Bray Wanderers -v- Dundalk
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High-flying Bray Wanderers welcome Dundalk to the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night as they look to leapfrog St. Patrick’s Athletic into second place in the Premier Division table. Kick-off 7.45pm.
Bray come into the game having won their last three games and are unbeaten in their last six games. Last weekend saw a 3-0 win against Galway United move the club into third place in the Premier Division.
Their opponents are in poor form of late having lost their last three league games by a single goal, but a 4-1 Cup win against Galway United should keep the winning mentality in Ian Foster’s squad.
Bray remain without long term injury victims Darren Quigley (elbow), Gary Shaw (foot),Stephen Brennan (calf),Dave Webster (ankle) and Jake Kelly(hamstring) unavailable for the match. Adam Mitchell returns from suspension.
Bray boss Pat Devlin was happy with the Galway win but expects a tough match against Dundalk. "It was a tough game for us, we did well to get the three points. I was happy with the performance particularly in the second half."
"It’s going to be a tough weekend for us, but there are six points there for the taking. Dundalk are on a poor run just now, but they will come to Bray looking for the three points and it is going to be a tough encounter, and we are looking forward to it."
For the away side, Ian Foster will again be without Eoghan Osborne (fractured tibia), Stephen Maher (groin), Stephen McDonnell (knee), Michael Hector (knee) and Jason Byrne (hamstring), but they do welcome back Shane Guthrie, who was unavailable on Monday due to the terms of his loan agreement from St. Pat’s. Dean Bennett and Colin Hawkins (both ankle) face late fitness tests.
Dundalk midfielder Mark Griffin is hoping for an improved result from their trip to the Carlisle Grounds. “Results aren’t really going our way, but hopefully against Bray something will happen for us. I scored two against UCD and nearly scored against Derry after that. Ever since then, chances aren’t really coming, but I’ll continue to work hard and hopefully they will. I’m enjoying my run in the team and hopefully it doesn’t end too quickly.”
“The mood in the camp has been good this week; the boys are buzzing and hopefully that will continue into the Bray game and we can get three points. Bray are doing well but we’re going there with a hunger to win. A point wouldn’t be a bad result, but with Rovers on Tuesday, a win in Bray would give us confidence going into that game.”
Even though Bray are in excellent form lately, the slump from Dundalk is sure to end soon, and this will again be a big test for both sides. A win for Bray will keep them on the trail of the league leaders, while a Dundalk win will move them up the table and away from the gap slowly forming at the bottom half of the table.
Bray Wanderers
Injuries: Darren Quigley (elbow), Gary Shaw (foot),Stephen Brennan (calf),Dave Webster (ankle) and Jake Kelly(hamstring)
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None
Dundalk
Injuries: Eoghan Osborne (fractured tibia), Stephen Maher (groin), Stephen McDonnell (knee), Michael Hector (knee) and Jason Byrne (hamstring),
Doubtful: Dean Bennett and Colin Hawkins
Suspended:None
Referee: Rob Rogers
Paddy Power odds: Bray Wanderers 5/4 Draw 9/4 Dundalk 2/1
Extratime Prediction: A hard fought 2-1 win for Bray.
Bray come into the game having won their last three games and are unbeaten in their last six games. Last weekend saw a 3-0 win against Galway United move the club into third place in the Premier Division.
Their opponents are in poor form of late having lost their last three league games by a single goal, but a 4-1 Cup win against Galway United should keep the winning mentality in Ian Foster’s squad.
Bray remain without long term injury victims Darren Quigley (elbow), Gary Shaw (foot),Stephen Brennan (calf),Dave Webster (ankle) and Jake Kelly(hamstring) unavailable for the match. Adam Mitchell returns from suspension.
Bray boss Pat Devlin was happy with the Galway win but expects a tough match against Dundalk. "It was a tough game for us, we did well to get the three points. I was happy with the performance particularly in the second half."
"It’s going to be a tough weekend for us, but there are six points there for the taking. Dundalk are on a poor run just now, but they will come to Bray looking for the three points and it is going to be a tough encounter, and we are looking forward to it."
For the away side, Ian Foster will again be without Eoghan Osborne (fractured tibia), Stephen Maher (groin), Stephen McDonnell (knee), Michael Hector (knee) and Jason Byrne (hamstring), but they do welcome back Shane Guthrie, who was unavailable on Monday due to the terms of his loan agreement from St. Pat’s. Dean Bennett and Colin Hawkins (both ankle) face late fitness tests.
Dundalk midfielder Mark Griffin is hoping for an improved result from their trip to the Carlisle Grounds. “Results aren’t really going our way, but hopefully against Bray something will happen for us. I scored two against UCD and nearly scored against Derry after that. Ever since then, chances aren’t really coming, but I’ll continue to work hard and hopefully they will. I’m enjoying my run in the team and hopefully it doesn’t end too quickly.”
“The mood in the camp has been good this week; the boys are buzzing and hopefully that will continue into the Bray game and we can get three points. Bray are doing well but we’re going there with a hunger to win. A point wouldn’t be a bad result, but with Rovers on Tuesday, a win in Bray would give us confidence going into that game.”
Even though Bray are in excellent form lately, the slump from Dundalk is sure to end soon, and this will again be a big test for both sides. A win for Bray will keep them on the trail of the league leaders, while a Dundalk win will move them up the table and away from the gap slowly forming at the bottom half of the table.
Bray Wanderers
Injuries: Darren Quigley (elbow), Gary Shaw (foot),Stephen Brennan (calf),Dave Webster (ankle) and Jake Kelly(hamstring)
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None
Dundalk
Injuries: Eoghan Osborne (fractured tibia), Stephen Maher (groin), Stephen McDonnell (knee), Michael Hector (knee) and Jason Byrne (hamstring),
Doubtful: Dean Bennett and Colin Hawkins
Suspended:None
Referee: Rob Rogers
Paddy Power odds: Bray Wanderers 5/4 Draw 9/4 Dundalk 2/1
Extratime Prediction: A hard fought 2-1 win for Bray.
About Brendan White
Brendan White is Extratime News Editor and is responsible for the news section of Extratime.ie. Brendan also covers matches in Dublin and Waterford. You can contact Brendan on twitter @whitebrendan. View Full Profile