League Preview: Shamrock Rovers -v- Bray Wanderers

• Graham Russell
• Tue, May 30 2017




SHAMROCK ROVERS

Shamrock Rovers are aiming for a win that would leave themselves two points behind Bray Wanderers (kick-off 8pm) heading into the last game before the mid-season break, in a game brought forward due to Rovers' Europa League participation in July.

 

If there was one word to describe the Hoops' season, it would be inconsistency. The three games within the week last week resulted in a win and two defeats. A comfortable win at home to Galway United was sandwiched between two defeats away to Derry City and Cork City.

 

Trevor Clarke’s excellent goal to put his side in front at Turner's Cross counted for nothing as Cork City blitzed the Hoops 4-1, thanks to in-demand centre-half Ryan Delaney, Gearoid Morrissey and Johnny Dunleavy.

 

Disappointment all round, with David McAllister getting himself sent off in the 47^th minute adding to that.

 

One could say that a fourth league game in 11 days is both physically and mentally tough, but thinking about it from a positive light: it is great to be able to have a chance to bounce back from the Cork hammering so quickly, and both teams are in the same boat.

 

“We're very disappointed in the scoreline and the result (in Cork) but when you sit back and look at it there's lots of positives as well to take from the game,” Stephen Bradley said after the game.

 

“We know conceding from three set plays is not acceptable, it's not good enough and we'll do everything to put that right.

 

"The scoreline says we were terrible but the performance says we were actually really good in patches. In the first half what we set up to do was working, we looked really dangerous.

 

“Davey (McAllister) goes and gets sent off which obviously kills us as an attacking threat. We're letting ourselves down by doing stuff like that. They're good players, good people, good characters but just moments of madness are killing us and we need to learn from it very quickly because we can't keep allowing it to happen.

 

“It was a strange game because if Trevor (Clarke) scores just after half-time you're 2-1 up and it's a different game.

 

“I've been saying it for a long time, what Trevor can do is as good as anything this league has seen and he proved that again on Friday night."

 

On Tomer Chencinski's absence from the starting eleven in Cork, Bradley set the record straight in his pre-match press conference.

 

“Tomer's wife had their baby. They kept the baby in - it was small - so they didn't get out of hospital, he didn't get to Cork until seven o'clock. That was the reason there. He is back in contention again tomorrow."

 

Finally, discussing tonight’s opponents, Bradley was in complimentary mood.

 

"They're a good side, I've watched them a few times. They're a threat going forward, we know that. They're above us in the table so they're obviously doing well.

 

“We've got to go and respect them, going forward and make sure we impose ourselves going the other way as well and go and try and take 3 points.”

 

 

BRAY WANDERERS

Bray Wanderers come into the game sitting pretty in third place, but without a win in their last three games and only three clean sheets all season.

 

Worrying times for the free-scoring Seagulls or just a mere mid-season blip? Last time out, Harry Kenny's charges drew 2-2 with Sligo Rovers at the Carlisle Grounds in what was a great game.

 

Aaron Greene and winger Dylan Connolly twice put the home side in front but Sligo's Michael Leahy, who has scored three in three games, scored a brace of goals to equalise twice.

 

Bray were no doubt disappointed with the result, but on the balance of play the Bit o' Red most definitely deserved their point. Bray will feel that it was a missed opportunity to put a bit of distance between themselves and Derry.

 

Coincidentally, Drogheda held the Candystripes to a 0-0 draw on the same night so no points were lost after the Sligo result in the battle for third place. Two points still separate the sides.

 

On tonight’s game, Harry Kenny anticipates a tough encounter but one he and his group of players are relishing nonetheless.

 

“Disappointed not to get all three points on Friday, especially after going in front twice and missing some very good chances towards the end of the game,” Kenny told the club's website.

 

“Our performance improved on the previous two games though and we need to carry this form into the Shamrock Rovers game. This will be our fourth game in eleven days so we had to taper the amount of training we do to keep the players fresh.

 

“Keith Buckley has a foot injury and Daragh Noone only returned to training on Sunday after a long term thigh injury.”

 

If Bray have aspirations of staying where they are in the table or catching Dundalk in second, these are the type of games they need to pick a positive result from.

 

 

Referee: TBC

 

 

MATCH FACTS

In this fixture, both sides have met each other competitively 38 times. Rovers coming out on top 20 times to Bray's 8. There has been 10 draws.

 

There has been an average of 2.6 goals per game in this fixture.

 

The last time the sides met, back in Gameweek 10- A thrilling game seen Bray run out 4-2 winners at the Carlisle Grounds.

 

Even though they are in third place, Bray have only kept three clean sheets in the league all season. Shamrock Rovers have kept the same number.

 

Rovers' league form reads- LWLWW

Bray's league form reads- DDLWD

 

 

PREDICTION

Shamrock Rovers 2-2 Bray Wanderers

 

MATCH BETTING

Shamrock Rovers 11/10; Draw 23/10; Bray Wanderers 5/2

 

Shamrock Rovers

 

Injured: Paul Corry (knee).

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: David McAllister, Darren Meenan.

 

Bray Wanderers

 

Injured: Keith Buckley (foot), Darragh Noone (thigh).

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None.