Bray Wanderers boss Harry Kenny: 'I won't lie - it's had an effect on me'
Harry Kenny admits his Bray Wanderers squad haven't yet fully recovered from the financial turmoil that gripped the club during a nightmare July.
The Seagulls haven't won a game in nearly two months and have drawn just once, against Bohemians at Dalymount Park last Friday, and now sit as close to relegation as they do third place.
Bray sit nine points ahead of Galway United in the relegation zone heading into the game, with tonight's opponents Sligo Rovers a point further behind the Tribesmen.
The match has been brought forward from September owing to both sides' involvement in the Scottish Irn Bru Challenge Cup – the draw for which takes place on Thursday.
Bray have spent most of the season in the top four and much of it above Dundalk in second place, but they've suffered badly over the summer as the club's financial problems became apparent.
A bizarre statement – the first of many to be issued by the club – sent out at half time in a home defeat to Dundalk on June 30th preceded a four-game losing streak.
Two days earlier, the club had sold Dylan Connolly to the Lilywhites, and two days later the squad members were told they could find new clubs as the money to pay them had run out.
It meant that Kenny's squad spent the entire transfer window wondering where they'd be playing their football for the rest of the season – or if there'd be football to play at all.
The closing of the window two weeks ago (only Alan Kehoe of the senior squad left) and the securing of finance to see the season out has eased those concerns somewhat.
Going out of the FAI Cup with a narrow defeat to Cork City denied them what could have been a welcome distraction.
“We're getting there,” said Kenny, speaking exclusively to extratime.ie.
“We're not quite there with the whole thing. We're not where we were at the start of the season, but we're getting there.
“It's mending a few fellas and getting them back around after their heads being turned. Hopefully we kick on from here.
“Once the window went and the money was secured, they'll be happy enough and they'll get their heads down. You even saw that tonight [against Cork] – there's good character in the team.”
It's all proven quite an unedifying spectacle from the outside, with Kenny and the squad's professionalism under serious pressure at odds with the childish behaviour of the club's owners.
For Kenny it's been particularly difficult, not only to keep morale high but to rein in his own hopes and dreams upon which he based his vision for a modern, progressive club.
“I was very excited coming to Bray this year. I was delighted with the start. I was delighted with the signings. I was delighted with everything. But that's the nature of the thing.
“It's very disappointing what happened, obviously. It's very disappointing the effect on the team. It had an effect on everyone.
“I won't lie – it's had an effect on me. But we're trying to get over it to move on now.”
