Shamrock Rovers proved their mettle to win coveted three-in-a-row

The manager nearly wasn’t there to see it out, as it took intervention from major shareholder Denis Desmond in May to persuade Stephen Bradley to snub an offer from Lincoln City

THREE-IN-A-ROW: Rovers’ manager Stephen Bradley. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

The three-in-a-row of titles Shamrock Rovers entrusted Stephen Kenny with completing in 2012 was delivered alone in full by Stephen Bradley.

He nearly wasn’t there to see it out, as it took intervention from major shareholder Dermot Desmond in May to persuade their young boss to snub an offer from Lincoln City.

At 37, time is on Bradley’s side.

He’s been in the Hoops post since 2016, second only to the great Paddy Coad in terms of longevity.

Further opportunities of moving abroad will arise and there was business to conclude first.

Not since the legendary four-in-a-row Rovers team of the mid-1980s has a string of league titles been secured.

Bradley was a player under Michael O’Neill when he stitched two together at the start of the last decade but felt disillusioned enough by what he considered a lack of ambition at board level to walk away.

His replacement Kenny didn’t last a full season, getting sacked as they lagged 13 points off leaders Sligo Rovers with six games to play.

Then followed a glut of bosses, from Trevor Croly and Pat Fenlon, all following Kenny out the Tallaght door with handsome payoffs.

Presenting one of Fenlon’s junior staff members his first senior role deviated from their tradition of snaring established names and uncertainty clouded the decision in the first couple of years.

“Change hasn’t worked for this club in the past,” declared Bradley, when under pressure, helplessly inhaling the fumes of the Dundalk/Cork City duopoly motoring ahead.

His first trophy, the 2019 FAI Cup, constituted the turning point but moreso was the capture for that season of Jack Byrne.

While Cork were in freefall and Dundalk lost their edge despite regaining their title, the midfielder marvelled on his homecoming.

Continuous chaos in ownership at Dundalk, seeping onto the pitch, offered a clear run at the title in 2020 which they maximized in a campaign halved by Covid-19.

Patrick Hoban dismissing the triumph’s substance was veiled proof of their rivals in Co Louth accepting the change of power.

Bohemians had developed into their new challengers that term but, for the 2021 tilt, Bradley’s former Arsenal Academy teammate Stephen O’Donnell pushed them most.

Still, a 16-point margin over St Patrick’s Athletic underlined the gap and hopes of closing it were damaged when their young manager was enticed back to his beloved Dundalk for this season.

And so it was Derry City who emerged as the team to rattle the incumbents in 2022.

Backed by the largesse of newly-minted billionaire Philip O’Doherty, Ruaidhrí Higgins spent big in the off-season, recruiting the bulk of Dundalk’s stars, augmented by rising gems such as Brandon Kavanagh and goalkeeper Brian Maher.

For Rovers to meet the challenge, reinforcements were essential.

Their meek Europa Conference League exit in August 2021 against Flora Tallinn, 5-2 on aggregate, ought to have sounded alarm bells in Bradley’s ears for a squad overhaul.

Instead, he opted for quality over quantity – re-signing Byrne after a nightmare year in Cyprus with APOEL Nicosia and pilfering his latest recruit from Bohemians, Andy Lyons.

From the outset, fitness wasn’t a friend of Byrne.

His long absence last year with back trouble stunted his start and additional injuries in his groin and stomach relegated him to a bit-part role.

Magic moments, such as dissecting the Sligo defence for Dylan Watts to score earlier this month, were there to admire but just not enough of them for his imprint to be felt on this title success to the extent it should.

Rovers possessed enough quality to virtually lead from the front till the end, absorbing a couple of blips, to bulldoze towards their hat-trick.

Danny Mandroiu did what Bradley didn’t by joining Lincoln City in the summer and they even survived a long layoff for defensive giant Pico Lopes, through a serious knee injury, to last the distance. Acting swiftly in the summer by capturing Daniel Cleary – another of the Dundalk alumni – was a masterstroke.

Derry eventually discovering their consistency, by winning while Rovers were on European duty, culled the lead of Rovers back to one point in early September but October 9 will be deemed the day their destiny was crowned.

Trailing twice at home to Shelbourne, they battled back to nick a 3-2 win six minutes into stoppage-time.

That’s what champions do and why they’re worthy of the mantle for a third year on the spin.