Soccer

Stephen Bradley fully focused on Shamrock Rovers’ title pursuit

Home victory over Drogheda Utd would edge the champions ever closer to a four-in-a-row of league triumphs

Stephen Bradley: 'We’ve worked incredibly hard in the last few years, all season, to get to this point..' Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Stephen Bradley: 'We’ve worked incredibly hard in the last few years, all season, to get to this point..' Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Paul Buttner
Fri Oct 20 2023 - 13:01

In advance of a potentially telling night in their quest for a record-equalling four-in-a-row league titles, Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley wouldn’t be drawn on his own future, insisting his total focus is on clinching another championship, starting with the visit of Drogheda United to Tallaght Stadium tonight.

Lincoln City parted company with manager Mark Kennedy, the former Ireland international, on Wednesday night. Before Kennedy’s appointment in May of 2022, Bradley had turned down the opportunity to manage the English League One side.

“Honestly, there’s absolutely nothing that would take me away from here in the next few weeks,” said Bradley. “We’ve got a full focus on winning this league. We’ve worked incredibly hard in the last few years, all season, to get to this point.

“My focus is on nowhere else other than how we’re going to beat Drogheda, recover, how we’re going to beat Cork, recover, and how we’re going to beat Pat’s.

READ MORE

“There is nothing else I will speak about or come into my thought process other than winning these games.

“Then we will sit down with the club at the end of the year and review everything like we always do with the staff and the club and we move forward.”

Midfielder Jack Byrne, who underwent surgery during the international break on a niggling knee injury, has been offered a new contract.

Following the win over Shelbourne three weeks ago, Byrne said that he had no formal offer of a new deal from the club.

But Bradley confirmed yesterday that, though a verbal agreement had been in place all along, a contract is now on the table. Rovers had rejected a bid from American MLS side Charlotte FC for Byrne in April.

“Maybe, I don’t know,” said Bradley on whether Byrne has played his last game for Rovers.

“We have offered Jack a contract and I have been speaking regularly to Jack. As a club when we made the decision to reject the offer from America, this was always a possibility and we accepted as a club that this was the way it could go.

“There’s no complaints there from us. If it turns out to be Jack’s last game we can only thank him. We have been very good for him, but he’s been incredible for us.

“We’d love to have him here and want him here, no doubt about that, and I think our offer reflects that. But we knew it could be the case that come the end of the season he’d have options and offers, we understand and accept that.”

Of more immediate matters for Rovers, who sit four points clear at the top of the table, is bogey side Drogheda’s visit this evening. A first win in seven meetings over Kevin Doherty’s side, and results elsewhere going their way, will edge the championship ever closer. A follow up win at Cork City on Monday could all but seal it.

“They’re a very, very efficient team, and have been throughout the course of the season,” said Bradley of Drogheda.

“I think Kevin has done a brilliant job, they’re obviously safe which would have been his ambition at the start of the year. We know if we’re not at our best it won’t be enough to win the game.”

Tonight’s fixtures (7.45 unless stated)

Premier Division

Bohemians v St Patrick’s Athletic

Derry City v Shelbourne

Shamrock Rovers v Drogheda United (8.0)

Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

UCD v Cork City has been postponed due to heavy rainfall from the Status Orange Weather Warning from Met Éireann

First Division

Athlone Town v Longford Town

Bray Wanderers v Finn Harps

Cobh Ramblers v Kerry

Galway United v Wexford

Waterford v Treaty United