THE IRONY of a visit to the “Field of Dreams”, as Bray Wanderers care to call their Carlisle Grounds home, may hardly be lost on Bohemians’ players as they look to exorcise the demons of their nightmare exit from Europe, writes Paul Buttner.
The deflated champions can expect little sympathy from Bray, 11 points adrift at the foot of the table, as they’re running out of matches to salvage their Premier Division status. “We need to pick ourselves up (after their 4-0 defeat at UCD last week) and start picking up points,” said Bray manager Eddie Gormley. “Bohemians are coming into the game off the back of a defeat in Europe, but we’re fighting for our lives.”
Veteran defender Colm Tresson (calf) and midfielder Stephen Brennan (calf) join long-term injury victims Richie Baker and David Tyrrell on the sidelines. Gormley waits for fitness reports on midfielder James Kavanagh, who came off when unwell during their midweek Leinster Cup semi-final, and striker John Mulroy (thigh).
Bohemians have right winger Gareth McGlynn back from suspension, but remain without Steve Gray, Anthony Murphy and Raffaele Cretaro due to injuries.
Second-from-bottom Drogheda United host Sligo Rovers hoping to build on their surprise win at Sporting Fingal on Monday and close the gap on Galway United to just one point. “It was a great result, but we can’t get carried away with it,” said Drogheda’s new manager Brian Donnelly. “From being around the lads now I expect no less of a performance . . . We still believe that we can catch Galway.” Defenders Eoghan Osbourne and Damien Brennan are suspended while Jamie Harris, Paul Crowley and Brendan McGill remain out injured. Sligo’s only absentee is long-term injured defender Mauro Almeida, who continues his recovery from surgery on an Achilles tendon injury.
TONIGHT’S FIXTURES (7.45 unless stated) – Premier Division: Bray Wanderers v Bohemians; Drogheda Utd v Sligo Rovers. First Division: Athlone Town v Wexford Youths; Cork City v Finn Harps; Derry City v Salthill Devon; Limerick v Monaghan Utd; Waterford Utd v Longford Town.
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