Bray Wanderers vs St Patricks Athletic

• Finbarr O'Sullivan
• Thu, Sep 18 2008




On Friday night in the Carlisle Grounds, Bray Wanderers and St. Patrick's Athletic return to eircom League action after both sides suffered 2-0 defeats in their respective matches on Tuesday night. After Pats lost 2-0 away to Hertha Berlin in the first leg of their UEFA Cup First Round tie, Bray lost by the same score-line to Galway United in the FAI Cup Quarter Final replay.

The Wanderers nearly have the entire first-team squad to choose from for Friday's clash. The only absentee remains Ronan Ivory who is suffering from a long-term pelvic injury.

When questioned after Tuesday night's exit from the cup, Bray manager Eddie Gormley did not mince his words: "I was very disappointed with Tuesday night's performance. It is hard to take. People will have to up their game for Friday to compete against St. Pats. It's still very fresh in the mind. I just hope we can get a performance on Friday night."

The Saints go into this match without the suspended duo of Derek O'Brien and Joe O'Cearuill. John Murphy and Stephen Paisley are still doubtful. Neither player travelled to Berlin last week and both will need to undergo fitness tests before Friday’s match. There is some good news for Pats, as Dave Rogers returns to the side.

Kick-off is at 7.45pm. The referee will be Derek Tomney.

Extratime.ie prediction: Pats will no doubt be tired after their European excursions but with the way Bray are playing at the moment, only one result seems likely. Pats to win 2-0.