Shamrock Rovers 5 Bray Wanderers 0
Tallaght Stadium, Premier Division, 8 June 2018
Martin Russell took charge of his first game as Bray Wanderers new head coach. Wanderers made one change to the starting line up from the victory over St. Patrick’s Athletic the week previous. Ronan Coughlan returned from suspension in place of Ger Pender who dropped to the bench. Rhys Gorman returned to the bench after a spell out with injury.
Wanderers played for all but three minutes of this game with ten men after Conor Kenna was sent off for handball on the line. New Ireland international Graham Burke scored twice, and Sam Bone, Dan Carr and Dave McAllister also found the net in an easy win for Rovers.
Burke opened the scoring on 4 minutes from the penalty spot after Kenna handled on the line. Wanderers ten men held out for the remaining minutes of the first half. Eventually Rovers made the extra man tell as Wanderers faded in the second half in the warm weather. Gary McCabe limped off after 52 minutes. A minute later, Rovers added a second when Sam Bone scored low past Moran.
Burke fired home the third from the edge of the area on 75 minutes. Dan Carr tapped in the fourth at the back post on 83 minutes before David McAllister fired a long range shot past Moran on 86 minutes to complete the rout.
Shamrock Rovers: 30 Gavin Bazunu; 2 Ethan Boyle, 18 Joey O’Brien, 5 Lee Grace, 11 Seán Kavanagh; 27 Brandon Kavanagh, 6 Greg Bolger, 29 Sam Bone, 17 Joel Coustrain; 28 Graham Burke; 9 Daniel Carr.
Subs: 3 Luke Byrne, 4 Roberto Lopes, 14 Gary Shaw, 16 David McAllister (for G Bolger 79), 19 Seán Boyd (for B Kavanagh 72), 21 Aaron Bolger (for Bone 73), 25 Kevin Horgan (gk)
Bray Wanderers: 29 Evan Moran; 15 Darragh Gibbons, 4 Conor Kenna, 5 Sean Heaney, 3 Kevin Lynch; 16 Dan Kenna, 6 Paul O’Conor; 17 Daniel Kelly, 21 Gary McCabe, 7 Cory Galvin; 17 Ronan Coughlan. Subs: 9 Gerald Pender (for Coughlan 70m), 11 Jake Kelly, 14 Rhys Gorman (for McCabe 52), 18 Calvin Rogers, 24 Jake Ellis, 25 Cian Walsh, 40 Adam Dempsey (gk).
Referee: Anthony Buttimer
Attendance: 1588
Match Report: Michael Duffy