It took Derek Daly 12 league games to find the net for Bray Wanderers but the winger has now helped himself to three goals in two matches. His most recent goals - a brace against Wexford on Friday - were pivotal as it earned the Seagulls a third win
It took Derek Daly 12 league games to find the net for Bray Wanderers but the winger has now helped himself to three goals in two matches.
His most recent goals - a brace against Wexford on Friday - were pivotal as it earned the Seagulls a third win on the spin and while the Co. Wicklow club are just beginning to find form, Daly is far from happy with his own contributions so far. He had started all 11 league ties for Gary Cronin before the Bray boss benched Daly for the last two fixtures but Daly marked his return to the starting XI with a double - and only the width of a crossbar denied him a hat-trick.
"I was delighted to get the two goals but we won and that is the most important thing so I'm more happy about that.
"I've definitely got more to give. I've only now started to chip in with goals - I've started a bit slower than I would have liked - but obviously now it'll give me a bit of confidence and hopefully I'll improve now and start chipping in more.
"You want to play every minute of every match! You're a footballer and that's why you play but sometimes you have to accept what the manager wants to do and it worked! We've won our last couple of games and he's brought me in and I've scored so the decisions that he's made have paid off for the team and that's what matters.
"Goals have been an issue; that's probably what had been letting us down because we had been playing good but just hadn't been finishing things off. We've improved on that now and we've been putting our chances away so hopefully we'll kick on again with that and get a good run going."
As for that free kick?
"It was so close! I don't usually take them but I wanted to step up for the hat-trick. It was unlucky."
The victories against Athlone, Galway and Wexford propelled Bray into the play-off positions and Daly knows how fine the margins will be in the First Division but backs his team-mates to prove themselves in 2019.
"It's been very tight this year. A good run will get you right up there again. Some teams have had a few results go against them and that's gone in our favour so you never know what way it will go.
"I think we all work really well together and that's been the most important thing. We're a new squad this year and we've been gelling because that's what matters; it doesn't matter if we're young lads once we're all working hard together it'll pay off."
