Bray face a stern challenge on Saturday afternoon as they head west to play league leaders Sligo Rovers.
Bray have been very poor since the mid-summer break. Losing three consecutive matches and conceding 9 goals in the process. Not only have Bray been losing of late, but they have not performed to an acceptable level since beating UCD 3-2 at home in the last game before the break. Unfortunately for Bray I can't see this Saturday being any different. You just need to look at the goals Cork scored last week and you will see that Bray's defending is identical to that of a schoolboys team.
On top of that, in the past week they have lost defensive rock - Pierce Sweeney, who signed for Reading. Sweeney has been, by far the outstanding performer in the Bray back four this season. Without him, they will really struggle. Adam Mitchell will most likely regain his defensive slot, having been unable to force his way into the squad after an injury despite being brilliant for The Seagulls last season. He really is being thrown back in at the deep end.
David Webster has been named as doubtful for the game due to a knee injury, further weakening the Wanderers' defense. Sean Houston is suspended due to reaching the yellow car limit.
Bray do, however have two new signings travelling to Sligo. Brendan King, a recent import from the United States is likely to feature at some point, with his family travelling over from the States for the match. Most recent signing Kevin O'Connor, brother of club captain Danny, will also be part of the squad. The club website says he "is likely to be involved at some stage on Saturday."
Sligo are on fire at the top of the league. With a win against the Wanderers they can extend their lead at the top to 7 points, at least for a day.
Jason McGuiness will miss the game through injury, making him the only player absent for Rovers. Alan Keane is once again available after his suspension and new boy Ryan Connolly could make his debut.
The Sligo attacking force will cause Bray a lot of problems. Quigley knows how to score against Bray, having tearing them apart on several occasions, most recently last season when Dundalk came to The Carlisle. Raffaelle Cretaro and Danny North are also capable of causing problems. Sligo have a lot of options, something that Bray certainly do not have.
I can only see this game going one way - Sligo win. I expect goals too, unfortunately, it's more than likely that most of them will come for Sligo. If I was to be pushed for a score prediction I'd have to say, (Bray fans look away now) 4-0 or 4-1.
Don't forget the match is live on RTE 2, kicking off at 3:45 on Sturday June 7th.
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