Men’s Match Report: Bray Wanderers (H)
Athlone Town Stadium Is Becoming a Fortress
Athlone secured victory on the 10th of May 2024, playing out a 2-1 win against Bray.
Dario made two changes to his starting eleven, which saw Jarlath Jones and Matthew Leal come into the team with German Fuentes Rodriguez and Aaron Connolly missing out due to suspension.
Athlone started well and found the front right as 4 minutes click up on the clock. Athlone were looking dangerous and passing the ball well. Carl Mujaguzi laid the ball off to Jamar Campion-Hinds who clipped a ball over the top to Dean Ebbe. Deano timed his run to perfection to stay onside and headed it past the on rushing Stephen McGuinness to put the Town one nil to the good early on.
Bray had a chance to level the score in 12th minute when a Kieran Cruise found Cristian Magerusan in the six-yard box, but he wasn’t able to turn his shot goalward.
Similar to the goal in the 4th minute, Jamar Campion-Hinds clipped a ball over the top to Dean Ebbe who timed his run brilliantly again, but Stephen Mc Guinness was out quickly to claim the ball this time around.
Bray had their best chance of the opening half in the 26th minute. Athlone were wise to a quick Bray throw and Harry Groome found time and space to pick out Shane Griffin just outside the box, his delayed pass found Magerusan whose footwork allowed him to find some space and he got the shot away, but Enda Minogue brilliantly saved down to his left to keep the score at 1-0. To this point it was a 50-50 game and both teams were creating opportunities, and this was the best one for the visitors up to this point and the teams went in at half time with the score at 1-0.
The second half started how the first half ended with both teams playing well and trying to get the next goal. In the 54th minute, Athlone had a throw-in just inside the Bray half and it was worked well by Ebbe who found Oakley about 35 yards from goal, but his shot was deflected narrowly over the bar for the first corner of the second half. Torre took the resulting corner which was almost turned in by Ruben Candal, the ball was cleared by Bray, but only as far as Oakley who played the ball in behind for Ebbe, and in similar fashion he chipped McGuinness was out to try and claim the ball but the ball found the back of the net to put the Town 2-0 up.
Complacency started to set in for Athlone and almost cost them a goal. Enda Minogue dwelled on the ball in his box and that allowed Shane Griffin to close him down. Griffin nicked the ball from the Athlone goalkeeper and got the shot away, but Minogue recovered well to make a brilliant recovery save. Athlone didn’t learn from this and minutes later Ruben Candal was caught in possession and Magerusan blocked a pass which left him one on one with Minogue in the Athlone goal, but a brilliant recovery tackle by the ever dependable Dylan Hand saved the Athlone blushes on this occasion. However, it felt like a Bray goal was coming.
And it was in the 62nd minute Bray did find the back of the net, missed tackles and complacency lead to a corner for Bray that wasn’t dealt with, and Paul Murphy made no mistake from 6 yards getting his team back in the game. From the restart, Bray were awarded a freekick and it was only cleared as far as Magerusan who curled a shot from just outside the eighteen-yard box hitting the crossbar. Athlone needed to get a grip of the game, or it could slip away.
Athlone started to play again and had a goal ruled out in the 69th minute for offside. The assistant put the flag up despite it appeared that Mujaguzi was well onside, but the positive was Athlone were starting to run at the Bray defence again.
Athlone were awarded a penalty in the 74th minute when the brilliant Mujaguzi ran into the box with Paul Murphy for company and Murphy had his two arms around him and pulled Mujaguzi to the ground. Dean Ebbe stepped up on a hattrick, but McGuinness had other ideas and saved brilliantly with his legs to keep Bray in the game. It would be an interesting last fifteen minutes.
A Bray corner in the 81st minute was headed narrowly over by Freddie Turley Athlone were having to weather a storm to hold onto the three points.
As 95 minutes came up on the clock Bray won a corner which was surely the last action of the game. Stephen McGuinness came forward also there were twenty players in the box for the corner. It was cleared by Oisin Duffy and it fell to Guillermo Almirall who blasted the ball well over the bar and that was it, Athlone Town Stadium is not a place teams will like to visit.
Athlone held on to win 1-0 and pick up the three points.
Following match day fourteen this result sees Athlone move to third on twenty-five points and the Seagulls move down to fifth on twenty-one points.
Athlone Town AFC: Enda Minogue, Jarlath Jones, Daniel McKenna ©, Dylan Hand, Ruben Candal (Shane Forbes 73’), Dean Ebbe, Jamar Campion-Hinds (Jamal Ibrahim 54’), Carl Mujaguzi (Oisin Duffy 92’), Amardo Oakley, Brian Torre (65’) Matthew Leal
Unused Substitutes: Andrew Stuart Trainor, Gabriel Padilla, Divine Izekor, Gideon Tetteh, Roscoe Rubinstein, Ciaran Nolan
Bookings: Ibrahim (94)
Attendance: 558
AthloneTownAFC.ie Man of The Match: Dean Ebbe