NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION - BRAY WANDERERS 0 DROGHEDA UNITED 2: Declan O'Brien scored his fourth goal of the season against Bray to give Drogheda a six-point cushion over Wanderers who are now in real trouble, rooted to the bottom of the table.
O'Brien struck for the killer goal 19 minutes from time, placing his left-foot shot past the dive of John Walsh after Mark Dempsey played him through on goal in a classic counterattack.
Bray manager Pat Devlin can't have been happy that it was Drogheda who started the match the hungrier of the sides, and fully deserving of their early lead.
Indeed, Drogheda had a shout for a penalty waved away by referee Anthony Buttimer for a challenge by John Flood on Andy Myler after just four minutes before Myler put Drogheda in front with a sublime strike two minutes later.
Robert Dunne worked a one-two from a throw on the right with Myler to cross. The ball was headed away by Graham O'Hanlon, as far as Myler, who scored with a nonchalant right-foot volley from the edge of the area.
A feeble Paul Forsyth shot that Gary Rogers comfortably held registered Bray's first effort on target on 28 minutes. A minute later they might have been 2-0 down. Declan O'Brien held the ball up superbly before laying it off to Myler, whose low shot Walsh got down well to hold.
A tactical switch by Bray got them back into the match on 34 minutes. Left-back Philip Keogh moved up into midfield, with Eddie Gormley being taken off as Colm Tresson came in as sweeper in a three-man defence.
It almost had an immediate effect as Tresson's crossfield ball found Jason Byrne, with Rogers doing well to deflect his shot out for a corner.
It was one-way traffic for much of the second half as Bray searched for an equaliser. Rogers produced a terrific stop on 57 minutes to parry away Byrne's free-kick from 20 yards.
O'Brien then finished off Bray's revival with Drogheda's second goal and might have had another before the finish but for a smart save from Walsh.
BRAY WANDERERS: Walsh; O'Reilly (Morgan 59 mins), Doohan, O'Hanlon, Keogh; Forsyth, O'Connor, Gormley (Tresson 34 mins); Zayed, Byrne, Flood (Fox 59 mins)
DROGHEDA UNITED: Rogers; Dunne, Lynch, Todd, Gray; Taylor, Tierney, Dempsey, Kelly; O'Brien, Myler (Delaney 89 mins)
Referee: A Buttimer (Cork)
