Treaty 0 Bray Wanderers 1
Billy O’Neill’s second-half strike saw visitors Bray take all three points over Treaty United on a wet Friday evening.
In what was the second fixture of the League of Ireland First Division season, the Markets Field held up well, although the rain did not let up for most of the first half.
It was a very Irish introduction for Treaty United’s newest recruit, Jevontae Layne, who joined the club on Tuesday from Canadian Premier League side Valour FC.
Despite the poor weather throughout the day, around 20 brave Bray Wanderers fans made the trek up to Limerick for the clash.
The first half was evenly contested, with Treaty creating the better opportunities, including a free kick on the edge of the box.
At the beginning of the second half, momentum began to shift in Bray’s favour. O’Neill made a strong break through the centre of Treaty’s defence before slotting the ball to the right of goalkeeper Jack Brady.
Treaty searched for a response and came close on several occasions. Mark Byrne replaced Mark Murphy five minutes after O’Neill’s goal. Murphy had created a couple of good chances earlier in the match, including a moment where a sharp cut inside from the right wing opened space in Bray’s box, but the midfielder lost his footing at the crucial moment.
Although Treaty United ultimately fell short against Bray, there were a number of positives to take from the performance, particularly their defensive organisation in the first half and their creativity in the final twenty minutes.
Treaty United will face UCD next Friday as they search for their first points of the new season, before returning to the Market’s Field to play Kerry FC the following week.
Treaty United: Jack Brady, Benjamin Lynch, Steven Healy, Jevontae Layne (Mark Byrne), Cian Curtis, Ben Feeney (Cunningham), Darren Nwankwo, Mark Walsh (Benjamin Lee), Robbie Lynch, Mark Murphy (Jason Folarin Oyenuga), Raphael Ohin.
Bray Wanderers: James Corcoran, Jamie Duggan, Mark Chidi, Sean Brennan (Kyle Tucker), Richard Ferizaj (Ben McCormack), Ifunanyachi Achara (Daniel Ring), Declan Osagie, Ryan Kelly, Cian Doyle, Billy O’Neill, Tyreik Sammy (Conor Knight).