Bray Wanderers 2 Longford Town 1
Bray Wanderers edged nervously through to the FAI Ford Cup semi-finals when first half goals from John Flood and Chris Shields gave them a win in their quarter-final replay against Longford Town at the Carlisle Grounds.

Bray Wanderers are pleased to announce the appointment of Pat Devlin as Director of Football.

Bray Wanderers booked their place in the FAI Ford Cup quarter-finals but not before being given a searching work-out by "A Championship" side Tralee Dynamos in last night's fourth round tie at the Carlisle Grounds.

First half goals from John Flood and Dave Webster settled the issue for the Seagulls against the first ever Kerry side to reach this stage of the competition.

Before a pitifully small crowd of just 500, at least half of them from Tralee, Dynamos belied their non-league status with a battling performance against their Premier Division rivals.

The Tralee men had an early chance when a free on the right by Jamie McIntyre was collected by lone striker Eoin Cassidy only to see his close range effort blocked by Bray midfielder Dave Mulcahy.

Bray did have half chances when first Dane Massey had a header just wide of the target after a Mucahy cross from the right. Then a long range effort by defender Daire Doyle was comfortably gathered by Tralee 'keeper Wayne Guthrie.

Massey then had another effort well saved by Guthrie before Bray eventually broke the deadlock on 31 minutes. A cross by Massey was this time spilled by Guthrie and striker John Flood was on hand to take advantage and shoot home from close range.

Defender Dave Webster had one long range effort prior to the Seagulls stretching their lead in the third minute of first half added time after a foul by Brian Fitzgerald on Flood. From the resulting free by Massey, defender Dave Webster fired home home from 20 yards to the corner of the net giving Guthrie no chance.

Dynamos refused to throw in the towel and early in the second half, McIntyre ran on to an opening from Peter McCarthy only to hook his shot over the bar when well placed.

Then Chris Kerins had a shot across the face of the goal with no forwards up to take advantage.

The Kerry side kept pressing forward in a bid to reduce the deficit and twice went close to piercing the home defence. After Daire Doyle conceded a corner, the ball was swung in by McCarthy only for Fitzgerald to head wide.

Then a James Sugrue free from the edge of the penalty area struck a wall of Bray defenders and away to safety for a corner. Dynamos were not lacking in self belief but it was their finishing that let them down.

It was Bray who should really have stretched their lead on 70 minutes when Mulcahy put substitute Jake Kelly in the clear. But his effort was well blocked by the legs of 'keeper Guthrie.

And there were futher heroics from Guthrie when he got down to brilliantly push away a powerful 12 yards effort from Bray winger Gary McCabe.

To their credit, Dynamos kept plugging away in the final minutes and it required a push over the bar by home 'keeper Chris O'Connor to deny Theo Diggins long range effort after he latched onto a pass by fellow substitute Wayne Conway.

Bray Wanderers: O'Connor; Doyle, Deans, Webster, Pender; McCabe, Mulcahy, D.O'Neill (Coughlan 55), Massey; S.O'Neill (Kelly 68), Flood (Mulroy 59).

Tralee Dynamos: Guthrie; Burrows, B.Fitzgerald (Duggan 85), O'Rahilly, Crotty; McCarthy (Conway 80), Quirke, Sugrue (Diggins 85), McIntyre, Kerins; Cassidy.

Referee: Derek Tomney.

Despite being down to ten men after just 23 minutes when midfielder Chris Shields was red-carded, Bray Wanderers earned themselves a place in the fourth round of the FAI Ford Cup after a narrow victory over Leinster Senior League side Bluebell United at the Carlisle Grounds last night.

The Seagulls had a disaster start when first central defender Derettk Foran was injured in the pre-match warm-up to be replaced in the starting line-up by Gareth Coughlan.

Then after just 12 minutes fellow defender Dave Webster had to limp off after shipping an ankle injury. Dave O'Neill came on as a substitute.

It got worse for Bray when they were then reduced to ten men when Shields was sent off by Wicklow referee Richie Winter for retaliating after he had been fouled by Bluebell's Niall Donnelly in a midfield clash. Shields was shown the red card as he was stretchered off the field with dislocated hip.

In a bad-tempered opening half Bray did have one rare half-chance on 41 minutes when striker Jake Kelly had a shot from 16 yards deflected for a corner by defender Niall Donnelly.

Kelly again went close in first half added time only to see his effort pushed away for a corner by alert 'keeper Keith Gallagher. Bray then had appeals for a penalty rejected by referee Winter after a Dave Mulcahy header appeared to be handled after a Gareth Coughlan corner on the right.

Bray should really have taken the lead on 53 minutes when a cross from the right by Coughlan allowed the unmarked Jake Kelly to get in a header - but straight at 'keeper Gallagher.

Bluebell missed a glorious chance of breaking the deadlock on 64 minutes when a long throw-in on the right by Paul Connaughton was not properly cleared by Gary McCabe only for striker Graham Dunning to scoop the ball over the bar from close range.

Gallagher then excelled for the non-league side when denying McCabe. But there was nothing he could do about Bray's opener on 65 minutes when striker Paul Byrne headed home from ten yards after a corner by Dane Massey on the right.

After Aussie 'keeper Chris O'Connor had taken down Gerard Bambrick in the area, Ciaran Quinn's spot kick was brilliantly saved by the diving O'Connor.Bluebell were to rue that miss when McCabe then shot home a penalty for the home side on 86 minutes after Byrne had been taken down by Connaughton.

Bluebell did have a consolation goal in the last minute when Andrew Cleary steered home a shot from close range after a corner on the left by Glen Keddy was flicked on by Graham Dunning. But it was too little, too late for the brave Leinster Senior League side.

Bray Wanderers: O'Connor; Doyle (Massey 45), Mulcahy, Webster (D.O'Neill 12), Pender; Coughlan, Brennan, Shields, McCabe; Byrne, Kelly (S.O'Neill 62) .

Bluebell United: Gallagher; Killeen, Donnelly, Connaughton, Kenny: K.Smith (Bambrick 68), Keddy, Holllingsworth, Loughran (A.Cleary 87); Quinn, Dunning.

Referee: Richie Winter (Wicklow)