“Most teams will go through a tough spell at some stage. But what separates the good teams from the rest is how they respond to it”
Paul Heffernan
These were the words of Bray Wanderers manager Paul Heffernan when he was asked about his teams poor results as of late. The Seagulls have the chance to put things right with three points this Friday as they make the journey to Westmeath to face Athlone Town
Recent Form
Paul Heffernan’s side come into this game following three straight losses to Treaty, Kerry and most recently UCD. These results have seen Bray drop crucial points, as if they’d won all three, they would be level on points with first-placed Dundalk.
It has been nothing short of an awful first half of the season for The Blue and Black, as the Westmeath outfit have only managed three wins all season and currently sit at the foot of the table with 15 points, for a team that heavily invested in the Winter transfer window and were expected to challenge for promotion, it’s a dire return. They head into this game with just two points from their last five.
In the form table (past five games), Bray sit 9th and Athlone sit 10th, this game serves as a perfect chance for both sides to get some form going.
What’s At Stake
Here’s how we look going into Friday:
The Seasiders currently sit in 3rd place, 5 points clear of 4th placed Treaty, a gap that has halved since the beginning of June. After losing their last three, Wanderers will be hoping to put things right with three points tomorrow night, with the possibility of closing the gap to the top to seven points, and to extend the lead over Treaty to eight.
Athlone will be looking to grab their second win in fifteen games, but they have a huge task ahead of them as they face Bray, who have been one of the best teams in the league for a large part of the season. A victory here could see Athlone close the gap to Finn Harps to a single point, providing Treaty defeat The Ballbofey Boys.
Recent Meetings:
The sides have faced off twice in the league so far this season, with Bray emerging as 1-0 winners at Athlone Town Stadium, with Conor Knight scoring the only goal of the game, and beating Athlone 3-1 at home with Billy O’Neill, Harvey Warren and Conor Knight all getting on the scoresheet.
Team News:
Ian Ryan’s side are reporting a fully fit squad, although both Noe Baba and Dylan Hand risk a one game suspension if they are booked against Bray, as they will have reached the five yellow card threshold.
There’s some positive news on the Bray side of things, as Benjamin Fagbemi, Harvey Warren and Rhys Bartley all returned to first team training this week, and are in contention to feature against Athlone Town.
Bray Player To Watch:
My player to watch for The Seagulls is 17 year old Billy O’Neill. O’Neill has been by far and away Bray Wanderers best player this season, he has came up with three goals and four assists so far this season. His lightning quick pace and his ability to run at defences make him a nightmare to handle. He even scored against Athlone earlier in the season:
Athlone Player To Watch:
My player to watch for Athlone Town is Gideon Tetteh, the winger has helped The Town pick up crucial points this season, scoring five goals, 33% of Athlone’s total. If Athlone play their cards right, and can provide chances for Tetteh, he could cause the Seagulls’ defence problems.
Pre-Match Thoughts:
I think Paul Heffernan and his side will finally bounce back from their recent woes with a victory over Athlone, I don’t think The Blue and Black will make it easy, and they could definitely get something from this game, but it is Bray I see coming away with all three points. Athlone Town 1-2 Bray Wanderers.
The game will be streamed live on LOITV from 19:45, this Friday, 27th June.