Bray Wanderers A.F.C.

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Bray Wanderers
Full name Bray Wanderers
Association Football Club
Nickname(s) "The Seagulls"
Founded 1942
Ground Carlisle Grounds, Bray,
County Wicklow
(Capacity 7,000)
Chairman Eddie Slevin
Manager Eddie Gormley
League Eircom Premier Division
2006 10th
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours

Bray Wanderers A.F.C. (Irish: Cumann Peile Bhré) is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1942 and elected to the League in 1985, hails from Bray and play their home matches at the Carlisle Grounds. Club colours are Green and White, and it goes by the nickname Seagulls. The current manager is Eddie Gormley and the General Manager is Jack O'Neill.

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[edit] History

Bray Wanderers were originally established in 1922. They won the Miller Cup, which at the time was one of the most prestigious junior cups in the country, in 1927/28. Through the 1930 and 1940s, however, Bray Unknowns were the leading team in the town, playing in the National League from 1924 until the mid-1940s.

Wanderers were reformed in 1942/43 and entered the Athletic Union League (AUL) Division 3 for the season 1943/44.

In 1950/51 Wanderers won the FAI Junior Cup, defeating Drogheda United 2-1. Wanderers also reached the Leinster Junior Final that season, but were defeated by Rathfarnham in the final. Wanderers won the Junior Cup again in 1953-54, defeating Ierne 1-0 in the Final.

The following season Wanderers left the AUL and join the Leinster Senior league (LSL).

Wanderers' goalkeeper at that time, Alan Kelly, was later to represent Ireland 47 times at senior level and is the father of Irish international goalkeepers Alan (junior) and Gary.

In 1955/56 Wanderers won the Intermediate Cup, defeating Workmens Club 2-1 in the final. They won it again two years later defeating Chapelizod 2-1 in the final. In 1958/59, Wanderers clinched the Leinster Senior League, setting a new club and LSL record for the highest number of goals scored in a season.

Wanderers went on to win three League titles in a row.

In 1960-61 Wanderers withdrew from the LSL and returned to the AUL. From 1963, however, they once again went into decline.

By 1973, Bray Unknowns were playing in the LSL and the management changed the name to Bray Wanderers in a partially successful effort to amalgamate the two. In 1975/76 the new Wanderers won the Metropolitan Cup for the first time since 1924.

Bray Wanderers were elected to the National League when it expanded to two Divisions for the 1985/86 season, and secured promotion by winning the 2nd Division Championship that year.

Bray have had difficulty maintaining a long-term membership of the top flight, now known as the Premier Division, and have been promoted or relegated in eleven of their 21 seasons in the League.

Twice FAI Cup winners under long-serving manager Pat Devlin, the first team is now (June 2006) under the supervision of Eddie Gormley.

[edit] Current squad

No. Position Player
1 Flag of Australia GK Chris O'Connor
2 Flag of Ireland DF Colm Tresson
3 Flag of Ireland DF Gary Cronin
6 Flag of Ireland DF Kevin Doherty
7 Flag of Ireland MF Patrick Kavanagh
8 Flag of Ireland MF Alan Cawley
9 Flag of Romania MF Andrei Georgescu
10 Flag of Ireland FW Andrew Myler
11 Flag of Ireland MF Gary McCabe
12 Flag of Ireland MF Ronan Ivory
13 Flag of Ireland MF Darren Lacey
14 Flag of Ireland DF Ray Kenny
15 Flag of Ireland FW Paul Dunphy
16 Flag of Ireland MF Mark Duggan
17 Flag of Ireland DF Derek Pender
No. Position Player
20 Flag of Ireland FW John Mulroy
21 Flag of Ireland MF Stephen Lawless
23 Flag of Ireland FW John Broderick (on loan to Kildare County FC)
24 Flag of Ireland FW Gerard Rowe
30 Flag of Ireland GK Gavin McInerney
Flag of Ireland GK Matt Gregg
Flag of Ireland MF Gavin Whelan
Flag of Ireland FW Emeka Onwubiko
Flag of Ireland DF Derek Foran (on loan from St Patrick's Athletic)
Flag of Ireland DF Sean Fitzgerald
Flag of Ireland MF Niall Merriman
Flag of Ireland MF Robert Manley
Flag of Ireland GK Craig Hyland
Flag of Ireland FW John Flood
Flag of Ireland FW Paddy Mahon
Flag of Ireland GK Alan Gough

[edit] On loan

No. Position Player
Flag of Ireland DF Derek Foran (on loan from St Patrick's Athletic)

[edit] Club Honours

League: Best performance - 4th in 2000-01

First Division Champions: 3 (1985-86, 1995-96, 1999-00)

FAI Cup Winners: 2 (1990, 1999)

League Cup Winners: Best performance - Semi finalists 1995-1996 and 1999-00

Record League Victory: 7-0 v Cobh Ramblers, Home, 17 October 1997 7-0 v St. Mochta’s, Home (FAI Ford Cup), 17 June 2007


Record League Defeat: 1-7 v Shamrock Rovers, Away, 8 January 1988; 0-6 v Derry City, Away, 29 November 1987

Most Points in a Season: 72 in 1999-00

Most League Goals in a Season: 19, Eamon Zayed, 2003

Most League Goals: 64, Kieran O’Brien 1994 - 2004

[edit] External links

[edit] References