Stewards forced to intervene as Pat Devlin and Bray fans in ugly exchange

Seagulls boss and fans clash after draw with Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park on Monday 

Bray manager Pat Devlin was involved in an ugly exchange with part of the Bray support. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

An ugly incident saw stewards having to intervene after Bray Wanderers manager Pat Devlin and a fan had an angry exchange at the end of their Airtricity Division 1 league clash with Wexford FC at Ferrycarrig Park on Monday evening.

The Seagulls had played out an uninspiring 1-1 draw with the Wexford side, missing a penalty three minutes from the end when Darragh Levingston had his spot kick saved by keeper Alex Moody.

On the final whistle, Bray Wanderers supporters had made their way towards the clubhouse from the stand at which time they tried to confront Devlin. As Devlin moved towards the supporters, he was removed by stewards in an effort to prevent an escalation of what was developing into an unruly scene. As Devlin was being led towards the clubhouse an object from a section of the travelling fans appeared to be thrown in his direction.

The Seagulls supporters were expressing their anger at the club's recent run, for the draw saw them come out of their eighth successive game without a win.

As Devlin and his backroom along with the players were making their passage towards the changing room, supporters were chanting for Devlin's departure as manager. It was a toxic environment with the quick action of stewards preventing what appeared to be a serious situation as Devlin tried to approach the supporters.

Devlin (69) is synonymous with the Wicklow club, having been at the helm of Bray when they joined the League of Ireland in 1985. He left Bray after a change of ownership in 2013, and had spells with UCD and Cabinteely, before returning to Bray on their amalgamation with Cabinteely for the 2022 season.

Wanderers had no points after the first three games of the season, including an opening 6-0 defeat to Cork City. Form picked up with wins over Longford Town and Cobh Ramblers, but fans are clearly unhappy with just two points from their last four games.

Stewards maintained a heavy presence outside the clubhouse and changing rooms for some time until fans had dispersed the grounds.