'It’s starting to sizzle' - Pat Devlin hopes for playoff boost with Bray Wanderers

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Andrew Dempsey reports from the Carlisle Grounds

Bray Wanderers Head of Football Pat Devlin believes that a playoff run would give the Seagulls a big boost.

The Carlisle Grounds chief was a keen observer on Friday night as Bray picked up a valuable point against Finn Harps to stay on course for a top-five finish. 

It means that the Wanderers’ playoff destiny is in the palm of their heads ahead of next weekend’s final round of league games. 

“If you'd have said to me at the start of the season that with one game left and we're within touching distance of the playoffs, you'd take that,” he said. 

“The lads are a great bunch and you can't fault them. They do their best, work hard and Paul (Heffernan) has done a great job. 

“We've had a difficult season in many different ways but we're nearly there.”

A healthy 1,319 crowd descended on the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night, with Devlin declaring afterwards that things are ‘sizzling’ nicely on the East Coast.

And he is hopeful that his club can get themselves over the line and get even bigger crowds through the turnstiles during a possible playoff run.

“The whole thing is starting to sizzle now,” he added. “It'd be great to get into the playoffs… The whole place is buzzing.



“We need to get into the playoffs for the club to develop. It’s not just not just the team, it's about the academy, the volunteers and it's about the fans. I think they deserve that and I hope we can get there. 

“If we get into it and win against whoever (in the first round), I think we could see a bit of a buzz back here again. It is going well on and off the park.”

But should Bray go all the way, it is likely that they would face a tough task to compete in the top-flight next term.

And the gap between sides in the Premier and First Division is set to grow even further in terms of monies received from UEFA solidarity payments.

Under current proposals revealed by the Irish Independent, First Division clubs would receive €45,000 per year, down from €70,000.

Meanwhile, Premier Division teams will see their dividend jump from €70,000 to a figure in the region of €350,000. But Devlin is hopeful that common sense will prevail. 



“When people look at the league as a whole, you've got to understand that our costs are all relative,” he said.

“When you're looking at it in the overall context, everybody should be treated equally. I'd hope that common sense will prevail. Nothing is getting any easier. 

“It's not getting any cheaper and there's a lot of stuff coming in that we all have to adhere to in regard to rules and governance and all that. That's more expensive, so I hope there will be a bit of common sense.”

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