Advertisement
O'Connor celebrates in the dressing room. ©INPHO/James Crombie
Play-off

Brilliant Kevin O'Connor strike secures top flight status for Bray

The Seagulls’ 3- 2 win over Longford Town gave them a 5 – 4 aggregate win in the promotion/relegation play-off.

BRAY WANDERERS LEFT it late, but they edged a thrilling promotion/relegation play-off second leg with a 3 – 2 win in Longford and a 5 -4 win on aggregate.

A stunning 35-yard strike from Kevin O’Connor tilted the tie in the Seagulls’ favour in the 86th minute.

It was the third time Bray had taken the lead in the hotly contested encounter, but Longford Town could not find a third equaliser and stoppage time brought a red card to both sides as Shane O’Connor and Noel Haverty were sent off for an off the ball incident.

With the first leg ending 2 – 2 Gary Dempsey had given the visitors a vital early lead with his third minute goal which lasted until after the half-time break.

Daniel Purdy rifled in the first of his two brilliant goals before the hour mark and as tiredness and desperation set in, the excitement levels were ratcheted up.

Veteran striker Jason Byrne made his presence felt to set up  Kieran Marty Waters to restore the lead, but it lasted just five minutes before purdy sent the home support into raptures again when he made it 2 – 2.

With less than 10 minutes to go, neither side would settle for a draw and the game flowed from one end to the other until O’Connor took aim from distance and sent his shot out of Chris Bennion’s reach. With the ugly finish, there would be a total of 10 minutes remaining for Bray to hang on to the lead, but they did, along with their place in the Airtricity League Premier Division.

Opinion: Why Roy Keane should be Martin O’Neill’s number two for Ireland

The FAI has treated Mick McCarthy disrespectfully – Brian Kerr

Your Voice
Readers Comments
14
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.