Late goal sees Treaty United fall to Bray in season opener

TREATY United's SSE Airtricity League First Division campaign got off to a losing start after Ben Feeney's 89th minute strike saw Bray Wanderers to a 1-0 victory at the Markets Field.

The game had looked certain to finish deadlocked but a defensive error saw Jake Walker pull the ball back for the substitute to fire in the winning goal. 

Willie Armshaw did have a chance from a 25 yard  free kick deep into added time but it dropped just wide of the Bray goal and the away side held on for the win.

Treaty's first sight on goal came courtesy of a Mark Walsh header from a Marc Ludden cross that was spilled by Alex Moody but the offside flag was raised when the centre-half tried to fire in the rebound.

Bray were the slicker team in the opening half hour and could have taken the lead on 13 minutes. Len O'Sullivan's ball from the left aimed for Jake Walker, however, it was too high for the striker to divert towards goal.

The best chance of the opening half for the home side came when a Conor Barry free kick was met by Anto O'Donnell but his header from six yards sailed over.

The Wicklow outfit nearly got in on 29 minutes when O'Sullivan found Walker at the edge of the Treaty box. The ball was squared back for Chris Lyons but O'Donnell cleared brilliantly to deny a goal.

Bray were at it again in the run up to half-time and again it came down their left hand side. Guillermo Almirall set Walker down the side of the Treaty defence and with Lyons unmarked in the penalty area, Walker's delivery went wayward and out for a goal kick.

Treaty were living off scraps in the first half but nearly took the lead just before the break when Lee Devitt curled a shot from the edge of the box, only to be denied by an excellent Moody save.

Bray nearly captilised on a Treaty defensive error on the restart but a timely Colin Conroy intervention ensured that Lyons couldn't prod Conor Crowley's cut back into an empty net.

Devitt was at the forefront of the next Treaty effort on goal with a bit of quick feet creating space on the edge of the box for a shot that never troubled the Bray goal and then Ludden's superb free kick from the right landed inches away from an unmarked O'Donnell. 

Lyons then nearly broke the deadlock with a gorgeous effort with the outside of his right boot that sailed just wide of Conor Winn's left hand post.

The second half was just as even but Treaty came close when Bray failed to clear with Devitt's effort but Cole Omorehiomwan denied a certain goal. The Bray centre-half then repeated his excellent defending by stopping a Conor Barry shot.

It looked like the game was heading for a scoreless finish until Joseph Power floated a ball to the back post. O'Donnell's header was timed and Walker found Feeney for the only goal of the game. 

TREATY UNITED: Conor Winn; Ben O'Riordan, Mark Walsh, Anto O'Donnell, Marc Ludden; Stephen Cristopher, Lee Devitt, Colin Conroy, Conor Barry; Dean George; Enda Curran.

Subs: Willie Armshaw for Conroy (66 mins), Success Edogun for George (80 mins), Colin Kelly for Barry (91 mins). 

BRAY WANDERERS: Alex Moody; Max Murphy, Cole Omorehiomwan, Dane Massey, Len O'Sullivan; Ger Shortt, Guillermo Almirall, Conor Crowley, Harry Groome; Chris Lyons, Jake Walker.

Subs: Joseph Power for Almirall (61 mins), Luke Lovic for Groome (61 mins), Ben Feeney for Lyons (82 mins), Callum Thompson for Shortt (81 mins), Eoin Farrell for Crowley (88 mins).

REFEREE: David Connolly (Kildare)