Richie Towell stunner starts landslide win for Dundalk

Dundalk 8 Bray Wanderers 1

Richie Towell scored one of the goals of the SSE Airtricity League season as Dundalk swept Bray Wanderers away at Oriel Park on Monday afternoon.

Just three minutes had elapsed when Towell met Daryl Horgan’s lofted pass with a sensational volley from the right of the penalty area that left Bray Wanderers goalkeeper Stephen McGuinness with no chance.

The champions kept their foot on the accelerator and and just three minutes later it was 2-0 when Brian Gartland powerfully headed home a Darren Meenan corner.

Bray were thrown a lifeline in the 20th minute when Dane Massey took Michael Barker down in the penalty area and David Cassidy made no mistake to send Gary Rogers the wrong way from the spot. It was the first time Dundalk had conceded a league goal at Oriel Park since last August.

The reprieve lasted just three minutes as Dundalk restored their two goal advantage with a carbon copy of Gartland's goal. This time it was Andy Boyle who powered home Meenan's corner.

It was almost 4-1 minutes later. Chris Shields hooked in a cross from the left and David McMillan was desperately unlucky to see his effort go just over.

Towell could have had a hat-trick in the first half alone, the former Celtic midfielder going close with two more efforts, but Dundalk did hit a fourth right on the stroke of half-time when Gartland turned in another Meenan corner.

Any notions that Dundalk would take their foot off the pedal were dispelled in the 57th minute when Daryl Horgan slotted home after neat play by Ronan Finn to make it 5-1

Massey made it 6-1 when he rose to head home yet another Meenan corner with 20 minutes still to play, the winger’s fourth assist of the day.

Ronan Finn skipped around substitute goalkeeper Brian Kane to tuck the ball home for the magnificent seventh before Horgan made it eight with a delicious curling effort late on.

DUNDALK: Rogers; Gannon, Gartland, Boyle, Massey; Shields (O’Donnell 54), Towell (Byrne 67); Meenan, Finn, Horgan; McMillan (Mountney 61).

BRAY WANDERERS: McGuinness (Kane 45); Barker, Mitchell, Douglas, McGylnn; Onwubiko (Scully 79), McNally, Cassidy, McEvoy, McDonagh (O’Reilly half-time); Lyons.

Referee: Derek Tomney.

Attendance: 3,249