Abuse claims `exaggerated'

Bray Wanderers manager Pat Devlin insisted that reports carried on a football website yesterday regarding the racial abuse suffered by the club's defender, Wesley Charles, had been greatly exaggerated and that the former Sligo Rovers defender is happy to stay at the Carlisle Grounds.

The denial follows an incident at the weekend in which Charles was racially abused while travelling home. It was initially reported that Charles had been arrested after the incident.

"It started when a man sat down beside him on the train," said Devlin, "but Wesley got up and walked away and there is a witness to confirm that that is what happened. The guy followed him, though, and it continued after they had both got off the train.

"He was giving Wesley appalling abuse and eventually, it seems, Wesley reacted but the only contact with the Gardai was when Wesley went to explain what had happened."

Devlin says that he was told about the incident by the player at training on Sunday morning and contacted him since then when he heard that reports of the incident included references to Charles having suffered abuse on other occasions. The Wanderers boss described those reports as "nonsense".

Galway United, meanwhile, will reveal today what action they have taken against their leading scorer, Eric Lavine following an as yet unconfirmed incident that led to his being omitted from the squad for last Saturday's game at Derry.

And Longford manager Stephen Kenny has revealed that Niall Byrne, the young striker who had had spells at Liverpool and St Patrick's before signing for the cup semi-finalists last summer has left the club without giving any reason for his departure. "He simply stopped showing up for training," said Kenny, "and doesn't seem to have gotten around to contacting anybody about it."