Graham Burke of Shamrock Rovers with sporting director Stephen McPhail, right, and manager Stephen Bradley after Pat’s defeat
For Stephen Bradley, the frustration of an anticlimactic final stretch of what will be a title winning season for Shamrock Rovers is of minor significance compared to two bigger journeys that are being completed around it.
In the aftermath of the defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic that will delay the official Hoops coronation for at least another week, Bradley hailed the remarkable story of Roberto Lopes who missed the match after a whirlwind five days where he qualified for the World Cup with Cape Verde and then flew to Dublin for the birth of his first child Diego yesterday.