SHAMROCK ROVERS boss Stephen Bradley insisted that Shelbourne and Derry City must be feeling pressure – and his Hoops will keep breathing down their necks.
Rovers moved within six points of leaders Shels and second-placed Derry City last night as Graham Burke’s goal beat Bohemians at Tallaght Stadium.
And while Bradley believes the gap should be closer highlighting the penalty given against his side in Friday’s draw with Derry, he reckons those above them will be feeling the heat.
He said: “The hardest part of winning any title is the final bit. It’s always the hardest part and we know that through the years.
“Derry and Shels ahead of us, I’ve no doubt they will be feeling that. That’s natural. We felt it.
“Everyone feels it when you’re ahead as the hardest part is the last bit and getting over that final hurdle.
“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing and keep picking up wins. We should be further along than we are right now, considering Friday.
“But we’ll keep picking up wins and see how both of them do.”
The Hoops still need a lot of favours if they are to win a record-breaking fifth title in a row with games running out.
They can still get a maximum of 64 points which would be their lowest points per game total since 2018 – when they finished third.
Indeed, that points per game figure would last have been enough for a title win in 1993.
But Rovers have hit form for the run-in with ten points from their last 12 with last night’s win earned through patience as Bohemians packed their defence.
Bradley added: “There’s a few fans behind where I stand in the dugout who just need to be calm and understand that teams come and frustrate you, which they did.
“But just be calm because we know what works – it mightn’t happen in the first minute, it might take the 91st and some weeks it won’t be enough.
“But we don’t change. It doesn’t mean you don’t try other things, but we don’t change what we do and I thought the players did that really well, they were calm.
“We spoke about it at half-time, that if we’re nice and calm we’ll get our rewards and just slow the game down.
“I don’t mean that in a way ….get more control of the game, rather than it being a basketball game because they are very good at that with Devoy, Grant and Rooney, Tierney.
“That’s where they are strong and you have to take that away from them and we did that really well.
“We could be 3-0 up and then there is nobody talking. It’s just about, right, relax and trust what we do.
“Derry did the same to Pico (Lopes, left the centre back with the ball but gave him no easy pass forward) on Friday and we score off the back of it.
“It’s just about being calm and you have to take that as a mark of respect, in how the teams are setting up. The players have earned that through the years.
“But don’t let their game plan become a frustration for us, that was really important and we did that really well tonight and that showed in the experience of the group, that we have learned that through the years.”
