Bray make the extra man count

National League: St Patrick's Athletic 1 Bray Wanderers 2With Paul Osam sent off for the second time in 15 days, St Patrick's Athletic's title credentials suffered a further blow as another insipid display gave Bray Wanderers a badly needed win which lifts them out of the bottom two.

Osam, sent off in the FAI Cup at Derry City earlier this month, harshly saw red again as the letter of the law was applied when he pulled down Jason Byrne as he raced through onto Colm Tresson's return pass on 55 minutes.

Working the setback to their advantage, St Patrick's, listless for much of the game prior to that, equalised just four minutes later when Colm Foley headed home a Martin Russell free-kick.

But Bray's numerical advantage finally paid on 86 minutes when Byrne side-footed home Forsyth's cross for the winner.

St Patrick's, with one win in their previous five league games, were keen to exorcise the ghost of their poor display against UCD at Belfield on Friday against statistically the worst defence in the league.

But it was the home side that had the worst possible start in conceding a goal after just 80 seconds and a crisis of confidence seemed to envelope them as they put in another uninspiring first-half display.

Bray's goal was straightforward enough. Matt Gregg's kick out was flicked on by the head of Byrne and Forsyth's diagonal run wasn't checked as the winger skipped in to lob the ball over James Gallagher.

Bray continued to trouble St Patrick's lethargic defence, with Byrne turning past Darragh Maguire all too easily, only to find no one on the end of his low, drilled cross to provide the touch that would have made it 2-0.

It wasn't getting any better at the other end as St Patrick's, struggling to put passes together, were as equally out of sorts in front of goal as they were against UCD.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Gallagher; Croly, Foley, Maguire, Burke; L. Kelly (Hughes 89), Osam, Russell; Mbabazi, McCarthy (Holt 80 mins), Bird.

BRAY WANDERERS: Gregg; Britton, Lynch, Charles, Tresson; O'Connor (Zahid 80 mins), Gormley (Long 80 mins), Keogh, Forsyth; Byrne, Fox.

Referee: H Whoriskey (Meath).