Stephen Bradley praises attitude as he hails Shamrock Rovers players ‘best in the country' after Galway United draw
STE STATEMENT Stephen Bradley praises attitude as he hails Shamrock Rovers players 'best in the country' after Galway United draw
STEPHEN Bradley believes Matt Healy is one of the best midfielders in the League of Ireland.
Former Ireland Under-21 international Healy was one of five who played in Shamrock Rovers' 1-0 loss to Kosovo outfit Ballkani last Thursday and against Galway on Sunday.
Advertisement
2
The 40-year-old has a tough battle to stay in Europe ahead of him on Thursday
2
Shamrock Rovers are currently 10 points clear at the top of the table
And the Cork man is set to keep his place in the team for Thursday's second leg against the Kosovans — despite the 0-0 draw against the Tribesmen.
Rovers boss Bradley — who played in the centre of the park during his playing days — gushed: 'Matt is 22. Any midfielder will say it is hard to play there. Matt is playing every week and every minute for us.'
Bradley also put his star man on a pedestal with Hoops talisman Graham Burke and Bohemians ace Dawson Devoy.
Bradley added: 'For me, Matt, Graham Burke and Dawson Devoy have been the three best players in the country this year.
Advertisement
'Matt has been getting better and better. He's working very hard off the pitch. He played 90 last Thursday and 90 on Sunday but his level didn't drop.
'He shows tremendous hunger to play the game and win a league which is what we want.'
But Healy was not the only Hoops player to catch the eye in Sunday's stalemate.
Keeper Ed McGinty helped secure his side a point with key saves — while teenager Michael Noonan, 17, impressed up top.
Advertisement
Bradley said: 'We needed Ed and we knew that Galway would go direct.
'Ed made some big saves and caught some good crosses. That's why we brought Ed to the club. He's a big player. He stands up in big moments.
Arsenal make major change to Emirates stadium just days before new Premier League season
'We've worked really hard with Michael since he came in. We all know he can run and we all know he can score.
'It's about mixing up his game to help him. Michael has worked really hard himself. He's getting better and better.
Advertisement
'You're talking about a player with a really high ceiling that can play at a really high level.'
The draw means Rovers are now 10 points clear at the top of the table.
And even though the point came against a Galway team who are winless in seven matches, Bradley hailed the Hoops' battling display.
He explained: 'It was what we wanted from the players off the back of Thursday in terms of attitude and application.
Advertisement
'We knew it would be difficult. You don't win anything in any league unless you can play every type of game.
'These players are the best in the country and have been for years. When the going gets tough, they're ready to stand up.
'After Thursday, it was tough, and the players stood up. That's why they're the best in the country.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Carabao Cup: Barry-Murphy's Cardiff into second round
Brian Barry-Murphy's bright start as Cardiff City manager continued after the Bluebirds beat Swindon 2-1 in the Carabao Cup. First-half goals from Cian Ashford and Rubin Colwill were enough for Cardiff to progress despite a second-half strike from Princewill Ehibhatiomhan. And it continued City's unbeaten start to the season after picking up four points in two League One fixtures under the Irish man's watch. "Really pleased, it means a lot to me to get through to the next round and to see who we could possibly take on," he said after the win. "This competition creates so many brilliant occasions but to get to those occasions you have to go through the rounds. "So to win tonight was very important for us and we treated the game really seriously and I thought there was respect in that performance so I'm happy." Republic of Ireland international Jason Knight was on the scoresheet for Bristol City as they overcame MK Dons 2-0, Yu Hirakawa getting the other goal. Ollie Palmer scored a stoppage-time brace before Wrexham completed a remarkable comeback by edging out Hull on penalties. Elliot Lee opened the scoring for Wrexham but they seemed sunk following goals from Oli McBurnie, Joel Ndala and Matt Crooks, only for Palmer to score twice at the end and send the contest to a shoot-out. After a gripping 3-3 draw, Ndala rattling the crossbar with his spot-kick proved crucial as Wrexham prevailed 5-3 in the shoot-out, sealed with Jack Marriott finding the net with his effort. Bromley provided the biggest giant-killing of the night as the Sky Bet League Two side overcame Championship Ipswich 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes. Deji Elerewe gave Bromley the lead and although Ben Johnson equalised for Ipswich, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, a nervy shoot-out went in favour of the minnows. Sam Long was the hero as he saved two Ipswich penalties – leaving Marcus Ifill to convert the winning spot-kick and give Bromley their first ever win in this competition. Ben Close, Damola Ajayi, Robbie Gotts and Tom Nixon were all on the scoresheet as League One newcomers Doncaster pulled off another upset with a comprehensive 4-0 victory at Middlesbrough. Blackburn and Portsmouth were also knocked out by League One opposition, with both teams beaten at home 2-1 by Bradford and Reading respectively, while Owen Oseni's brace helped Plymouth come from two goals down to oust QPR 3-2. Mateus Fernandes' goal helped Southampton edge out Northampton 1-0, Coventry beat Luton by the same scoreline courtesy of Ellis Simms and Derby defeated West Brom 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Josh Sargent and Marcelino Nunez were on target as Norwich won 2-1 at Watford, Stoke got the better of Walsall 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw and Millwall claimed a 1-0 victory at Newport. Miles Leaburn, Ibrahim Fullah and Luke Berry scored in Charlton 's comfortable 3-1 victory over Stevenage. Charlie Raglan's own goal gave Preston a 1-0 triumph at Barrow, Tyler Goodrham's strike was the difference in Oxford beating Colchester by the same score and Swansea beat 10-man Crawley 3-1.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Man Utd ‘hand Antony ultimatum to accept transfer offer this week or rot in stands as Real Betis hold out for loan deal'
