St Patrick's spark in second half

Soccer National League: St Patrick's Athletic 3 Bray Wanderers 0: Clinically-taken goals earned St Patrick's Athletic points…

Soccer National League: St Patrick's Athletic 3 Bray Wanderers 0: Clinically-taken goals earned St Patrick's Athletic points to move them up to fourth in the table and leave Bray still looking for their first win of the season.

Former Bray player Paul Keegan and Trevor Molloy both scored inside seven second-half minutes as their guile and experience undid the visitors who were punished for slack marking.

Barry Ryan then prevented any immediate fight back with a terrific penalty save from Eamon Zayed before Keegan sealed it with his late second goal.

As they did in frustrating champions Cork City on Friday night, Bray set out to contain St Patrick's, effectively playing five at the back with Michael Roche man-marking Molloy.

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It worked, in the first half at least, as Anthony Murphy's long throw on 28 minutes brought St Patrick's only real chance when Molloy volleyed off the crossbar.

Bray had their chances, however, as the St Patrick's defence looked suspect. It gave up an earlier chance to Robbie Doyle, as Zayed made space to drill in a shot that Ryan did well to parry.

There was an eagerness and zest about St Patrick's in the second half, however, and it duly paid off as they were quickly two goals to the good.

Murphy deliberately allowed the ball out for a throw on the stand side. Quickly taken, his long fling picked out the alert Keegan who ran in to glance a header past Chris O'Connor.

Within five minutes St Patrick's doubled their lead with an expertly-executed goal. Keegan found Molloy free of Roche and the former youth international drove a shot from 20 yards to the net.

Bray ought to have got back into the match on the hour, but Ryan dived the right way to parry away Zayed's penalty, after Doyle had been tripped by Stephen Quigley. Colm Tresson fired the rebound over the bar.

Keegan saw a clever chip come back off the bar on 73 minutes before sealing the three points 10 minutes later when beating the offside trap onto Stephen Brennan's ball to dribble round O'Connor and tap home.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Ryan; Murphy, Brennan, Maguire, Frost; Murphy, Mulcahy, M. Foley, O'Connor; Molloy (Roche, 85 mins), Keegan.

BRAY WANDERERS: O'Connor; Caffrey, Roche, Tresson, McGovern, Keogh; Zayed, W. Tyrrell (Ryan, 65 mins), Fox, D. Tyrrell (O'Brien, 74 mins); Doyle (Georgescu, 78 mins).

Referee: A Buttimer (Cork).