With the new season nearly upon us (48 hours away at the time of writing) I felt it was a good time to begin Wanderers Weekly's build up to the new season and where better to start then with the views of the fans and ourselves of course. I hope to add more articles to this in the next day or so.
Loyal Bray fan "Tubes" Murphy says:
"There is every reason this year to be optimistic for the upcoming season. After the transition of last season where alot of 1st team players had to leave the club, there is a real good factor this year around the Carlisle that the club can emulate the 6th place finish and Setanta Sports Cup qualification of the 2010 season, this optimism is backed with the bulk of last years squad staying at the seaside along with return of Gary Dempsey and Shane O Neil".
"There will be tricky times during the season with suspensions and injuries but if the team can show their never die attitude which they are known for then there is no reason why this season cant be a successful one and hopefully we get to enjoy a good cup run".
Carlisle Ground regular and away day beer tasting expert Conor Caulfield says:
So that time of year is upon us again. The first game of the new season approaches and brings with it a cacophony of hopes and dreams for a progressive season. The expectation of a good cup run, will this year be our year? Will we flirt with Europe, embrace mid-table mediocrity or will it be another classic relegation dogfight?
Of course these early season fancies are regularly dispelled under a cloud of abject inadequacy within the first two months, but on the first day of the new season this matters not. Today is a celebration of getting that little void left by the off season filled, and up until kick off nothing can go wrong. In the pub before hand talk of expectations, predictions and how the new signings will fare, coupled with the fact that the departed players were useless anyway are the hot topics of conversation as the first pints of the new season are exterminated.
This season promises to be an extremely exciting one, as a lot of the believed lesser sides are very well matched. Bohemians, Shelbourne and Ucd will be perceived to be in a mini league with Bray, culminating in the top two surviving and the bottom two facing a playoff and relegation respectively. But it is a distinct possibility that other teams could be sucked into that group. Will Drogheda suffer from a type of second season syndrome under Mick Cook? (Well he’s been there three seasons but this is the second season with “his team” in place, you get the point I’m making) Will Stephen Kenny make the same mistakes he did with his supremely talented yet massively under achieving Shamrock Rovers side last season with his current charges Dundalk? Will Limerick adapt to the pressures of the Premier Division and no longer being a big fish in a small pond? The answers to these questions will undoubtedly have a role to play in the relegation shake up.
Concentrating on Wanderers, the spine of the team looks stronger than it has in recent years. With a solid experienced goalkeeper in Darren Quigley, along with the rock at the back Danny O’Connor likely to be charged with marshalling the defence. Added to that the presence of Adam Mitchell and two promising defenders in the shape of Dave Webster and Shane O’Connor the defence will hopefully be more watertight than recent years. Also new signing Peter Thomas has appeared in preseason to be a no-nonsense tough tackling centre half, and looks capable of filling in should he be required.
In midfield the return of the mercurial Gary Dempsey is a major coup, the quality of both his midfield possession and set piece ability were sorely missed last year. If he can perform to the level he did during the first half against Waterford (where he obtained three assists and bossed the midfield area with distinction) then surely goal scoring chances will not be at a premium this year. Kevin O’Connor could prove an excellent midfield partner for Dempsey should he be able to replicate the form he showed at the start of his Bray career (the highlight being a man of the match performance away to Sligo on his debut). New signing Danny Joyce has looked impressive in preseason so far, a composed midfielder possessing a good range of passing, always making himself available to receive the ball and also not afraid of a tackle. Adding the ever busy John Mulroy and the workhorse that is Daire Doyle to the mix and the midfield bases seems well covered.
Up front the evergreen Jason Byrne guarantees goals should the service be of a decent quality, and with the Bray goal scoring record firmly in this sights, he is sure to have the hunger to get those goals. Aided by the enigmatic Kieran Marty Waters, who possesses the pace and trickery to terrorise opposition defenders the goals should come.
Should the above mentioned players stay injury free the season promises to be a successful one. Strength in depth will be the main test of the Wanderers squad this year, as it is yet unknown should a key player face a layoff would there be a star in making to replace him.
On the basis of the above I’m going the predict that, should injuries and suspensions be kind to Bray, that the Wanderers will finish in a comfortable lower mid-table position, not quite challenging for Europe, but also avoiding a relegation battle. For the Fai cup my heart says this could be our year (but then again it says that every year) but my head says it will be a Quarter final exit. And as for the EA sports cup, like every year the adventure is likely to be over before it begins.
Enough writing, bring on the new season. Who’s heading to the pub? WANDERERS TILL I DIE!
