Cut to pieces on the continent only to evolve and avenge defeats in Tallaght. It’s a cycle Shamrock Rovers eventually have to break.
“You don’t just forget,” said Stephen Bradley, “you have to learn and understand why it has happened, but this group has been brilliant the last three, four years [at] putting games to bed very quickly. Win, lose or draw. It is not the players’ job to dwell on results, they have a responsibility to review the game and move on for the next one. We will do that again.”
The Rovers manager offered a concise, professional reaction before hightailing for a chartered flight home. In the morning they refocus on the Brandywell this Sunday for an FAI Cup quarter-final against Derry City that threatens to poke holes in a season that has them in the alien situation of fighting on three fronts.
Hein Vanhaezebrouck is a different type of fish. Sipping a Belgium beer, the Gent manager lauded Shamrock Rovers’ display, despite a 3-0 defeat, and especially the fanatical thousand who travelled to East Flanders.
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“There are only 400 places there [for visiting fans to Tallaght]?” smiled Vanhaezebrouck of the return fixture on October 27th.
Bradley was busying circling the wagons, putting his own head on the chopping block instead of throwing any individual player into the fire.
Not much can be done about sensational finishes by Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe and Hugo Cuypers but an easy critique of Rovers’ unflinching desire to play from the back will be levelled at them following this chastising Europa Conference League loss.
“The second goal is on me,” said Bradley. “I ask the players to play that way in every game, so I take responsibility for that. When you give good players chances usually they take them.
“Dan [Cleary] is one of the best passing centre halves we have, he is probably the best in the country at it. It is very, very rare that you see a mistake like that, unfortunately he slipped and at this level you don’t get away with that but, as I said, that is on me. I ask the players to play that way and be brave. We need to give him more options off the ball. We didn’t. He slipped, and we got punished.
“We knew before we kicked a ball we were going to win, lose and draw games in the group. We will take this and move on.”
Back to Vanhaezebrouck and his smiling platitudes, fully aware that some tricky nights await after Gent snatched control of Group F despite Djurgardens’ 3-2 win over Molde of Norway, where Rovers go on October 6th.
“Congratulations to fans of the Shamrock Rovers,” he declared, as the liquid warmed his cheeks. “They stayed here yesterday in Gent, behaving fantastically well, enjoying themselves but creating no problems at all. So really I want to appreciate the way they are coming to Belgium, it’s an example for everyone and congratulations that they are here with a thousand people.
“They must feel the [energy] crisis in Ireland less than in Belgium. Because we only got 6,000 of our own fans in the stadium, which is not a lot.”
The rush-hour kick-off ruined any chance of a full house on the edge of a university city only turning the page for a night of revelry.
