Stephen Bradley: 'The scoreline will definitely play a part in our team selection for the second leg'

TEAM SELECTION: Rovers manager Stephen Bradley celebrates with the fans after the game

Europa Conference League, second round, first leg: St Joesph's 0 Shamrock Rovers 4 (Gaffney 13', Mandroiu 67', McGovern 73', Byrne 75')

It was a sunshine stroll for Shamrock Rovers in Gibraltar on their European return as three second-half goals allows them to plan for a third-round tie in a fortnight.

Last season’s surge through the snakes and ladders Uefa structure entailed 16 matches, taking the Hoops into the knockout stages of the Conference League in February.

Their tilt at replicating that run begins from a different and direct point but they looked every bit a team on a mission by dismantling St Joseph’s by the midway point of the tie.

Although Rovers were slow to build on Rory Gaffney’s 13th minute opener, occasionally presenting avenues for the minnows to threaten such as a header from Manuel Sánchez that marginally missed the target, three goals in the space of eight minutes puts the outcome beyond doubt.

Presuming there’s no dramatic collapse on home soil in next Thursday’s return at Tallaght, Stephen Bradley’s side will march on to face either Malta’s Floriana or Ballkani of Kosovo, with the latter leading 4-2 from Thursday’s first leg.

A deluge of Rovers goals stemmed from the contribution of substitutes introduced just past the hour.

Excellent skill by Jack Byrne on 67 minutes, three minutes after coming on, led to a crossfield pass which Josh Honohan latched onto before rifling a shot off the post. Danny Mandroiu converted the rebound, albeit thanks to a wicked deflection.

Two other subs, Michael Noonan and John McGovern, combined for the third, with the latter sweeping home from close range from a left-wing cross by his teenage strike partnership.

Byrne completed the rout two minutes later in trademark style, controlling a pass from Honohan in his stride on the edge of the box and curling a right-footer into the far corner beyond Bradley Banda.

First leg cushions are a rarity, something Bradley intends availing of, as their priority to remain top of the table and regain their title resumes against Derry City four days after the second leg.

“The scoreline will definitely play a part in our team selection for the second leg,” admitted the Hoops boss.

“Also, there’s players who deserve the opportunity and some just back from injury who need to get up to scratch. We’ll definitely move things around on Thursday, with Sunday against and the following Thursday’s third Conference round in mind. We’ll be shuffling it.” He expects to be facing Kosovan opposition for the right to reach the Conference playoffs.

“We watched Tuesday’s first leg on our way to Gibraltar and Ballkani were very good,” he surmised.

“They won the game quite convincingly in the end. I’d imagine they will finish it off and we’ll be heading to Kosovo in two weeks’ time.

“ Their centre-forward is dangerous. The left winger too was very good, creating three of the goals, but as always, they have weaknesses as well as strengths. We feel that we can hurt them.” 

Bradley spoke of his delight at his team’s professional job against a side who knocked Belfast side Cliftonville out of Europe last week.

“We’re delighted,” he said.

“I know a lot of people would have had us favourites to come here win the game but you have to play what’s in front of you and I thought the players did that really well.

“It was extremely hot at kick-off time. The pitch is a sticky astroturf but I thought the players got to grips with that really quickly and were excellent in how they went about the game.

I was really pleased with how hard we worked, we didn’t take our foot off, and that was really important.” “We were disappointed not to be another couple ahead in the first-half. Graham Burke and Rory had chances but we tidied up a bit in the second-half, with the subs coming on to made a real impact.

“We know how important the bench is, we know how important the squad is, and the subs that came on today were excellent, they gave us real quality and energy, and obviously a couple of them scored, which is really important.”

ST JOSEPH’S: B Banda; E Jolley (L Volz 29), J Paul, G Barba, A Martinez (J Forjan 58); M Sánchez, Juanma, F Alvarez, A Armental (M Gibson 58); P Rodiguez; A Rey (H Amadou 86).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: E McGinty; L Grace, P Lopes, D Cleary; D Grant (D Nugent 80), M Healy, D Watts (Aaron McEneff 64), J Honohan; D Mandroiu (J McGovern 71), G Burke (J Byrne 64); R Gaffney (M Noonan 71).

Referee: Matthew MacDermid (Scotland)