Shelbourne give Keely a tonic

Shelbourne gave absent manager Dermot Keely the perfect tonic last night at Tolka Park with a deserved 2-0 victory over Bray Wanderers.

Forced to miss a match and take a break from football on medical advice, Keely's morale will certainly have been boosted by last night's victory achieved under the guidance of Alan Matthews and Noel King.

Shelbourne took the lead a minute before half time when Jim Crawford raced clear onto Owen Heary's through ball to round Matt Gregg and score. Stephen Geoghegan and Davy Byrne could have added to the tally early in the second half before Jim Gannon sealed the points after 82 minutes, heading home Byrne's cross.

First half entertainment had been very thin on the ground as both sides struggled to find any sort of rhythm to their game.

This was despite some early goalmouth activity when as early as the third minute Pat Fenlon had forced the best out of Gregg, while Richie Baker just failed to convert a Fenlon Cross after a quarter of an hour. Bray were limited to some half chances, but Paul Keegan, Colm Tresson and Eddie Gormley all failed to capitalise.

SHELBOURNE: Williams, Heary, Doherty, McCarthy, Hutton, Gannon, Crawford, Fenlon, D Byrne, Geoghegan, R Baker. Subs: Holohan for R Baker (53 mins), P Byrne for Crawford (90 mins).

BRAY WANDERERS: Gregg, Tresson, Keogh, Charles, Doohan, Gormley, O'Connor, Britton, Keegan, Byrne, Forsyth. Subs: Fox for Britton (61 mins), Doyle for Keegan (70 mins), Long for Gormley 89 (mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).