Athlone Town end league campaign as Bray denied title

Athlone Town 0 Bray Wanderers 1

John Dingle

Bray Wanderers were looking to lift the title while Athlone Town were striving to stay out of the bottom two when the teams met in their final league game of the season last night (Tuesday).

Ultimately both ambitions were shattered as, despite beating Athlone, title chasing Bray still had to settle for a place in the promotion play-offs. Drogheda were crowned champions after their win against Cabinteely, while a point in Cobh was enough for Shamrock Rovers II to claim eighth place on goal difference.

This means Athlone finish second from bottom in the SSE Airtricity League First Division ahead of Wexford. Athlone's focus now switches to their FAI Cup quarter-final against Shelbourne this Saturday.

Wanderers realistically knew that they needed to claim all three points on their trip to the Midlands in order to pip Drogheda. The early pressure came from the visitors with three corner kicks being earned in the opening ten minutes. Athlone had few chances on the night but could have taken an early lead when Jack Reynolds passed to Dean George, who looked set to score but saw his close range shot pushed away by the Bray goalkeeper.

Moments later, the visitors were out of luck when the woodwork came to the rescue of the Town. Bray's fourth corner fell to Killian Cantwell at the far post but his header grazed the upright.

Gary Cronin’s men dominated the half but were struggling to break down a resolute home rearguard. Aaron Myles did well to push away a goalbound Gary Shaw effort while Sean McEvoy headed wide. Athlone's last chance of the half saw Ciaran Grogan off target from a Ronan Manning free kick. Bray finished the half strongly and Myles was called on again to den Derek Daly.

The deadlock was broken a minute before the break. After Scott Delaney was booked for a foul on the edge of the penalty area, Ryan Graydon stepped forward and fired the resulting free kick past the defensive wall with Myles remaining helplessly rooted to his line. It proved to be the only goal of the game.

When play resumed in the second half, Bray were again on top as they looked to kill off the home challenge with a second goal. Adam Lennon had the first genuine chance of the second period, but drilled his shot from the right at the Bray keeper. On the hour mark, Daly looked to increase the lead but scuffed his shot when well placed to score.

Athlone were doing reasonably well in coping with Bray's attacking threat as they defended in depth. However a free kick in a similar position to that which led to the opening goal afforded the visitors the opportunity to double their lead on 77 minutes. This time though Graydon's strike, although on target, was parried by the keeper.

Lee Duffy came on as a substitute for the Town and could have celebrated following his introduction, but his shot on the turn cleared the bar. Wanderers' corner count was eventually to hit double figures but all their good work could have been undone late on. As the game headed towards the 90-minute mark, Athlone midfielder Mark Birrane took aim from long range with his strike beating the keeper but bouncing off the post.

Five additional minutes were indicated and although a first home corner was earned, no late drama ensued. A share of the spoils would have proved sufficient for Athlone to retain eighth place but Rovers' point against Cobh saw them overtaken by the Hoops.

Athlone Town: Aaron Myles, David Brookes, Scott Delaney, Ciaran Grogan, Jack Reynolds, Taner Dogan, Ronan Manning, Adam Lennon, Tumelo Tlou, Dean George, Mark Birrane. Subs used: John Morgan for Reynolds (21 mins); Lee Duffy for George (65); Evan White for Dogan (65); Evan O’Connor for Delaney (81); Shane Nealon for Tlou (81).

Bray Wanderers: Brian Maher, John Ross Wilson, Dylan Barnett, Killian Cantwell, Aaron Barry, Paul Keegan, Ryan Graydon, Callum Thompson, Gary Shaw, Derek Daly, Sean McEvoy. Subs used: Darragh Lynch for Shaw (H-T); Joe Doyle for Lynch (70 mins); Joe Watson for Daly (79); Tristan Noack Hofmann for McEvoy (90).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork).