Derry City -v- Bray Wanderers
Credit:
Derry City host Bray Wanderers on Friday evening at The Brandywell, with both sides hoping to continue their great starts to the season (kick off 7.45pm).
Derry City manager, Stephen Kenny, faces the loss of several key players for this fixture, with Shane McEleney and Daniel Lafferty serving one match suspensions, captain Kevin Deery still sidelined with a calf injury and both Ruaidhri Higgins (knee) and Thomas McBride (ankle) facing late fitness tests. However, he will be delighted to welcome back Barry Molloy who has recovered after two months out with damaged ankle ligaments.
Kenny commented, “Daniel Lafferty has been excellent for us this season and Shane McEleney has been very consistent while Kevin Deery has had very understated performances, but there is an opportunity for us to rally round each other now. We have only signed five professional defenders so we have to adjust a little bit. We’ve had two wins on the spin at home. After the defeat at Sligo, there were question marks about us so what I’d like to do is respond with nine points from three games.”
Derry will be confident of consolidating their place at the business end of the table, and indeed they are the leagues top scoring side with 24 goals, with former Bray hitman and extratime.ie columnist Eamon Zayed, Gareth McGlynn and James McLean all in the top five of the leagues goal-scoring charts.
Meanwhile, Bray’s director of football, Pat Devlin, will be without former Derry City goalkeeper Darren Quigley (arm), Stephen Brennan (thigh) and Gary Shaw (foot). Bray will be buoyed by their 2-1 victory over the students of U.C.D last week which was their first win in five matches, and in Conor Murphy and Jake Kelly, they have two players who pose a very real threat of goals.
Devlin said “I'm delighted to be going to Derry on the back of that win and we will try and avenge the defeat they inflicted on us at the Carlisle Grounds earlier in the season,but we know it will be tough".
This will be the 45th clash between the two sides since 1985, and the 23rd time that Bray have visited The Brandywell. “Ever since 1985 I’ve loved going up there”, Devlin stated, “We are confident going into every game, whether it’s against Sligo Rovers or Derry City. The league is very unpredictable and the table shows that.”
Derry City should have enough at home to stave off a challenge from a much improved Bray outfit, having defeated them already at the Carlisle Grounds 2-1, added to the fact that they have won the last five league meetings between the two clubs played at The Brandywell.
Derry City
Injured: Kevin Deery (calf).
Doubtful: Ruaidhri Higgins (knee), Thomas McBride (ankle).
Suspended: Daniel Lafferty, Shane McEleney.
Bray WanderersInjured: Darren Quigley (arm), Stephen Brennan (thigh), Gary Shaw (foot).
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Referee: Tom Connolly.
Paddy Power odds: Derry City 8/15; Draw 5/2: Bray Wanderers 6/1.
Prediction: Derry City 2 – Bray Wanderers 0.
Derry City manager, Stephen Kenny, faces the loss of several key players for this fixture, with Shane McEleney and Daniel Lafferty serving one match suspensions, captain Kevin Deery still sidelined with a calf injury and both Ruaidhri Higgins (knee) and Thomas McBride (ankle) facing late fitness tests. However, he will be delighted to welcome back Barry Molloy who has recovered after two months out with damaged ankle ligaments.
Kenny commented, “Daniel Lafferty has been excellent for us this season and Shane McEleney has been very consistent while Kevin Deery has had very understated performances, but there is an opportunity for us to rally round each other now. We have only signed five professional defenders so we have to adjust a little bit. We’ve had two wins on the spin at home. After the defeat at Sligo, there were question marks about us so what I’d like to do is respond with nine points from three games.”
Derry will be confident of consolidating their place at the business end of the table, and indeed they are the leagues top scoring side with 24 goals, with former Bray hitman and extratime.ie columnist Eamon Zayed, Gareth McGlynn and James McLean all in the top five of the leagues goal-scoring charts.
Meanwhile, Bray’s director of football, Pat Devlin, will be without former Derry City goalkeeper Darren Quigley (arm), Stephen Brennan (thigh) and Gary Shaw (foot). Bray will be buoyed by their 2-1 victory over the students of U.C.D last week which was their first win in five matches, and in Conor Murphy and Jake Kelly, they have two players who pose a very real threat of goals.
Devlin said “I'm delighted to be going to Derry on the back of that win and we will try and avenge the defeat they inflicted on us at the Carlisle Grounds earlier in the season,but we know it will be tough".
This will be the 45th clash between the two sides since 1985, and the 23rd time that Bray have visited The Brandywell. “Ever since 1985 I’ve loved going up there”, Devlin stated, “We are confident going into every game, whether it’s against Sligo Rovers or Derry City. The league is very unpredictable and the table shows that.”
Derry City should have enough at home to stave off a challenge from a much improved Bray outfit, having defeated them already at the Carlisle Grounds 2-1, added to the fact that they have won the last five league meetings between the two clubs played at The Brandywell.
Derry City
Injured: Kevin Deery (calf).
Doubtful: Ruaidhri Higgins (knee), Thomas McBride (ankle).
Suspended: Daniel Lafferty, Shane McEleney.
Bray WanderersInjured: Darren Quigley (arm), Stephen Brennan (thigh), Gary Shaw (foot).
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Referee: Tom Connolly.
Paddy Power odds: Derry City 8/15; Draw 5/2: Bray Wanderers 6/1.
Prediction: Derry City 2 – Bray Wanderers 0.
About Jamie Mahon
Jamie Mahon joined the Extratime team at the beginning of 2011. Hailing from the North West, Jamie reports on all things Derry City. He can be contacted at theearcher@hotmail.com or on Twitter @JamieMahon23. View Full Profile