I’m very conscious of what’s behind us’

LEAGUE of Ireland full-backs have struggled to tame Dylan Connolly this season.

But having masterminded Bray Wanderers’ resurgence, Harry Kenny also reckons he could contain the lightning quick winger.

Connolly netted as the Seagulls drew 1-1 with Shamrock Rovers on Friday evening but former rightback Kenny knows just what he would have done if faced the man quicker than a hiccup.

“I’d have put him into the stand early on!”

Connolly’s strike wasn’t enough to earn all three points as Bray skipper Conor Kenna was adjudged to have handled a shot in the 73rd minute, a decision Kenny didn’t agree with and a decision that cost his side a sixth consecutive clean sheet.

“I thought it was very harsh one way or another but it doesn’t matter who gave it.

“It’s disappointing to lose the record on a decision like that. If they had a good passage of play and it was a decent goal you’d hold your hand up and say ‘fair enough’ we lost our record to that.

“But to lose it in the manner that we lost it was hugely disappointing.”

Kenny is modest in analysing why his side have been able to record five back-to-back clean sheets but also realises how far they’ve come in such a short time.

“We’ve Tim (Clancy) in at the back, we’ve Kevin (Lynch) at leftback, Darragh Noone is doing very well, John Sullivan is doing a very good job so we’ve four or five new players in which is helping the cause.

“There’s more confidence in the team. Results breed confidence. We’re playing well – we changed the shape a little bit too.

“I’ve been raging and absolutely bulling but when I got composed in the changing room I said ‘lads, we’re all disappointed here but we’re after playing a top four team and we’re disappointed’.

“To be disappointed not to come away with a win against a top four side is a good sign.”

Results elsewhere did Bray no favours with Wexford winning and Longford drawing but Kenny still has eyes firmly set on climbing the table and anything is possible with Connolly in toe.

“I’d like to be looking upwards but with Wexford after getting the win tonight they’re only two points behind us so they’re still on our coat-tails.

“We’d like to be looking up and trying to catch Bohs…but at the same time I’m very conscious of what’s behind us too.

“He’s flying at the moment. He’s going very well.

“He’s a bright spark for us and he works very hard.

“He does the ugly side of the game too, added the Bray Wanderers boss.”