Battling Bray make a point with McCabe's equaliser

Bray Wanderers 1 Derry City 1:DERRY CITY missed the chance of moving back to the top of the Premier Division table as Bray Wanderers recorded their fifth draw in eight league games to keep their unbeaten home record intact in a tense clash at the Carlisle Grounds last night.

Derry, inspired by a 16th minute goal from Ciaran Martyn, looked like making amends for last week’s first defeat of the season against Sligo Rovers at the Brandywell.

But it was a totally changed Bray side in the second half after an inept opening 45 minutes as they dominated for long periods and fully deserved their point thanks to Gary McCabe’s 72nd minute equaliser. Having beaten Derry at home twice last season, Bray kept the hoodoo sign on Stephen Kenny’s side.

Bray, unchanged for the fourth league game in a row, went close after six minutes when winger McCabe cut in from the right only to see his 25-yard shot saved by goalkeeper Patrick Jennings at the second attempt.

Derry, with veteran Peter Hutton taking over from the injured Clive Delaney in the centre of defence, took the lead when midfielder Martyn cooly swept the ball home from close range for his fourth league goal of the season following a low cross from defender Steven Gray on the left.

Derry looked the more confident side in the opening stages with Martyn and Barry Molloy dominating the vital midfield exchanges and Hutton and Mark McChrystal solid and reliable in the centre of defence. The visitors should really have stretched their lead on 28 minutes when winger Gareth McGlynn’s cross enabled Sammy Morrow to set up the chance for fellow striker Tommy Stewart only for the latter to slice his effort wide of the target when well-placed 12 yards from goal.

Jennings, in his first start of the season when replacing the injured Gerard Doherty, comfortably dealt with a 30-yard free from Dane Massey just before the interval in one of Bray’s rare attacking forays. Midfielder Chris Shields almost had Bray level on 46 minutes when he shot into the side-netting.

Then a Massey corner on the right caused more problems for the visitors’ defence with defender Dave Webster heading against the underside of the crossbar and the ball was scrambled to safety by the Derry defence.

Bray kept pushing forward and were unlucky not to equalise when McCabe shot just wide after good work between Paddy Kavanagh and John Flood.

But the winger was not to be denied when a long ball from the back by Webster on 72 minutes was not properly cleared by Hutton and McCabe cut in to fire past Jennings from 15 yards with the suspicion of a deflection which wrong-footed Jennings.

Derry might have stolen the three points with five minutes remaining when first Gray headed over a free on the right from Morrow and then McGlynn saw his effort deflected for a corner after a cross from the left by substitute Mark Farren. A draw was no less than a battling Bray deserved.

BRAY WANDERERS: O'Connor; Webster, Foran, Deans, Massey; McCabe (Mulcahy 90), Brennan, Shields, Kelly (Kavanagh 45); Byrne, Flood (Mulroy 85).

DERRY CITY: Jennings; OBrien, Hutton, McChrystal, Gray; McGlynn, Molloy, Martyn (Higgins 70), Kearney (Farren 77); Morrow, Stewart.

Referee: Mark Gough (Limerick).