League of Ireland underdog days are over, vows Stephen Bradley

This is the first time that two Airtricity League clubs have made it to the group stages in the same season.

Fri, 29 Aug, 2025 - 08:56

Brendan O'Brien

Stephen Bradley has declared that the era of Irish clubs being underdogs in Europe is over after his Shamrock Rovers joined Shelbourne in the group stage of the Uefa Conference League.

This is the first time that two Airtricity League clubs have made it to the group stages in the same season. For Rovers it is back-to-back appearances and their third such odyssey in just four years. A tide has clearly turned.

Bradley had expressed the hope that Shels would join them in the next phase prior to his own team’s second leg against Portuguese side Santa Clara at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday evening and a 0-0 draw on the night ultimately gave them a 2-1 win on aggregate.

He got his wish. And now for more of the same.

“We should embrace it, meet it head on,” he declared long after the final whistle. “And we should. The days of League of Ireland teams feeling underdogs, 'can we do this’, them days are gone. We're here to go and be better.

“We know with everything going on, the government funding, what we need to take the league forward. We need to do our stuff on the pitch to build that trust and to show them it's worth investing in all facets of the game here.

“And I think they know that, but it's about building the trust and our business on the pitch tonight, ourselves and Shels, was going and getting through and right up to Christmas now people will be talking about the league.”

That, inevitably, drew questions about government funding and the FAI’s latest turmoil this week. Bradley spoke eloquently about all that but this was a night to savour, one that was right up there with all the great European nights enjoyed in recent times.

“Yeah, special, special night. It has to be up there as one of the best nights we've had at this club in my time. To beat a team of that level, when you take into account the level they play every week, you take into budgets, all of that, to beat them over two legs and come through the path that we've came through is special.”

Making it all the more meaningful was the chant that went up for his son Josh - declared cancer-free only last week - eleven minutes in. And the 11-year old was on the pitch after this win celebrating it to the full.

“I can't describe that feeling, you know? It was real warmth, real emotional.

“Josh said to me before I left the house today, and he never says it… He obviously says good luck, but he said to me, ‘you better win the game cos I want to go on the pitch and celebrate with the fans. I said to the lads, we better win this game for Josh.

“To give them that moment at the end, after last week, the build-up, and for him to have that moment in front of the South Stands, it doesn't get much better on the night that you qualify for the league phase for the third time in four years.

“It doesn't get much better than that. Special, special night, both as a father and as a manager.”

There were more tender words before the night’s end for Ollie Horgan who passed away this week at the age of just 57.

“Our thoughts and prayers obviously go to Ollie's family. The league has lost an incredible person, someone whose knowledge of the game was outstanding. He was mad on the touchline, I had many rows with him, but you knew that Ollie had done his work.

“I'd show up at games, Sunday league games up in Tallaght, and Ollie would be sitting there watching the game. I'd be thinking, ‘how's his wife allowed him to do this?’ He's incredible. He knew every player in the country. He knew every team inside out.

“His knowledge of football was a different class but he was a gent. He was respected by everyone up and down the country. He was a really, really special person. The word legend is thrown around far too often, but Ollie’s a true legend in this league.

“Yeah, we've lost someone really, really special.”