Cup Tie Brings New Focus for Bray Wanderers

Bray Wanderers face Galway United in the FAI Cup Last 16, with the team's focus shifting from the relegation play-off to the cup tie. Can Bray Wanderers make it to the quarter-finals?

Bray Wanderers Seek Cup Success

Bray Wanderers are shifting their focus from the relegation play-off to the FAI Cup Last 16, where they face Galway United at Eamonn Deacy Park. The team is currently 20 points behind leaders Cork City in the First Division title race.

What Happened?

Galway United welcome Bray Wanderers to Eamonn Deacy Park in the Last 16 of the FAI Cup. The game could provide a glimpse of what a relegation play-off final would look like come season's end. Cork City are strolling away with the First Division title, with Bray leading the chasing pack - though from a chasmic 20 points behind - and could come through the division's play-off stages to face the 9th-placed finisher in the Premier Division in a one-off winner-takes-all game in November.

Why it Matters for Bray Wanderers

United have to travel to each of the teams in the relegation/play-off scrap, including Sligo Rovers, Drogheda United, and Waterford FC, in the last round of fixtures. They could do with laying down a marker on Friday night against a possible play-off opponent, if the worst comes to the worst. United made the quarter-finals of last season's cup competition before losing 3-1 to St Patrick's Athletic in extra-time, and Friday's meeting offers a great chance to make the last eight once again.

What Comes Next?

Given that he went with a strong starting XI for the First Round clash with non-league Crumlin United, you can expect Caulfield to go with his strongest-possible starting XI. His side seem to have finally stopped leaking goals: they have kept clean sheets in three of their last four games, compared to just one in the previous 23. However, the drought has taken hold at the other end as well, with one goal in their last three games. We could do with seeing Kris Twardek back in the starting XI, and maybe Frantz Pierrot making it into the 70th-minute plus of a game: the striker has been subbed off between the 63rd and 69th minutes in each of his last five games, and ahs yet to play a full 90 minutes for United. Francely Lomboto could also be in line for a start, having injected some real threat into the United attack when he was brought on in the 64th minute of last Friday’s draw with Drogheda, replacing Pierrot. His pace caused the visitors all kinds of problems, and he won a penalty in the 75th minute which David Hurley skied over Luke Dennison’s crossbar, his second penalty miss of the season against the Drogs, having also failed from 12 yards in the opening league game of the season back in February.

Recent Form

Bray Wanderers are currently 2nd in the First Division, with 43 points from 27 games, and a recent form of WLLWW. They have scored 54 goals and conceded 37 this season, with a +17 goal difference. Their last result was a 5-0 win over Finn Harps on August 7th. They face Longford Town away on August 22nd, in their next fixture.