Bray have earned respect
FINN Harps’ approach may have bested his side but Harry Kenny appreciated it. The Co. Donegal side welcomed a top six side to Ballybofey on Friday evening and they treated them like a top six side.
It is a new sensation for the Seagulls but one that the boss sees as the dawning of a new era; an era where the Co. Wicklow club are a force to be reckoned with.
“The positives I took out of it were that teams are now giving us huge respect. I think Finn Harps treated us like a top half team because they dropped off and let us have the ball. That was a little bit new to us so I take it as a positive because it shows we’re respected now and we just have to mix up our game a little bit and expect treatment like that with plenty of the ball.
“It didn’t really put us on the backfoot. We’ve good players who can cope with that but it was new to us. We knew we’d gain respect though, it’s bound to happen with the run we’ve been on. The players can pass it around and it was very evident that Finn Harps had come to look at us and did their homework on us. I don’t know if they deserved the result they got but they did their homework.”
One player who certainly can cope with it is Ryan Brennan. The ex-Hoop returned from injury in Donegal and may be thrust straight back into the starting XI with suspensions taking their toll on Kenny’s side.
“It’s great to have him back. Ryan is mad keen to play. He played for half an hour and did very well but he’s a little bit short of match practice. He’s really keen to get back.
“We’ll still try to get as many points as we can out of the last three matches and they’re three tough matches. We’ll be going for it. We’ve two suspensions now with Karl Moore and Mark Salmon and Karl has been playing quite a number of games for us in the middle of the pitch so that’s two lads from the middle of the pitch gone which is hard to cope with. We’ve coped in the past though and we’ll cope again. It’ll give someone else an opportunity to play.”
Wanderers will sign off for the season with a home tie against Cork City. That fixture may hold no real meaning for Bray but it could see the Leesiders crowned league champions and Kenny is relishing having a part to play in the league’s climax.
“I’d really look forward to the game if they’re coming to the Carlisle needing points. I’d be fantastic. I hope it’s tight by the end of the season and they come needing some sort of points. It’d be a great atmosphere, I’d look forward to that game. It’d be huge.”