League of Ireland

History and facts about Bray Wanderers A.F.C.:
In 1922, some members of St Kevin's Gaelic football club in Bray left the club as a result of a dispute and formed a soccer club called Bray Wanderers. 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 1930s and 1940s, however, Bray Unknowns were the leading team in the town, playing in the National League from 1924 until the mid-1940s. Bray Wanderers went into decline in the mid-thirties but was reformed in 1942/43 and entered the Athletic Union League (AUL) Division 3 for the 1943/44 season. By the 1948/49 season Wanderers had reached Division 1 of the AUL but the period in between did not pass without controversy. In 1944 the club reached the Leinster Football Association Shield final but was disqualified for fielding an illegal player in the semi-final. When in Division 2 of the AUL in 1946/47 the club was expelled from the league due to the B team not fulfilling a league fixture, although the club was reinstated the following season. 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 joined the Leinster Senior league (LSL). 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. They 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 League of Ireland when it was expanded to two Divisions for the 1985/86 season, and secured promotion to the Premier Division by winning the League of Ireland First Division Championship that year. They were relegated back down to the First Division in the 1987/88 season. Wanderers did not regain Premier Division status until the 1990/91 season but had their first major success during their spell in the First Division. They won the FAI Cup in 1990 beating St. Francis 3-0 in the first Lansdowne Road final. They made history by becoming the first ever First Division side to win the trophy. Due to this success, Wanderers competed in European competition for the first time in their history in the 1990/91 season. They were defeated, however, by Trabzonspor in the European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round. Bray continued to have difficulty achieving success in the league. After two seasons in the Premier Division the club was once again relegated to the First Division where it remained for three seasons. In 1995/96 season Wanderers were promoted back to the Premier Division as First Division champions, but were relegated back down in the following season. The next two seasons followed the same script as they went back up and came straight back down. In 1998/99, a season they got relegated again, Wanderers won their second FAI Cup, defeating Finn Harps after two replays. In 1999/00 the club won promotion back to the Premier Division and in 2000/01 Wanderers achieved their highest ever league finish of 4th place in the Premier Division. The club could not build on this as they were relegated back down in 2002/03 but were once again promoted in 2004. The club was relegated at the end of the 2009 season, but the demise of Cork City meant it was reinstated to the Premier Division. Finishing in a Promotion/Relegation play-off in 2010, the club finally maintained its Premier status following a penalty shoot-out with Monaghan United.

Team squad in seazon 2010/2011:
Matt Gregg
Darren Quigley
Stephen Brennan
Gary Dempsey
Daire Doyle
Graham Kelly
Danny O'Connor
David Tyrrell