Bottom of the pile, Athlone Town head to Wicklow on Friday night as a change in ownership grabs the headlines at the Carlisle Grounds.
With a playoff spot all but secured for Bray Wanderers it is all about keeping momentum and avoiding injuries in these last 7 games as the look to pick up another 3 points on Friday night. They will be boosted by the news this week of a new takeover in ownership by a USA consortium and will be looking to make a great first impression with a win at home. The clubs previous owners have expressed confidence in the new group and their plans in what could be a quite exciting time for the Wicklow club with fans surely hopeful they can return to the top flight. As for Athlone Town, 3 wins in 29 games speaks for itself and will the optimism of contending for promotion at the start of the season destroyed, focus with their new ownership looks to what went wrong this season and how it can be avoided next season.
Last time out:
Bray beat Wexford 1-0 in the last round of fixtures with Cian Curtis scoring an early goal for the Seasiders.
Athlone come into the game on the back of a 3 goal defeat at home to high flying Cobh Ramblers with all goals scored before half time.
Previous Meetings:
27.06.25 Athlone Town 0-4 Bray Wanderers
16.05.25 Bray Wanderers 3-1 Athlone Town
04.04.25 Athlone Town 0-1 Bray Wanderers
Key Players:
Bray: Cian Curtis has scored 7 goals for the side this season and I would expect him to get a nice finish in this fixture
Athlone Town: 20 year Old Gideon Tetteh is to be respected at Athlone. After coming through the Shamrock Rovers youth ranks, he has scored 6 goals for the town this season.
My Prediction:
Bray 3-0 Athlone
In my opinion I see Bray comfortably grabbing the 3 points that they may need to hold their position in the league against struggling Athlone who have suffered heavy defeats of recent.
Key Information:
Where to Watch: LOI TV
Kick off: Friday 5th September, 7 45 @Carlisle Grounds
Referee: Alan Patchell
Match Odds: Bray to win @4/9, draw @16/5, Athlone to win @9/1