Byrne the hero in resilient Bray win

Another game played at the breakneck speed of a fairground ride but this time there were winners, and deserved winners too.

Three times over the course of the three matches it took to decide the destination of this season's Harp Lager FAI Cup, Bray had battled their way back to level terms after trailing. Last night at Tolka Park they finally got their noses in front and when they did they proved more stubborn than their rivals when it came to surrendering a lead.

Twenty-year-old Jason Byrne was the hero for Pat Devlin's side, Robbie Keane's cousin scoring both goals for the Wicklow team after making his first start for the club since breaking his ankle at Sligo in mid-January.

Back then he was the team's top scorer and even if he had gone off the boil a little in the weeks before the injury there are a few at the Carlisle Grounds who argue the club might have avoided relegation from the Premier Division if he hadn't been forced to sit out the bulk of the season's second half.

His cup-winning performance last night, though, and the UEFA Cup spot that it earned will go quite some way to make up for the disappointments that dogged him after such an explosive start to his first year in senior football.

"A year ago I was just playing junior football, now I'm in Europe," he beamed afterwards, still clearly trying to take it all in. "It was tough being out for so long but for the last few weeks I kept saying to myself `I'll make the final, I'll make the final' and eventually I did. I'm grateful to Pat for giving me my chance tonight but I think I repaid him by taking it."

The Harps players, on the other hand, were clearly left wondering how it was that they hadn't taken theirs. Again they led their rivals, this time Jonathan Speak fired them into the lead after just 12 minutes, and again they must have felt they had the beating of the 1990 winners.

Even before the goal they'd had a couple of penalty appeals ignored by referee John McDermott and had enough of the ball to earn themselves a bit of a cushion going into the break.

Instead they were rocked by Byrne's first goal in the 38th minute. Donal O'Brien was penalised for what looked like a 50-50 tussle with Kieran O'Brien and when Brian McKenna decided against coming to challenge for Jody Lynch's free the young striker rose to finish well.

Wanderers might have taken the lead immediately after the break when Lynch's long range drive clattered off the left hand angle and the rebound fell kindly for Colm Tresson who nevertheless sent his shot wide. And they then had to survive their share of frights before opportunity came knocking again.

Barry O'Connor set the chance up with a high angled ball in from the right and Ruari Boyle suddenly found himself trying to retrieve a grim looking situation by getting in between Tresson and Byrne. In the end the Bray midfielder got a touch, the full-back didn't and the striker picked his spot rather sweetly.

Even then there was some 20 minutes in which Harps might have retrieved the situation and their manager Charlie McGeever was obviously a little frustrated afterwards that they hadn't managed to do it. "You can't take anything away from Bray, though.

"They defended well even though we got a good bit of the ball into the box over the closing stages.

"It's hard not to be very disappointed because I would have tipped us to win the cup this season and really, it was there for the taking. In the end, though, we kept knocking Bray down and they kept getting back up again. We couldn't knock them out and for that, they deserved it."

Still, when the initial shock passes there will be some questions asked in the Harps camp as to how a first major honour in 25 years slipped out of their grasp. On Saturday Speak had two clear chances to finish Wanderers off and passed up both while yesterday Speak and James Mulligan saw enough of the ball from a midfield that was again on top for long stretches to win the match a couple of times over.

For their work-rate and sheer determination not to let the match get away from them, Bray proved irresistible with Kieran O'Brien outstanding in the first period, Stephen Fox again a key influence in the second half and the defence, for the third time, providing a far sterner test for the Harps strikers than they might have expected.

Afterwards, in the Shelbourne clubhouse, Pat Devlin, drained from a combination of the added strain that the last month has exerted on him and his attempts to persuade the non-believers that his team would bounce back to win this cup was jubilant as he faced his doubters.

"To hell with all the critics and pundits who said we didn't have a chance," he grinned "we're in Europe and we'll be back in the Premier Division soon too. We've said we're going to be a big club and people don't believe us but out there tonight we started proving people wrong." By now, of course, he was speaking to the converted.

BRAY WANDERERS: Walsh; Kenny, Doohan, J Lynch, Farrell; O'Connor, Tresson, Fox, Keogh; Byrne, K O'Brien. Subs: Smith for Farrell (87 mins).

FINN HARPS: McKenna; Scanlon, Dykes, D Boyle, Minnock; Mohan, O'Brien, Harkin, McGrenaghan; Mulligan, Speak. Subs: R Boyle for Scanlon (65 mins), Sheridan for McGrenaghan (77 mins), Bradley for Mohan (83 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).