KILKENNY CITY 0 ATHLONE TOWN 1 (McCann 77)
SLIGO ROVERS 3 (Williams 11, McNamara 59, O'Dowd 68) BRAY WANDERERS 2 (Fox 24, Gormley 36)
COBH RAMBLERS 1 (Brosnan 1) KILDARE COUNTY 1 (Whelehan 52)
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Two goals from the most unlikely of sources might just have paved the way for Dublin City to claim their first ever eircom First Division title, as GAA star Michael McNamara and winger David O’Dowd, netting just his second goal of 2003, gave Sligo Rovers a 3-2 win over title chasing Bray Wanderers at the Showgrounds tonight. Three points for Bray would have seen them reclaim the Division’s top spot, but they conceded their first goals in 270 minutes of football to leave remaining three points behind City, facing into the final run of two games.
It was O’Dowd who scored on June 1st at the same venue, defeating Bray 1-0, and the 22-year-old came back to haunt the seaside club, hitting the winner after 68 minutes, from a rebounded Steve Feeney shot. Don O’Riordan’s men, with just four wins from their previous 15 home games, began the brighter with an opening shot from Rivere Williams flashing over on eight minutes. But the Barbados international made no mistake three minutes later when a mistake by Bray defender Colm Tresson saw Gareth Gorman stab the ball forward into Williams’ path, and he placed a low shot under the advancing John Walsh for the lead goal.
Pat Devlin’s side played their way back into contention and in the 24th minute a Paul Forsyth cross caused problems in the Sligo defence, and Wesley Charles’ flick header gave Stephen Fox the chance to volley home from ten yards with Rovers’ goalkeeper Ciaran Kelly. Bray took the lead nine minutes before the break, when an in-swinging corner from Eddie Gormley turned viciously in the western winds and stole in at the near post before Kelly or defender Sean Purcell could get a touch. Gormley’s first goal in nineteen league games seemingly paved the way for a Bray win, but Sligo had other thoughts and almost levelled the game on 53 minutes, when defender Barry O’Dwyer went narrowly wide with a header from Damien Scanlon’s free kick. Just five minutes later they had their second goal however when McNamara drove home from twelve yards, following a Scanlon corner. Poor defending from Bray allowed Rovers midfielder Steve Feeney the space to shoot and when his effort was knocked onto his own right post by centre back Charles, O’Dowd was on cue to knock home the loose ball. Wanderers left it late for a comeback bid with Stephen Fox almost scoring with a 92nd minute header, but with Gormley receiving the visitors’ third yellow card in injury time, it all proved too late for a frustrated Bray. Elsewhere a 77th minute goal from Michael McCann, his second in three games, gave Athlone Town a 1-0 win over Kilkenny at Buckley Park. Another man in scoring form is Michael Brosnan of Cobh Ramblers who netted after sixty seconds at St Colman’s Park only to see Kildare’s Ben Whelehan equalise seven minutes into the second half. Kildare have jumped into fourth ahead of Limerick, with third-placed Finn Harps unfortunately out of reach, seven points ahead.