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Sporting Fingal -v- Bray Wanderers
- Niall Farrell
- Sun, Oct 25 2009
Sporting Fingal and Bray Wanderers will face off tomorrow at 4.05pm in the Morton Stadium for a place against Sligo Rovers in the FAI Ford Cup final.
On paper, the tie looks like it could shape up to be tight enough, as both sides have their fair share of injuries. Although Bray are a division above Sporting, the North Dublin side's form sees them as favourites. Sporting have won their last two matches, while Bray lie bottom of the Premier Division having failed to win in their last 3 matches.
Fingal's road to the final saw them beat Shamrock Rovers in the Quarter Final and Athlone Town and Blarney United in the preceding rounds. Bray Wanderers beat Bluebell United, Tralee Dynamos and Longford Town on their way to the semi-final.
Sporting Fingal manager Liam Buckley is already well acquainted with his Bray counterpart Eddie Gormley; “Their manager Eddie Gormley is a person I’ve known and respected for many years. We were team-mates in the St. Patrick’s Athletic league-winning side of 1996 and, when I took over the management duties, Eddie was my captain when we won the title again a few years later.”
“For us, this is an opportunity we must make the most of. To be 90 minutes away from a Cup final is a fantastic feat for the club, considering our short history, and would really give us a great platform upon which to build the club further locally and nationally.”
Among the Fingal squad are also set to square off against familiar faces; with Eamon Zayed, Colm James and Robbie Doyle all former Seagulls players.
Injured for Sporting Fingal are Philip Byrne (calf) and Lorcan Fitzgerald (ankle), with goalkeeper Darren Quigley and Gary O’Neill both suspended. Midfielder Robert Bayly returns to the squad after his suspension.
Bray are without captain Derek Pender as he serves a one match ban having received four yellow cards. Derek Foran (groin), Gary McCabe (ankle) and Gary Cronin(calf) are all set to undergo last-minute fitness tests to determine their availability for the semi-final clash.
About Niall Farrell
Niall Farrell is our correspondent at Tolka Park, covering the goings-on at Shelbourne. You can visit Niall's website for further information and contact details- niallf.net.