Waterford manager Danny Searle was forced to watch the game from the stand as he serves a suspension and he was also without Tunmise Sobewale and Yass En Neyah due to suspensions.
Alex Bapiste came in for his first start and partnered Killian Cantwell in the centre of defence with Richard Taylor moving to left back and Darragh Power crossing back to the right.
From the outset it was Waterford who forced the game with a few early corners and they took the lead on sixteen minutes from another corner. Junior Quitirna pinged a wonderful ball into the centre of the six yard box where Richard Taylor rose highest to head home.
Waterford did have the ball in the net two minutes later but the offside flag denied Phoenix Patterson.
There was no stopping him on twenty nine minutes when he blasted a free kick from 25 yards to the top corner after Junior Quitirna was fouled by Zak O Neill.
Paul Martin was forced to save at the feet of O Neill on thirty four minutes when the ball broke for the Bray player in what was really their only chance of the half.
Bray started well in the second period with Paul Fox flashing a shot past the upright on 47 minutes and they were awarded a penalty 3 minutes later when Richard Taylor was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball after Jamie Hollywood fired a shot at him from about 5 metres away. However Colin Kelly’s weak effort was easily saved by Martin.
Waterford added to their lead just before the hour when Shane Griffin dispossessed Daniel Blackbyrne inside the penalty area and then calmly waited for the keeper to commit before slipping it under him into the corner.
