Bray Wanderers -v- St. Patrick's Athletic

• Brendan White
• Mon, Sep 28 2009


St. Patrick's Athletic will look to put even more points between themselves and the relegation battlers when they travel to Bray this evening to take on The Seagulls (kick-off 7.45pm).

Pete Mahon got his management off to a start last Friday with a 1-1 draw at home to Cork City. Bray thought they had managed to grab a point with an 89th minute equaliser, before James Chambers’ 92nd minute winner handed Drogheda the three points.

Mahon last week agreed to take the helm at the Inchicore club in a last attempt to steer clear of the relegation places, with John Gill also drafted in to help Mahon with the difficult task. Last weekend’s 1-1 draw could well have been turned into a win as St. Pat's had the majority of the play in the second half, as ten-men Cork City defended to hold onto a point, but failed to find a way past a wall of City defenders.

Bray are currently bottom of the table, three points behind ninth-placed Sligo Rovers and need to start picking up victories to stand a chance of remaining in the Premier Division.

"I was disappointed to lose on Friday the way we did”, Eddie Gormley said. “We still have enough games to get ourselves out of the position we are in, starting on Monday night. It will be tough, but they are all tough now but we will be positive and try to win the game."

Gary Cronin, who limped out of Friday's game against Drogheda Utd with a bruised thigh, will miss Monday’s game. Long term injury victim Paul Byrne will also miss the game. Gormley will have Gary McCabe and Derek Foran available once again for selection, after both missed Fridays game.

For St. Pat's, Noel Haverty will miss the trip to Bray after picking up a hamstring injury on the half-hour mark against Cork last Friday. Dave Partridge faces a late fitness test, while Garreth O'Connor (knee) remains sidelined.

St. Pat's have yet to beat Bray in the league this season, having lost 2-1 on their visit to the Carlisle Grounds, before a 1-1 draw between the sides at Richmond Park.

Extratime.ie prediction: 2-1 St Pats - Despite not taking advantage of Cork being down to ten, they played some excellent football at times and should have enough to defeat bottom of the table Bray.