Bray caretaker boss Graham Kelly: 'There's a lot of football to be played and a lot of points up for grabs'

Bray Wanderers caretaker manager Graham Kelly insists his side have a lot still to play for despite falling every further behind in the relegation scrap.

Limerick were the latest side to inflict defeat on the Seagulls on their own patch – a doubly damaging result for the Seagulls as it moved Limerick nine points clear of them.

Fortune didn’t favour Bray on the night as Gary McCabe missed a penalty for the first time in four years – for Shamrock Rovers against Limerick – and Kevin Lynch twice hit the woodwork.

And Wanderers paid the price when Shane Duggan showed the composure others lacked in front of goal to roll the ball into the net early in the second half.

“I think we created enough chances to win the game,” Kelly told extratime.ie.

“They probably had one good chance and they've taken it, and we haven't. I thought it was a good enough performance.

“We created the clearer chances but you've got to take them at this level. What we're saying to the lads is it's all about staying positive and keeping the team upbeat.”

Kelly – who revealed he hadn’t yet spoken to McCabe about his penalty miss – said there’s a long way to go in the season yet.

Sligo replaced Limerick in second-from-bottom position despite drawing with Waterford on Friday night, but Kelly insists there’s plenty of time for Bray to turn things around.

“There's a lot of games to go. If it was at the end of the season I'd say, yeah, mentally it's tough. Every defeat is disappointing and you're trying to pick the lads up after defeats.



“Table-wise, you don't look at it now. Yeah, we're bottom of the league and we've got to start picking up points now, but most importantly for us we've got to stay positive.

“There's a lot of football to be played and there's a lot of points up for grabs. If we can keep going and keep within touching distance, that's what we've got to do.”

Kelly expressed his delight at the experience of running first-team affairs following Dave Mackey’s resignation.

He’s been assisted by the former Limerick manager Martin Russell in an advisory capacity, and Russell is expected to take over permanently from Tuesday.

“I've been taking each game as it comes,” said Kelly.

“That's what the chairman has asked me to do. When he tells me differently, I'll pass over to whoever is going to take the job. It's been a great experience for me.



“Martin is a consultant/advisor to the team at the moment. He's been great with me. He's been really great around the training ground, giving tips and voicing the same in the dugout.

“It's great for me to learn from him. I'm sure the club will appoint someone fairly soon.”

The relentless fixture list continues to play its part in the treatment room, with Jake Kelly the latest to join the list of long-term absentees.

“Aaron Green is ligaments in his knee. We'll wait and see for full results to come in from an MRI scan.

“Darragh Noone has a cracked bone in his ankle and he's in a boot. Jake Kelly has a fractured bone in his foot. They're lengthy injuries, all long-term unfortunately."