Bray Wanderers 1; Cherry Orchard 0: Bray Wanderers scraped through to the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup last night when an opportunist 88th-minute goal from midfielder Stephen Fox gave them the narrowest of victories over Leinster Senior League side Cherry Orchard in the third round tie at the Carlisle Grounds.
Orchard never showed any inferiority complex throughout the 90 minutes and, early on, Kevin Curley set up a good chance for John McNeill - only to see his effort pushed away by Bray's Australian-born goalkeeper Chris O'Connor.
Then, a corner on the right by defender Lee Cronin was not properly cleared by the home defence and midfielder Mark Mearns shot just wide from 16 yards.
Bray were rarely seen as an attacking force, although they might have grabbed the lead on 21 minutes only for the unmarked Graham O'Hanlon to volley wide of the target from six yards after a corner on the right by David Tyrrell.
O'Connor then had to come to the home side's rescue again when rushing from his line to collect the ball after Gary Sliney had a threatening run down the middle.
The so-called difference in class between the Premier Division of the National League and the Leinster Senior League was sometimes very difficult to detect.
And it was Orchard who really should have broken the deadlock on 52 minutes when Stephen Tucker - operating as a lone striker - shot just wide from 16 yards after Colm Daly had created the opening.
Soon after, a free by defender Lee Cronin caused total confusion in the home defence when a header down by Curley let in John McNeill for a chance only to be denied by O'Connor, who pushed the effort on to the upright before grabbing the ball.
Bray then went close when a probing ball from the industrious Colm James set up a chance for former Ireland under-21 international Eamon Zayed, only to see his header cleared off the line by Cronin.
The home side eventually snatched a scarcely deserved victory with just 12 minutes remaining when a free by Philip Keogh on the left allowed Romanian striker Andrei Georgescu to get in a shot which rebounded off the bar, only for Fox to shoot home the rebound from eight yards.
BRAY WANDERERS: O'Connor; O'Reilly, O'Hanlon (McGuinness 64), McGovern, Keogh; Tresson, Fox, James, Tyrell (Ryan 73); Georgescu (O'Brien 90), Zayed. Booked: Fox (62 mins), James (81 mins), Zayed (85 mins).
CHERRY ORCHARD: T Murphy; Sullivan, Curley, Barry, Cronin; McNeill (Gaire 75), Sliney, Mearns, Doyle (Thornton 90), Daly; Tucker (Roche 65 mins). Booked: Cronin (50 mins), Barry (85 mins).
Referee: P Tuite (Dublin).
