‘Don't poke the bear' – Stephen Bradley hails Rory Gaffney for clinical response to Ballkani star's taunts in Rovers win
GOAD LORD 'Don't poke the bear' – Stephen Bradley hails Rory Gaffney for clinical response to Ballkani star's taunts in Rovers win
STEPHEN BRADLEY hailed Shamrock Rovers goal scorer Rory Gaffney warning Europe's defenders, 'Don't poke the bear.'
Gaffney scored twice as Shamrock Rovers beat Kosovans 4-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate to set up a Conference League play-off tie with Portuguese side Santa Clara.
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Rory Gaffney scored twice as Shamrock Rovers hammered Ballkani
Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
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His brace came after he was taunted by Ballkani defender Arber Potoku
Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
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Stephen Bradley hailed the veteran for his performance
Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
But both his goals came in a 20 minute spell either side of half-time after Ballkani defender Arber Potoku had goaded him after blocking a shot.
Potuku was then substituted just moments before Josh Honohan scored a stunning third and Graham Burke added a fourth.
And Bradley admitted the Kosovan defender should know better than start a fight he cannot win.
He joked: 'He's so cut throat Rory. If you know him, he's so matter of fact, Rory would be looking at him, and be 'You're in trouble now'. Don't poke the bear, and your man pokes him.
'Rory, when he's like that he's unplayable, you've all seen it, he's 6ft 1in, 6ft 2in loves a fight, can go both sides, can finish, when he's in that form, people don't know what to do with him.'
And Gaffney is doing it in 2025 having missed most of the 2024 season with an ankle problem that meant he did not even sign back at Rovers until mid-February.
Bradley - who revealed Gaffney also took a pay cut this season - said: 'When you think of the discussions we had last year, he had contract offers.
'And he said, 'No I want to come back in and show you I'm ready to play, I know I can do it.' And he comes back and this is what you get out of him.'
Now the Hoops look to book a second successive appearance in the Conference League group stages as they face Santa Clara.
The first leg is away next Thursday in the Azores, and Bradley warned that the Portuguese side, with 17 Brazilians in their squad, will be no pushovers.
League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas
He said: 'First leg away, take it back here, anything is possible. We'll fancy our chances against anyone here, the key is taking it here.'
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