Bray Wanderers (0) 1 - Dempsey 64'
Rovers (1) 2 - Sheppard 7' 89'           
 

Airtricity League - Carlisle Grounds - Sunday 9th October 2011

Hoops Line out
1 Richard Brush
2 Pat Sullivan
4 Craig Sives    
5 Dan Murray (c)
17 Jim Paterson 
20 Billy Dennehy 
21 Ronan Finn
18 Chris Turner
7 Gary McCabe
9 Gary Twigg
10 Karl Sheppard

Substitutes
14 Rohan Ricketts
for Dennehy 70'
11 Ciaran Kilduff
for McCabe 80'
6 Stephen Rice
for Turner 90'
16 Ryan Thompson
22 Conor McCormack
17 Ken Oman
8 Stephen O'Donnell

Rovers left it late to secure the points as Karl Sheppards 89th minute goal won the game after Gary Dempsey's speculative free-kick had equalised for the Seagulls. The Hoops number 10 had given the Hoops a 7th minute lead.

On a very blustery day at the seaside, the Hoops pressed the home side high up the pitch from the start and it paid divedends in the 7th minute when Pat Sullivans deep fine cross was met by the head of Chris Turner and although 'keeper Quigley made a brilliant save the ball fell for Shepperd to head the ball into the net.

Rovers kept up the high tempo and Gary Twigg saw his shot blocked in the box on 16 minutes. Gary McCabe's low shot was then saved by Quigley and in the 23rd minute a McCabe cross fell to Paterson on the left but his cross was behind Sheppard.

Shields cut out Sheppard's low cross as he raced down the right-hand side of the Bray box on 26 minutes and a minute later Sheppard just failed to get a proper connection on Twigg's flick on.

Rover should have increased their lead on 35 minutes when McCabe's cross was met by Gary Twigg but the Scotsman headed over the bar.

Rovers failed to increase their lead before the break and Bray had an O'Connor header saved by Brush and a free-kick by Dempsey in a dangerous position that was blocked by the Hoops wall just before the break.

Rovers continued to dominate in the second-half but were finding it difficult to create chances. Dennehy swept his effort wide of the Bray goal on 52 minutes but the large Rovers contingent in the crowd were shocked on 64 minutes when Gary Dempsey's free-kick from 25 yards out on the left somehow went through the entire Hoops defence to nestle in the far corner of the net.

It could have got worse a minute later but Danny O'Connor's shot was blocked insode the area. A Dennehy cross on 68 minutes saw McCabe head the ball across goal but neither Sheppard or Twigg could get a decisive touch.

Brush punched away an inswinging Dempsey corner on 72 minutes and two minutes later substitute Ricketts played Twigg in on the left-hand side of the box but his cross was cleared.

On 78 minutes Gary McCabe caught the ball well from 25 yards out and the ball crashed off the inside of the left-hand post and away to safety.

Rovers forced two corners in succession with Turner heading the second over the bar. On 83 minutes a deep cross from Paterson saw Quigley come to claim the ball well although the 'keeper annoyed the away fans with his time-wasting antics.

At the other end Waters shot over the bar when well placed after Pat Sullivan's clearance was inadvertantly deflected into his path.

As the game game entered the final minutes and Rovers desperate for a goal Karl Sheppard won possession just outside the Bray box and he fed Kilduff on the right who sent the ball across goal and Sheppard powered a header past Quigley.

Rovers played out the 4 minutes of added-on time as the home side pressed for an equaliser but Craig Sives was on-hand to head away a cross into the box.

The whistle was greeted with relief by both players and fans as a crucial three points was secured.