Stephen Bradley hoping Shamrock Rovers can set up big European night in Tallaght

RALLYING THE HOOPS: Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley. Pic: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile

Stephen Bradley has learnt plenty about European football since being handed his first managerial assignment as a 31-year-old.

The club didn’t wait for the second leg to axe Pat Fenlon following a 2-0 Europa League defeat to RoPS of Finland, with the caretaker overseeing a 1-1 draw in Rovaniemi.

That was back in 2016 and while his sequence of four league titles in a row merits immortality, big nights in Europe have burnished his success.

He’s predicting another big one at Tallaght next Thursday, convinced the first leg NK Celje in Slovenia won’t be decisive.

Neither will their European fate be from this round.

Regardless of the outcome, there’ll be a third and final showdown for a spot in the Conference group stages next week against the victor of the tie between Ordabasy (Kazakhstan) and Pyunik (Armenia).

Bradley led the Hoops to that stage in 2022 and there’s the lure of doubling their European prize money to €3.87m – and six group games – at stake.

Having the home leg of both games, if the second is required, heartens Bradley.

“I’ve always liked having the second leg in Tallaght because we know what big European nights can be there,” he said, referencing the difference when they faced Sparta Prague in the Champions League, losing 6-2 on aggregate.

“What we’ve picked up over the years is that European teams play differently home and away. Sparta two weeks in Tallaght defended completely different to the way they did at home a week later.

“You would have expected that as they gave us a lot of respect in Tallaght whereas at home they went heavy on the press, man-for-man marking all over the pitch.

“That can work for or against you. We saw in Prague that Aaron Greene exposed them in behind to score a good goal but in Tallaght they rarely gave us those opportunities because they always defended with four behind the ball.”

NK Celje, who knocked Dundalk out of the Champions League in 2020, possess an array of internationals and a nippy Brazilian Edmilson Santos. They also bowed out of the Champions League last week, hammered 5-0 by Slovan Bratislava after drawing the first leg 1-1.

“Celje should have been 3-0 up in the draw – having two disallowed goals for offside, one cleared off the line and the goal they scored,” noted Bradley, who will be missing star striker Johnny Kenny through injury.

“They were right in the second leg until a red card, so we know this is a high-level team, the quality you expected at this level.

“We know the task will be difficult but we’re in a good place.”