Kerry's promotion hopes crushed after another contentious red card
Jamie Duggan of Bray Wanderers celebrates after scoring his side's third goal. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Red cards in each leg – both harsh – proved the undoing of Kerry in their first-ever visit to the promotion playoffs.
After seeing Seán O’Connell dismissed late on during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Mounthawk Park, another dubious refereeing call 10 minutes into the second half crushed their promotion hopes.
Cian Brosnan certainly got something on the ball when lunging to thwart the sprint of Tyreik Sammy through the centre but Cork referee Lucas Keating deemed the challenge constituted a foul by the last man.
The visitors were already trailing to John Bilili Sesay’s opener at this stage, leaving them two goals in arrears, and the numerical superiority allowed Bray Wanderers to see out the tie in a professional manner.
They could even choose when to up the tempo in front of a sold-out 2,550 crowd at the Carlisle Grounds, pocketing a second with 17 minutes left through Tyreik Sammy after the winger had spurned a litany of chances.
Only the crossbar prevented captain Dean O’Shea from extending the winning margin with 10 minutes left.
The extra man influenced the momentum of the final stage and eventually fatigue among the visitors told as Jamie Duggan headed home a corner from Conor Knight to complete the scoring with four minutes left.
Facing the second-placed Seagulls, virtually a full-time outfit, was the most difficult task the Kingdom could be pitted against and there’s no shame in their journey ending in Wicklow.
Bray’s second win in four days over Colin Healy’s side pits them against UCD in Sunday’s final of the First Division section.
The ninth-placed team in the Premier, most likely Drogheda United as Friday’s series looms, await the victor in Friday week’s final for a place in the 2027 top-flight.
Beaten in the last two finals, Bray will fancy their chances of ending their eight-year absence from the Premier, provided they can see off the Students in the M11 derby at a neutral venue first.
One goal was all Kerry required to square up the tie at a venue they’d won 4-0 at the end of July but suspensions were heaped on by an injury in the warm-up that ruled out Niall Brookwall.
All of Matt Connor’s experience and aerial presence was essential in the early stages as the Kerry goalkeeper was besieged by crosses into the box.
From the first precise one after 10 minutes, Endri Mustali controlled the ball on his chest, only for his shot to be blocked by Jonas Häkkinen.
Sam Aladesanusi’s long throw-ins were a source of joy for Kerry and when Bray struggled to clear the danger, Vincent Borden’s flick was deflected out for a corner.
From the 15th-minute delivery, Robert Keane was close to emulating his namesake with a rising shot into the top corner but Rian Hogan showed his reflexes to save.
Connor had to do likewise from Bray’s best chance on 23 minutes, as Ajibola Oluwabiyi drifted inside to unleash a curler that the stopper dived full-length to tip over his crossbar.
Kerry were soon perforated from a set-piece as a chipped free on 33 minutes by Ben McCormack was looped into the air by Häkkinen’s header.
In volleyball style, Sammy was first to react, nodding the ball into the six-yard box for Sierra Leone international Sesay to flick his header beyond Connor.
Frustration grew on the Kerry sidelines, manifesting in Colin Healy’s yellow card being swiftly followed by a straight red dished out to his assistant Chris Collopy.
On the stroke of the interval, it took a brave block by Duggan to curb Cian Murphy’s goal-bound shot from a well-worked free-kick. Kerry kept pushing afterwards too, as Seán McGrath arrowed a low volley wide after Bray could only half-clear a throw.
Then came the turning point of Brosnan’s red card, a decision that not even the home players were pleading for from a referee evidently in a rush to brandish the red card from his back pocket.
Space enabled Bray’s attackers, especially Sammy, to cause havoc and those gaps were exploited with two more goals in the final over 17 minutes in the final stages.
A fourth-placed finish is a springboard for Kerry to build on next year when Healy had his second full season to work his magic.
R Hogan; A Kzenga, D Osagie, J Duggan, D O’Shea; JB Sesay (J Ryan 78), B McCormack (C Knight 85); T Sammy, R Ferizaj (E Cheese 78), A Oluwabiyi (R Kelly 86); E Mustali (AA Nyembo 83).
M Connor; C Bargary, S Aladesanusi, J Häkkinen, C Brosnan; E Lee, V Borden; D Okwute (L Palmer 70), S McGrath, R Keane (A Healy 62); C Murphy.
Lucas Keating (Cork).
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