MATHEMATICS NOW appear to be the only thing keeping Bray Wanderers' five year stay in the League of Ireland Premier Division alive.

While Wanderers were earning hard earned point at home in this one, Drogheda United were dishing out a 4-0 spanking to Galway United at United Park.

And then on Friday while Bray were busy preparing for Sunday's FAI Cup semi-final clash with Sporting Fingal, United were drawing 0-0 with crisis-club Cork City at Turners Cross.

This now leaves the Seagulls five points adrift of the Louth side at the bottom of the table with just two games remaining (away to Derry City on Friday night and at home to league leaders Bohemians the following week).

All in all, it is going to take something extremely special for Eddie Gormley's side to be playing top flight football for a club record sixth consecutive season next year.

A win here could have changed all that but unfortunately it as not to be. Gormley made just the one change for the visit of the Lilywhites, with veteran Colm Tresson coming into the starting XI.

Dundalk boss Seán Connor on the other hand was forced into three changes with the suspended trio of Michael Turner, Thomas Heary and Kevin McKinlay all making way.

It certainly wasn't a match for the football purist although the miserable weather did play a large part in that. The first chance of the match was created in the 12th minute and former Bray 'favourite' Ger Rowe was the creator. He threaded one through for Michael McGowan and the winger cut inside his man before getting his shot all wrong and it was easy pickings for Bray's Chris O'Connor.

The only other chance of real note in the opening 45 minutes saw Paul Byrne going close with a header.

The second period was thankfully an improvement on its predecessor with both sides rediscovering their attacking threat.

Wanderers were denied the opener six minutes into the second half when Jake Kelly's corner found Dave Mulcahy and he headed beyond Dundalk 'keeper Peter Cherry only to see his effort cleared off the line by Shaun Kelly.

All the momentum was now with the hosts though and it didn't take them much longer to convert that pressure into a goal. Dave Webster's attempted cross was blocked by the hand of former Bohs man Liam Burns and referee Dave McKeon awarded the spot kick. Up stepped Jake Kelly to hammer home the penalty just as he had done in these two side's previous meeting at the Carlisle Grounds.

The visitors thought they had levelled matters shortly after the hour mark when Darren Mansaram rose and headed past O'Connor but the Australian's clean sheet remained intact for the time being at least as Mansaram was offside.

O'Connor had to be at his best a few minutes later to turn a venomous McGowan free kick around the post after the set piece had taken a wicked deflection off former Seagull Ger Rowe but from the resultant corner all the Aussie's hard work came undone when midfielder Michael Daly bundled the ball home.

The home side poured forward in search of a winner and Webster thought he had it when his vicious long-ranger smashed off the woodwork but it then rebounded away to safety.

So despite their best efforts over the 90 minutes, Eddie Gormley's men were forced to settle for a point but unfortunately in their current predicament, a point is not enough.