Bradley hails Burke among the greats but no need for slippers yet after downing Shels

After racking up his 100th Shams goal, Burke was compared to two League of Ireland legends — Joey Ndo and Paddy McCourt

Mon, 06 Apr, 2026 - 20:49

John Fallon

SHAMROCK ROVERS 3 SHELBOURNE 2

Whenever 32-year-old Graham Burke does ‘don the slippers’, Stephen Bradley believes he’ll be revered as one of the League of Ireland legends.

Burke’s 100th goal for Shamrock Rovers proved to be the winner as the champions came from behind to move within a point of top spot.

Ali Coote’s fired Shelbourne ahead quickfire goals by captain Pico Lopes and Michael Noonan before the break engineered the turnaround before a crowd 5808 at Tallaght Stadium.

Burke was gifted the present of a third 12 minutes into the second half and despite Jack Henry Francis reducing the arrears, it’s back to back defeats for Joey O’Brien’s Reds.

“Graham is special,” purred Bradley. “When it's all said and done and he decides to put on the slippers, he'll be up there at the top of the head with the greats who have played in the league.

“You usually don't get the credit that you really deserve when you're playing and that's quite normal. That's when he retires, that he'll be spoken about and the like he should be.” Bradley, who has overseen five titles in six seasons, likened the attacker to Joseph Ndo and Paddy McCourt.

“He’s like Joseph in how he wants contacts from defenders,” explained the Hoops boss. “Some players likes him don’t like defenders being tight to them because they want space but he likes being hit.

“When he's dribbling, he has that Paddy McCourt about him. I think when we were playing against Paddy he was like, I’m not sure how quick he is and then he’s past you. That’s Graham. He has that little jink. There's a mix of a bit of everything."

Facing a stiff breeze didn’t help the desire of Shels for fluidity as the opening half hour descended into a scrap but a trademark dash from Harry Wood on 17 minutes drew a bodycheck from Lopes that earned a free-kick which Kerr McInroy saw blocked by the wall.

Chances were sparse but one lapse by Rovers was punished by the lethal Shels combo on the half hour.

Central to Will Jarvis’s role was suppressing the space which Rovers‘ Cork-born midfielder Matt Healy thrives on and from a short Cory O’Sullivan pass on the halfway line, the Reds playmaker was first to the ball.

His burst towards goal, created a gap for Wood to attack and from the squared pass, his low shot was heading for the corner. Ed McGinty’s strong right arm kept the ball out but Ali Coote followed in from the left to scoop the rebound home.

Then the game was flipped by a couple of goals two minutes apart heading into the break.

McInroy upending Burke as he sped away seemed a sensible ploy but from the free kick, the Shels defence expecting Jack Byrne to shoot allowed Lopes drift in at the back post undetected. All he needed with a cushioned volley to clip in the equaliser off the post.

O’Brien bemoaned the passiveness in his side that has conceded 15 goals in 10 games.

"When I played I always wanted (to mark) the best header of the ball,” recalled the ex-Bolton Wanderers and West Ham defender.

“Me against him, eyeball to eyeball, and if my man scored it was my fault. Ultimately, as a footballer that is what it's about.

"You can coach them all you want, but it's about you making sure that ball doesn't go in your net. That's putting your body on the line to ensure you don't concede."

Lopes was integral to the second as well, launching a long ball which Shels defender Zeno Rossi botched.

The loanee miscontrolling the ball at his feet to enable Noonan break free and roll the ball under Wessel Spiel capped a forgettable weekend after his own-goal in Friday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Dundalk.

Spiel was fortunate that Jack Byrne’s first corner of the second half smacked the near post and from the next, on 57, the Dutchman froze by dropping the ball at the feet of Burke to gobble up the remnants.

Former Arsenal trainee Henry-Francis made the conclusion more nervous than it needed by drilling a 20-yard shot past McGinty with 12 minutes left but Spiel, up for a late corner, couldn’t atone for his clanger.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: E McGinty; T Sobowale, R Lopes, C O’Sullivan; J Mulraney (A Matthews 72), M Healy, V Ozhianvuna (N Razi 80), M Asamoah (J O’Sullivan 67); J Byrne (D Grant 58), G Burke (A Greene 80); M Noonan.

SHELBOURNE: W Speel; S Gannon (J Roche 76), Z Rossi, K Ledwidge, J Norris (R Frietas 64); JJ Lunney, K McInroy (D Kelly 76); J Henry-Francis, H Wood, A Coote (M Lundgren 46); D Jarvis (J Martin 64).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork).

Attendance: 5808 ends