Bray Wanderers 1 Drogheda United 0
Hugh Douglas headed a late winner to score a dramatic first goal for the club as Bray Wanderers recorded a fifth 1-0 win from six games.
Capping his solid all-round display, right-back Douglas arrived to power home Ryan McEvoy’s free kick with a firm header on 88 minutes.
It was a victory Mick Cooke's Bray fully deserved as they dominated Drogheda for good spells. And but for visiting keeper, Michael Schlingermann, they would have won by more.
Bray started much the brighter with Peter McGlynn working Schlingermann before McEvoy drilled narrowly wide inside the opening five minutes.
The home side were caught square on 13 minutes, though, when Drogheda should have snatched the lead. Left-back Jason Marks' ball over the top found the run of Lee Duffy in behind, but his toe-poke over home keeper Peter Cherrie bounced wide.
But Bray maintained the upper hand with Drogheda having Schlingermann, and the woodwork, to thank for not being three goals down at half-time.
Schlingermann’s agility was first tested on 20 minutes when he had to tip over a 30-yard drive from Graham Kelly.
And the big keeper was there again with a sublime save three minutes before half-time, somehow getting a touch to Kelly’s shot from inside the area to force the ball onto the bar and over after the tenacious Chris Lyons set-up the chance.
And when he was cleanly beaten, from McEvoy’s cracking 25-yard left-foot shot in first half stoppage time, Schlingermann’s right-hand post came to the rescue.
Drogheda were much improved on the resumption with Lee Duffy not far wide with an improvised overhead kick seven minutes in.
His side having regained the initiative, Bray midfielder McEvoy, set-up by his captain David Cassidy, drilled a low shot wide just past the hour mark.
Substitute Dave Scully then headed wide before Douglas arrived to win it two minutes from time.
Bray Wanderers: Cherrie; Douglas, McNally, Cooney, Barker; Cassidy, Kelly, Sullivan, McEvoy, McGlynn (Onwubiko, 57); Lyons (Scully, 79).
Drogheda United: Schlingermann; Daly, Buckley, O'Reilly, Marks; Whelan (Pender, 69), Maher, Thornton (McKenna, 90+2), Mulenna; Brennan (Bayly, 74); Duffy.
Referee: Ben Connolly (Dublin).
