1 v 1 
Bray Wanderers| 21' Richie O'Farrell | ||
| Ryan Brennan 44' | 1-0 | |
| 57' Conor Clifford | ||
1-1 | 68' Richie O'Farrell | |
| Shane Farrell 71' | ||
| 79' Dylan Barnett |
Details
| Date | Time | League | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2021 | 7:45 pm | LOI Men's First Division | 2021 |
Match Report
Shels held to draw by Bray
It was honours even at Tolka Park tonight as league leaders, Shelbourne were held to a 1-1 draw by Bray Wanderers.
It was a night of missed chances for the hosts who had a number of opportunities to extend their lead and widen the gap between themselves and second place.
Shels started the game the brighter of the two sides. There were just two minutes on the clock when Ryan Brennan picked out Michael O’Connor with a wonderful cross but the striker could not convert his header.
The Reds looked on top early on and despite a chance from Callum Thompson, their defence rarely looked troubled.
O’Connor was involved heavily in the first half with several efforts on goal, one of which forced a fantastic diving save from Bray ‘keeper Brian Maher.
The pressure from the hosts finally told as they took the lead just before half-time. A great cross from Dayle Rooney was dummied by O’Connor and it fell to Ryan Brennan who did well to control and smash the ball home.
Bray came out flying for the second half and looked to be in control of the game early on. Shels looked to be comfortable with sitting back and defending their lead.
It was the 68th minute when the visitor’s dominance was rewarded. A delightful one-two between Richie O'Farrell and Brandon Kavanagh saw O’Farrell get in behind the defence. The midfielder made no mistake and finished into the right-hand corner.
Maher was called into action on two more occasions making another great save and doing well to sprint out of his box and clear a loose ball away.
Overall, the draw seems to be what both teams deserved. However, both sides will be disappointed that they could not take the three points.
A win for Shelbourne would have extended their lead at the top of the table to ten points and made them very likely to be lifting the trophy come the end of the season.
A Bray victory would have seen them jump into second place and given them an outside chance of lifting silverware this year.
Timeline
| 21' | 14. Richie O'Farrell | |
| 19. Ryan Brennan | 44' | |
| 57' | 6. Conor Clifford | |
| 68' | 14. Richie O'Farrell | |
| 69' | Callum Thompson Ryan Graydon |
|
| 17. Shane Farrell | 71' | |
| Kameron Ledwidge Kevin O'Connor |
75' | |
| Ryan Brennan Yassine En-Neyah |
75' | |
| 79' | 3. Dylan Barnett | |
| 84' | Joe Doyle Gary Shaw |
|
| 88' | Brandon Kavanagh Steven Kinsella |
Past Meetings
|
(Series 11)
1 - 4Carlisle Grounds Bray Wanderers v Shelbourne |
3 - 6Online Event Bray Wanderers v Shelbourne |
|
(Series 2)
3 - 3Tolka Park Shelbourne v Bray Wanderers |
Ground
| Tolka Park |
|---|
| Tolka Park (Shelbourne FC), Drumcondra South A ED, Dublin, County Dublin, Leinster, Ireland |
Conor Byrne
A journalist with an interest in sports. BA in Multimedia Journalism from the University Of Wolverhampton.
FULL-TIME: Shelbourne 1-1 Bray Wanderers
Maher does well come off his line and clear
A great chance for Shels but it seemed no one was able to make contact with the ball as it was put across the box
A stoppage in play as Brian Maher and En-Neyah are down after a clash
Wilson with a great chance that is well saved by Brian Maher
Dylan Barnett is booked for a cynical foul
Shane Farrell is booked for stopping a Bray counter attack
A great passage of play saw O'Farrell go through and finish well into the left-hand corner
Richie O'Farrell draws Bray level
Brendan Clarke is called into action but the save is comfortable
The resulting free kick is blocked and leads to a corner
Brian McManus with a great run but his finish did not match
Bray have looked on top in the opening minutes of the second half
Clifford has a great chance but he cannot connect cleanly with the ball
Bray get the second period underway
The players return to the pitch for the start of the second half
HALF-TIME: Shelbourne 1-0 Bray Wanderers
A great ball across the box finds Brennan who does well to control and finish
Ryan Brennan gives Shels the lead
Brandon Kavanagh engineers some space for himself and his strike goes close
O'Connor goes close again but his header is wide of the left-hand post
O\'Connor lets fly and it is well blocked
Brian Maher makes a wonderful save from an O'Connor header
And play resumes once more
Another stoppage as Ryan Brennan receives attention
Play resumes with a Shels corner that is headed into the arms of Brian Maher by Rooney
Play is delayed as there is a problem with one of the corner flags
Rooney goes close with the free kick
Richie O'Farrell receives a booking
A free kick in a dangerous position for the Reds
O'Connor goes down in the box but the referee waves it away to the disappointment of the home fans
A Michael O'Connor strike is deflected wide
Callum Thompson is slipped through but he cannot finish the one on one chance as his attempt goes over
Darren Craven has an effort from outside the area that goes considerably wide
Shels have had the better of possession so far but only the one chance of note
A great cross from Ryan Brennan
Michael O'Connor looked certain to score from close range with a header but he cannot get it on target
Shels get the game underway
The teams are on the pitch ahead of kick-off
Byrne, Ledwidge, Poynton and O'Connor come into the starting eleven for Shels
Bray make one change with Aaron Barry coming into the line-up
Gary Cronin will be hoping that his side can carry that momentum into tonight's game
The visitors' last game saw them come away 1-0 winners away to Treaty United after an injury time penalty from Conor Clifford
Ian Morris and his men will be looking to bounce back and pick up all three points tonight
The hosts come into this one following their first defeat of the season which came in a 3-1 loss away to Galway United
Tolka Park is the venue for tonight's game
Hello and welcome to Final Whistle's coverage of tonight's top of the table clash between first place Shelbourne and third place Bray Wanderers in the SSE Airtricity League First Division