League Preview: Bray Wanderers -v- Sligo Rovers

BRAY WANDERERS

Bray Wanderers return to the Carlisle Grounds in search of their first home win of the season.

Manager Mick Cooke knows that victory is vital as a win tonight will leap frog his team off the foot of the table.

After four rounds Wanderers have conceded 11 goals which is more than any other team in the SSE Airtricity League Premier or First Divisions.

Finding the net has been an issue for the team with Dean Kelly being the squad’s only goal scorer so far.

Team captain Conor Kenna acknowledged the team’s slow start to the season when speaking to the Extratime.ie Sportscastearlier this week.

“It’s been tough, a lot of new faces (in the team) just hasn’t gone as smooth as we like, we only have the one point so there is a lot to work on; but we are coming together now, It was a good point for us the weekend (against Longford) we should have got the three points but it was good to get a point on the board.”

This week has seen The Seagulls get back to winning ways with a 2-0 away win over UCD in the EA Sports cup first round tie and they will be hoping to keep that momentum going on home soil this weekend.

SLIGO ROVERS

Sligo Rovers travel to Wicklow in search of their first win of the season having managed to earn two score draws which leaves them just one point better off than today’s opponents Bray Wanderers.

Last time out their match was abandoned after 86 minutes following a floodlight failure at The Showgrounds however, The SSE Airtricity League ruled that the score of the game (1-1) against Finn Harps at the time it was abandoned would stand as the result of the game.

The Bit O’ Red have chosen to invest in youth this season with new players Tobi Adebayo-Rowling and Kieran Sadlier both arriving from Peterborough United over the Winter months.

Manager Dave Robertson, who only arrived himself in November, knows this season is all about adjusting to his new team. Speaking to Extratime.ie he said; “It’s a complete rebuild job, I only inherited three players, so I had to build the squad from scratch and build them to be competitive this year, it’s a tough league and a physical league but we’ve added some pace and quality into the squad because we’re going to need that playing against the bigger teams”

If Rovers manage either a win or a draw against Bray this weekend; it’ll be the third game in which the Bit O’ Red have avoided defeat in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.

Referee: Sean Grant

MATCH STATS

Last Season Bray Wanderers won this fixture 1-0 at the Carlisle Grounds thanks to a 7^th minute strike from Alan McNally.

Bray Wanderers inflicted one of Sligo Rovers heaviest FAI Cup defeats when The Seagulls marched to a 5-0 victory at the Carlisle Grounds in January 2001.

Sligo forward Raffaele Cretaro is the third highest scorer in Rovers history.

BETTING

Bray Wanderers 7/5; Draw 23/10; 15/8 Sligo Rovers.

PREDICTION

Bray Wanderers 2-2 Sligo Rovers.

Bray Wanderers

Injured: Unknown

Doubtful:  Unknown

Suspended: None.

Sligo Rovers

Injured: None.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None.