‘I don’t see why we should put a limit on what we can do’ - Shamrock Rovers and Stephen Bradley dare to dream after unbeaten Conference League start

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley Credit: Thomas Flinkow (ETPhotos)

Andrew Dempsey reports from Windsor Park

Shamrock Rovers may have been expected to defeat Larne in their Conference League clash on Thursday evening - but the manner of their triumph was quite something.

The League of Ireland champions were miles ahead of their Irish League counterparts who were quite simply outclassed from start to finish in a 4-1 humbling.

In fact, Rovers might not have a more straightforward away victory in the League Phase of a European competition again.

Remarkably, it was also the first time they scored four goals in an away European game since 1966 when they defeated Spora Luxembourg 4-1 in the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup. 

Stephen Bradley’s side have now claimed four points from their first two League Phase outings after drawing 1-1 at home to APOEL on the opening night.

It means the Dublin 24 outfit are on course to reach the playoff round of the competition - though boss Bradley does not see why his side can qualify automatically for the last-16 as one of the top-eight sides. 

“We have to go and try to get as many points as possible,” the Rovers chief said. “We don’t want to say seven and then we are stopped.

“If we can go and get ten, then let’s go and do it. We want to qualify out of the first phase, that’s been one of our aims. We have given ourselves a chance now.

"Why not? Why can’t it be our aim? Let’s go and try and do it,” he declared when asked if Rovers could qualify directly for the last-16.



“I don’t see why we should put a limit on what we can do here. European football is tough, if you get it wrong on the night, you get beat.

“We’ve put ourselves in a really strong position so why limit our expectations on what we can do? We’ve never been a group to shy away from expectations and our standards and we don’t start now. We’ve put ourselves in a position to qualify automatically so let’s try and do it.”

Central to Rovers’ win in Belfast was the dominance and display of forward Graham Burke.

The three-time Ireland international scored twice and was involved in the two other goals netted by Johnny Kenny and Josh Honohan.

It was a performance that had Bradley reminiscing of the form the 31-year-old showed before gaining international recognition under former Ireland boss Martin O’Neill.

I thought he was on a different level," Bradley said of Burke. "It was the same Graham that got the international call-up a few years back.



"This year has been frustrating for him, he’s had little niggles here and there but you know you get Graham right, you get him fit and you get him on a pitch like that, a big pitch, he can do that to anyone, we have seen that through the years.

"He was doing everything that was right in the game, he was making the right decisions at the right moments, understanding when to stay in the pocket, jump out, when to penetrate, when to dribble, it was just the first 60 minutes that was really high level.”

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