| Rovers through to cup quarter final |
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| Saturday, 26 August 2006 | |
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Goal from Harpal Singh and Darren Mansaram gave Sligo Rovers victory over Bray Wanderers in a closely fought third round cup tie tonight (Sat 26 Aug) in The Showgrounds.
Sligo Rovers 2 - 1 Bray Wanderers Date: Sat 26 Aug, The Showgrounds Match Sponsor: Innisfree Hotel FAI Carlsberg Man of the Match: Darren Mansaram It was a different story from last Friday’s league encounter between these sides as Bray Wanderers fought to the end, but it wasn’t enough as Rovers dominated for long periods and held on to win two goals to one and take their place in the draw for the quarter finals. Bray welcomed back four players from suspension and injury whilst Rovers were forced to make one change when Kudozovic came in for the cup-tied Brian Cash. The first half stuttered to life with Bray setting their stall early on, whilst Rovers tinkered with a formation that had Turner on the left of midfield and Singh upfront with Mansaram resulting in an uneven showing for the first quarter. Wanderers struck first as Doyles header deflected off McNamara’s head catching O’Hara on the wrong foot. The resultant corner wasn’t cleared allowing Tresson to get a foot on it whilst on the ground only to blast over the bar. Rovers first decent attack came on fourteen minutes when Chris Turner tearing down left put in a superb cross that was almost put into his own net by Roache. Bray were proving difficult to break down until midway through the first half, the Bit O’Red began to inject some pace into the game with Mansaram showing well, without penetrating. It was the visitors who almost went ahead on twenty four minutes when Fox picked up the ball outside the box, went unchallenged goalward before striking a low shot on the slippy surface that went just wide. With Bray in the ascendancy, it didn’t take long for Sean Connor to switch things around going with a more familiar midfield, Kudozovic on the left, Turner and O’Grady in the middle and Hughes on the right. Soon after it began to pay dividends when a Turner free kick was flicked into the path of Singh by Mansaram, but the former Leeds’ man volley under pressure didn’t hit the target. The same two combined moments later in the thirty first minute when O’Grady found Mansaram on the left hand of the box. ‘Flash’ weaved his way into the box on the by-line, before passing low into the path of Harpal Singh, who made no mistake. Bray didn’t look particularly dangerous in their general play, but they had their fair share of chances from snap shots, notably from Paul Caffrey late in the half, forcing a good save from John O’Hara. The snapshots became closer together towards the end of the half with Tyrell and Robbie Doyle both going close. As the half came to a close, Rovers could have had a second, when an inswinging corner from the left, glanced goalward by Burns, only to hit the post out bounce out. Bray came out guns blazing in the second forty five with a couple of long range efforts ,but it was Rovers who had a gilt-edged opportunity to extend their lead in fifty eighth minutes. Harpal Singh linking on to a Kudozovic pass was taken down in the box by O’Connor, but Keith Foy failed to convert. At the other end Robbie Doyle forced a great save from O’Hara from close range, and in true cup fashion, Rovers countered soon after with Mansaram with a solo effort Sligo Rovers, battling his way through fouls, into the box, but he failed to hit the target with only the ‘keeper to beat. The home fans have a short memory and Mansaram will have been more than forgiven as a minute later, in the sixty third minute, he ran onto a superb O’Grady through ball to slot home Rovers second. As the game approached the last quarter hour, Bray played with increased urgency and had a great chance on the counter when Fox latched onto a cross from the right, but he couldn’t steer the ball on target. Robbie Doyle proved the danger man moments later cutting inside on the right before forcing a save from O’Hara. Paul McTiernan created a chance out of nothing in eighty minutes turning outside the box to half volley into the arms of O’Connor. But at the other end, there was more serious damage done as O’Brien set Doyle up inside the box and his weaving run opened up the Rovers defence for the unmarked Georgescu to back-heel past O’Hara. With four minutes injury time, it was an edgy countdown but Keogh’s effort was the closest they came, and Sligo Rovers deservedly won the right to go into the quarter final draw. Sligo Rovers John O’Hara, Gavin Peers, Keith Foy, Michael McNamara, Liam Burns, Conor O’Grady, Adam Hughes, Fahrudin Kudozovic (Paul McTiernan 62 min), Darren Mansaram, Harpal Singh, Chris Turner Subs: Gary Curran, Jamie McKenzie, Richard Brush, , Choice Aisien, Seamus Coleman, Emlyn Mulligan Bray Wanderers Chris O’Connor, Colm Tresson, Stephen Gifford, Michael Roche, Stephen Fox, Andrei Georgescu, Philip Keogh, Robbie Doyle (Colin da Silva Vint 86 min), Paul Caffrey, David Tyrell (Kieran O’Brien 68 min) Subs not used: Graham McNamee, Ciaran Ryan, Tony McKeever, William Tyrell Referee Paul Tuite (Dublin) Bookings Sligo Rovers John O’Hara Bray Wanderers Michael Roche, Andrei Georgescu, Colm Tresson, Willie Tyrell Report by Paraic Casey |
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