Bray moved away from the bottom of the table with an emphatic win over Dundalk at the Carlisle Grounds last night.

Three goals in a 12 minute-spell left the visitors completely shell-shocked as Wanderers tore them apart in the first half.

The arrival of Paul Keegan following a spell in America gave the home side a cutting edge up front and his partnership with Jason Byrne was to prove crucial.

Bray went ahead on the quarter hour following a strike from Byrne, who seized on a loose ball outside the box and hit it first time to the roof of net.

Thomas Morgan, who had made a fine interception at the Bray end, made it two on 19 minutes. Bray goalkeeper John Connolly left his team facing a mammoth task when he spilled Keegan's first-time effort on 27 minutes.

Dundalk pulled one back just on half time when Donal Broughan converted from the spot after John Walsh had upended Gerard Robinson in the area. And although they hit the woodwork shortly after the interval, their hopes were all but extinguished on 62 minutes when Byrne pounced for his second after Keegan had pulled the ball back from the dead-ball line.

Byrne secured his hat-trick in the dying seconds with another emphatic strike.

BRAY WANDERERS: Walsh; Long, Charles, Tresson, Farrell; Gormley, Fox, Morgan, O'Connor; Keegan, Byrne. Subs: O'Brien for Keegan (75 mins), Keogh for Fox (80 mins), Forsythe for Gormley (82 mins).

DUNDALK: Connolly; Hoey, Broughan, Mc Guinness, Crawley; Flanagan, Prizeman, Kavanagh, Keddy; Robinson, Ryan. Subs: Ward for Ryan (62 mins), Lawless for Prizeman (67 mins), Sharkey for Kavanagh (82 mins).

Referee: H Byrne (Dublin)