Bray Wanderers -v- Galway United

• Simon O'Gorman
• Thu, Aug 11 2011


Galway United travel from the west coast to the east on Friday night as they take on Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds in a game that the home side would be desperately dissapointed not to win. (Kick off, 7.45pm)

It has been some time since a League of Ireland side put together such a miserable run of results as that which attends the Premier Division’s basement club. Last season Salthill Devon went 18 games without a league win, although they were awarded a win after losing to Wexford and managed three draws along the way. And in 2009 Kildare County failed to win any of their opening 16 league games. But should Galway lose at Bray on Friday night it will mark 20 consecutive league defeats.

Galway have failed to score in any of their last four league games and have conceded 14 in the same period, including an 8-0 thrashing by Sligo Rovers. But against lesser opposition Galway have managed more respectable score-lines in recent weeks. They lost by the odd goal in seven against UCD at the start of July and prior to the mid season break they lost 1-0 to Drogheda United.

All of this might not amount to much more than a hill of beans were it not for the fact that Bray Wanderers are having a fairly thin time of it themselves. Having set the league alight in the early stages of the season, Pat Devlin’s men appear to have run out of steam in recent weeks.

Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at home to Drogheda signalled a sixth defeat from seven and while Bray’s 34 points puts Galway’s five into the shade, they have slipped to seventh in the table. In fact, Bray haven’t won at home since Shamrock Rovers were beaten 1-0 back in May.

“We have had a bad spell over the last number of weeks”, said Bray boss Devlin, “and now we need to go out and perform. It will be a similar game to the Drogheda game,and we now need  to stand up  and be counted”.

Devlin will have all four of last weekend’s suspended players back in the fold and also welcomes back goalkeeper Darren Quigley and striker Gary Shaw who have both been out for some time with long term injuries.

All logic suggests that Bray are good enough to send Galway back west without any points but if Galway’s apalling run is ever to come to an end then there will be few better opportunities than on Friday night.

Bray Wanderers
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.

Galway United
Injured: Johnny Keane, Sean Kelly.
Doubtful: Bobby Ryan.
Suspended: None.

Referee: Anthony Butimer.
Paddy Power Odds: Bray 1/8; Draw 13/2; Galway 16/1.
Extratime prediction: It’s a big call but I’m going for a 1-1 draw.