Bray settle for a well earned point

It wasn't quite a win over one of the main title contenders, but then these days Bray fans are getting a little bit spoiled with their side's exploits against the big Dublin clubs.

Last night, a healthy travelling support had to settle for a draw at Richmond Park, but given that Wanderers came from a goal behind with only 10 men it must have seemed like a decent enough night's work on the short journey back home.

Bray came to Inchicore looking for their first win over St Patrick's since the autumn of 1997, but then their 12-match unbeaten run suggested that these days they are fairly well equipped for the task.

Through the opening exchanges they seemed set to prove it by holding their own, but after they went a goal down after 22 minutes and a man down five minutes later it was very hard to see how they were going to avoid their first loss since the middle of October.

The goal came from a curling cross from the right which landed at the feet of an entirely unmarked Martin Russell.

As John Walsh attempted to narrow the angle, the midfielder pulled the ball short and square to Robbie Griffin and the former UCD man had nothing to do but stick his foot out.

When linesman Joe O'Brien spotted Wesley Charles clashing with Ger McCarthy off the ball and drew the referee's attention to it, Pat Devlin could have been forgiven for concluding that the game was up.

However, Paul Keegan could have ended a goalmouth scramble by poking the ball home from a couple of yards.

In a game that boasted at least its fair share of "niggle" there were always going to opportunities for Martin Russell, Eddie Gormley and Colm Tresson.

If there was a bit of competition between the three, then it's safe to say that Tresson came out victorious for his 60thminute equaliser, a curling right footed free kick that flew in just inside the right post as Kelly desperately threw himself after it. Gormley had had a couple of attempts come to nothing already by that point but Russell's big moment was yet to come.

It arrived in somewhat bizarre circumstances, Barr being so keen to award the home side a penalty for a handball in the area that he ended up disallowing a Paul Osam goal scored seconds later.

Russell's subsequent spot kick was good but Walsh's save was superb and from that point on you sensed that Wanderers weren't going to let a draw they deserved slip through their fingers.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Kelly; Croly, Foley, S McGuinness, Burke; R McGuinness, Osam, Griffin, Russell; Kelly, McCarthy Subs: Holt for McCarthy (70 mins), Byrne for R McGuiness (74 mins), G Doyle for Burke (84 mins).

BRAY WANDERERS: Walsh; Britton, Charles, Lynch, Farrell; O'Connor, Keogh, Tresson, Gormley; Keegan, Byrne. Subs: K O'Brien for Britton (58 mins), Long for Byrne (87 mins).

Referee: E Barr (Dublin).