Antony becomes the second Man Utd winger that could spend months away from the pitch this season DEAL WITH THE DEVILS Man Utd 'hand Antony ultimatum to accept transfer offer this week or rot in stands as Real Betis hold out for loan deal' MANCHESTER UNITED have reportedly handed Antony an ultimatum as they try and move the Brazilian on this summer. Antony is no longer part of the plans at Old Trafford after failing to impress following his £86million move from Ajax in 2022. 5 Manchester United have reportedly handed Antony a transfer ultimatum Credit: PA 5 Antony excelled while on loan at Real Betis last season Credit: Getty His failings in Manchester saw him shipped out on loan to Real Betis for the second half of last season, where he returned to form as one of their star players. Since then, Betis have been keen to re-sign the tricky winger, but don't appear to have the funds to make a permanent transfer happen at United's asking price. Reports in Spain claim that Antony is keen to move back to Betis too, but that the La Liga club have only discussed the idea of a loan switch rather than a permanent transfer. According to Spanish outlet Al Final de la Palmera, that has led Man Utd to hand Antony an ultimatum in order to prevent him waiting until the end of the window to force through a loan. READ MORE ON MAN UTD NACHO LIBRE Alejandro Garnacho 'sends Man Utd blunt message' over Chelsea transfer saga The Red Devils, who would prefer a permanent sale, are said to have told Antony he must accept one of the permanent offers they have received from elsewhere before the Premier League starts this weekend or face sitting on the bench until January. Antony has been linked with a host of clubs this summer, including a switch to reunite with Erik ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. Manchester United declined to comment when approached by SunSport about the claims. The situation appears to be similar to that surrounding fellow wantaway winger Alejandro Garnacho. 5 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The 21-year-old has been frozen out by Ruben Amorim as he tries to force through a move to Prem rivals Chelsea. And Fabrizio Romano has revealed Garnacho is prepared to stay at Old Trafford and not play if he does not get his desired move. 'Bring him back' - Antony needs another chance at Man Utd under Ruben Amorim, says club legend He told DAZN: "The message coming from the player is, Chelsea or nothing. "Chelsea or I stay here and I don't play football for the next six or 12 months." He adds Chelsea have stepped up talks for Garnacho, having already agreed personal terms. United initially set an asking price of £70million for the Argentina international. But despite interest from Chelsea and Napoli no bid has been forthcoming, leading the Red Devils to drop their price to £50m. 5 Alejandro Garnacho is trying to force through a move to Chelsea Credit: PA
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Premier League clubs are raking in record £600m from kit deals this season – where does your club rank?
Scroll to find out which teams get the most cash and which team gets the least DONE DEAL Premier League clubs are raking in record £600m from kit deals this season – where does your club rank? PREMIER League clubs are raking in a record £600million from kit deals this season. The 20 top-flight clubs negotiated an additional £65million from shirt producers on top of last season's deals. Most of the total — £563million — is going to the ten biggest clubs. Manchester City and Liverpool will both get £100million from their tie-ups with Puma and Adidas respectively. They have overtaken Manchester United after the Red Devils finished 15th last year and failed to get a trophy. The kit deals are separate from the huge amounts paid by sponsors, who can now pay extra to have their logos on sleeves as well as their names emblazoned on the front of the shirt. The most popular maker is the German sportswear giant adidas, which has kit deals with eight Premier League clubs. As well as Liverpool and United, they supply Arsenal, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and newly-promoted Leeds United. The Leeds deal is worth £5million a year while fellow Premier League new boys Burnley have a £1million agreement with Castore. Sunderland, who won promotion through the play-offs, get the least, with a £500,000 deal with Hummel. Liverpool signed a five-year contract with adidas after switching from Nike. Adidas will give the Reds a flat fee of £30million per season, plus royalties of 20 per cent on all net sales of club merchandise. Forest Green Rovers Unveil World's First Fully Vegan Football Kit & Launch Mental Health Initiative Experts say this will lift their kit earnings to an estimated £100million. Meanwhile Aston Villa announced their first ever deal with adidas last year as Unai Emery's team secured Champions League football. They ended their deal with Castore prematurely after complaints from players that the fabric 'soaked up too much sweat'. 2 Prem clubs raking in the most this season
