Stephen Bradley: ‘Ten goals from midfield and he still can't win player of the month but he has been fantastic’

Danny Mandroiu has scored four goals in his last six games for the Hoops

Danny Mandroiu has scored four goals in his last six games for the Hoops Credit: Muller Santos (ETPhotos)

Macdara Ferris reports from Tallaght Stadium

Danny Mandroiu provided a goal and an assist for Shamrock Rovers in their 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers on Friday night.

The midfielder, who has scored four goals in his last six games, will face his former team Bohemians on Monday as the Hoops target another win that would leave needing just four points from their remaining five games to secure their 19th League of Ireland title.

Friday's victory over the Bit O' Red sent the Hoops a dozen points clear of second placed St. Patrick’s Athletic at the top of the table ahead of the visit of Bohs. The FAI Cup semi-finalist, who knocked the Hoops out of the cup in August, sit in fifth place 23 points behind Stephen Bradley’s side.

Speaking after the game to this reporter as part of the LOITV coverage, the Hoops Head Coach praised Mandroiu and his teammates as they bounced back from last week’s 1-0 defeat in Dundalk.

“Ten goals from midfield and he still can't win player of the month but he has been fantastic,” said Bradley about Mandroiu as Bohs players continue to dominate that award winning the last four player of the month awards.

“I felt last week there wasn't much wrong (against Dundalk). The ball just didn't go in for us. Tonight it went in for us twice thankfully and it could have been two or three more. We hit the post twice and the crossbar twice. We had a lot of chances.

"I never doubted that the players would show up tonight and they got their rewards. It was about starting with that intensity and we did. Every time we turned the ball over we looked like scoring." 

The Hoops secured their tenth win in the last dozen league games with a fourth clean sheet from their last six league games. 

“We gave away very little and I was really pleased with the clean sheet. Everyone knows that winning games and league is based on keeping clean sheets and we have had a lot of them this year, and thankfully another one tonight.



“I said before the game that we needed the fans and that they would be big for us.

"They showed up as the always do in their numbers and they were loud and created a hostile environment for the other team which is what you want and it gives us the enjoy to go and play off. They were fantastic tonight.”

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile