Bray Wanderers 3 Drogheda United 0
Three first half goals saw Bray maintain their 100% winning home record in the U17 LOI Academy Phase 2 Tier Two (North) section.
It was also a second successive home clean sheet at Ballycorus in the 3-0 win over Drogheda on Saturday afternoon.
Before the game, Wanderers goalkeeper Alexander Kearney picked up an injury.
That meant David Winkler took over between the posts while there was a late call-up for U15 stopper Alex Forde on the bench.
It took the Seagulls just 90 seconds to break the deadlock.
They won possession off a United throw off the right wing in the visitors half. Dylan Ryan lifted a pass forward. Billy O’Neill rolled the ball into in the path of the breaking Rhys Knight. The skipper then span around an opponent and slotted past the inrushing Theo Hennessy from ten-yards.
Wanderers had a let off in the 11th minute when Cian Wilson’s low drive squirmed past Winkler and hit the foot of the upright with the custodian gathering the rebound.
The Green and White’s doubled their lead in the 26th minute.
From a Bray throw down the left channel, Knight found Phil Cooney wide on the flank on the corner of the box.
His ball inside found O’Neill whose effort was blocked; the ball rebounded to Ryan who drilled in a close range right footed half volley.
It became 3-0 in the 37th minute.
A back pass was played by a Drogheda player from the halfway line on the right wing.
O’Neill – who has now moved up to the U17 side from the club’s U15’s – chased it down. The Irish U15 international then charged down Hennessy’s clearance and the ball ricocheted into the empty net.
Bray Wanderers: David Winkler; Ronan Langan, Alex Baines, Ronan Dawson, Luke Smith; Paddy Kildee-Doolan, Aidan Kane;
Dylan Ryan, Rhys Knight, Phillip Cooney; Billy O’Neill.
Subs: Jack Nolan, Kian Dowling, Max Colbert, Ethan Cheese, Adam Reid, Roddy Cotter Alex Forde.
Drogheda United: Theo Hennessy; Ben Walsh, Ben Boyce, Ethan Maher, Cian Murphy; Adam Cadwell, Goran Simic, Liam Herbert, Andrew Olajide; Victor Akinbola, Cian Wilson.
Subs: Keith Tighe, Ryan Roche, Sean Manning, Emil Abulu, Joey Hegarty, Leon Hudson, Dylan Murphy, Romeo Fomenky, Brandon Gough-Smith
Referee: Keith Neville. Assistants: Ruben Collins, Darren O’Brien (all Wicklow).
* The team return to Ballycorus next Saturday top host St. Patrick’s Athletic.
Bray goal scorer Billy O’Neill, Rhys Knight, and Dylan Ryan.
