Football Season Guide

The 2017 was a turbulent one for Bray, who looked like strong European candidates early on, only for things to turn sour due to financial problems that the club was facing. The entire squad even transfer-listed themselves at one stage, but the Wanderers managed to finish the season away from danger and avoid losing most of their key players, with a notable exception being Dylan Connolly, who joined Dundalk midway through the campaign. However, the inevitable has happened this winter, as the Wanders lost a number of important players, such as Peter Cherrie, Karl Moore, Keith Buckley, Ryan Brennan and Antonio Blood. However, they did manage to keep hold of Gary McCabe. The attacking midfielder, who scored fourteen goals last season, will be their new captain. Bray also start the new season with a new manager in charge. Harry Kenny announced that he would leave the club with a month of the previous season to spare and the Wanders have named Dave Mackey their new manager. Mackey spent five years at the club in various roles between 2008 and 2013 but this will be first spell as a Premier League manager. Given the club's financial situation, it is hardly a surprise that the Wanderers went for other clubs' unwanted players during the winter. They have brought in a number of new players, none of who are proven Premier League regulars and their squad definitely looks weaker than it was last time around. Even Mackey admitted, in a recent interview, that it will be hard to get back the momentum that Bray had early in the previous season and it pretty much seems that everyone at the club are prepared for a season of hardship.