped a shot across the face of goal but there was no Bray player on hand to apply the finishing touch.

Substitute John Mulroy fired narrowly over for Bray before disaster struck for the home side in the 74th minute when they had Mitchell and O’Connor sent off in quick succession.

Barry Sheedy had a shot blocked by Quigley with the ball rebounding to Quinn, who was taken out by Mitchell. He was immediately shown the red card by Rogers. The same fate befell O’Connor for arguing persistently with the referee’s decision. Denis Behan made no mistake with the resulting penalty.

Substitute Garbhan Goughlan added Limerick’s third on 86 minutes after a mistake by Prendergast, and their night of glory was completed in added time when Quinn fired home his second of the night.

BRAY WANDERERS: Quigley; S O’Connor (Knight 62), Mitchell , Prendergast, Massey; Zambra, D O’Connor, D Doyle, J Kelly; Shields (Mulroy 51), Murphy (McGuinness 80).

LIMERICK: Ryan; Treacy, Purcell, White, Bhandarkar (Broughall 70); Sheedy (Hynes 78), O’Leary, Judge, Quinn; Behan, Brosnan (Coughlan 62) .

Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin).

Picture: MY BALL: Bray’s Jake Kelly and Limerick’s Corie Treacy battling for the ball in last night’s FAI Ford Cup fourth round clash at the Carlisle Grounds. Picture: INPHO