League Preview: Sligo Rovers -v- Bray Wanderers

• Dave Donnelly
• Tue, Aug 15 2017




SLIGO ROVERS

Sligo Rovers welcome Bray Wanderers to the Showgrounds on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.45pm) in a game brought forward from September due to both sides' impending involvement in the Irn Bru Scottish Challenge Cup, the draw for which is made on Thursday.

 

A win of any kind will lift Gerard Lyttle's side out of the relegation zone owing to their superior goal difference over Finn Harps (though it will leave Harps with two games in hand).

 

Saturday night saw the Bit o' Red disappointly eliminated from the FAI Cup with a 4-2 extra time defeat to First Division Longford Town at City Calling Stadium.

 

The Bit o' Red led heading towards the 90-minute mark through goals from Danny Kearns and Benny Igiehon but a late Sam Verdon goal forced extra time.

 

Longford added goals late in either half of extra time on the break through Peter Hopkins and Kealan Dillon to condemn Sligo to a first round exit.

 

“I believe in our players,” Lyttle told the club's website.

 

“We are sticking together and as a club we need to stick together. It’s a big job ahead and there’s no shying away from that.

 

“The players played with fear last Saturday and I don’t want my team to play like that. I’ve told them to go out and express themselves, believe more in themselves, to focus and show they are better that what we saw.

 

“On Tuesday night we play this game against a difficult opponent but we have to keep positive. It’s going to take a huge effort but this club is capable of it.

 

“We’ve done well at home. It’s a hard place for teams to come and we can make it even harder by uniting behind the cause and do all we can to get three points.”

 

New signing Jamie McDonagh will miss the game following his sending-off against Longford on Saturday but Lyttle has an otherwise full squad from which to select.

 

 

BRAY WANDERERS

Bray Wanderers will look to put the disappointment of Saturday's FAI Cup defeat at home to Cork City behind them as they travel to struggling Sligo.

 

Harry Kenny's side were narrow 1-0 losers at the Carlisle Grounds at the weekend as Kieran Sadlier scored the game's only goal in the second half.

 

Kenny's focus now returns to the league and building on the draw at Bohemians ten days ago following a run of four straight defeats.

 

The Seagulls have spent most of the season in the top four but the dip in form brought on by financial uncertainty means they're as close to Derry in third as third-last Galway.

 

While Bray should be able to avoid relegation, a win in Sligo would move them 12 points clear of the relegation zone and allow them to focus on finishing as high as possible.

 

“There's a bit of both in that – hoping to get fourth and hoping we don't get sucked in down the other end,” Kenny told extratime.ie exclusively on Saturday night.

 

“It's so tight between third from bottom and where we're at.

 

“If we pick up a couple of points on Tuesday and Friday, we'll be OK on that front and then maybe try to have a right run on fourth.”

 

Goalkeeper Lee Steacy, a late replacement for Peter Cherrie, saved a penalty against Cork but Cherrie is likely to have recovered from a back spasm in time to face Sligo.

 

Anto Flood and Derek Foran are doubts with hamstring strains while John Sullivan, who played 90 minutes on Saturday, is struggling with a sore groin.

 

 

Referee: Rob Rogers

 

 

MATCH STATS

The sides have met twice already this season, both of which have been high-scoring affairs with nine goals spread across the two games.

 

Sligo managed their first win of the season at home to the Seaulls in March when Kieran Sadlier's second-half winner settled the game 3-2 in their favour.

 

In the return game at the Carlisle Grounds, it ended all square as Mick Leahy twiced managed to equalise following early goals from Aaron Greene and Dylan Connolly.

 

In three meetings last season, Sligo failed to score as they sandwich a scoreless draw with two heavy 4-0 defeats at the Carlisle Grounds.

 

 

BETTING

Sligo Rovers 6/4; Draw 23/10; Bray Wanderers 9/5.

 

PREDICTION

Sligo Rovers 2 – 2 Bray Wanderers

 

 

Sligo Rovers

Injured: None.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Jamie McDonagh.

 

Bray Wanderers

Injured: None.

Doubtful: Derek Foran (hamstring), Anto Flood (hamstring), John Sullivan (groin).

Suspended: None.