Sky's the limit for Hoops boss Bradley

Shamrock Rovers defender Lee Grace feels that Stephen Bradley's managerial career doesn't need to have any set limits, following another incredibly successful season for the Hoops.

Sunday’s 2-0 FAI Cup final win over Cork City secured a first double for the club since 1987, and Bradley, who won the competition as a player with Drogheda 20 years ago with another 2-0 win over Cork, has overseen a massive period of success for the Tallaght club.

Bradley's managerial career has always – and will still – revolve around his son Josh, who received the all-clear from cancer back in August, but Grace said that if he does decide to try out a new adventure, he is more than equipped to be a success.

"As far as he wants, whatever he sets his sights on," was Grace’s response when asked how far he could go on RTÉ Radio 1’s new Inside Sport show.

"Him and the staff have been brilliant for us from the minute I signed up until now, they don’t leave any stone unturned.

"They give us mountains and mountains of information for every team that we play, so he can go as far as he wants, I think.

"He’s obviously done everything possible now in this league, so it’s up to him whether he wants to keep doing this or set his sights further afield. That’s a question he’ll have to answer."

Grace has been with the club since 2017 and has won five league titles and two FAI Cups with the side, coming on for the final minutes of the latest of those at the weekend.

He said that their winning consistency has one simple ingredient – graft.

"I think it just comes down to the hard work we put in, we’ve a good group of players down through the years and it’s hard work.

"It doesn’t come easy; I know you think that (because) we’ve won a lot of leagues and a few cups everyone thinks it’s easy, but it’s really, really not.

"You have to put in the hard yards behind the scenes when no one is looking for it to come out on the pitch when everyone is looking."

"You have to put in the hard yards behind the scenes when no one is looking for it to come out on the pitch when everyone is looking."

The 2018 Rovers player of the year, once strongly linked with a move to Hull City, started his career with Tipperary club Carrick United – who play in the Waterford league – but spoke of how he felt he was never going to make it long before his medal-laden journey to the top of the Irish domestic game.

"I lost hope and went down a different path and joined the army," he said.

"I did about three years in the army, I ended up playing football in the army as well and I made the Irish army team.

"I went to a European Championships there, played with a few Wexford Youths players on that team. They put my name forward to Shane Keegan. Shane went to a game when I was playing for Carrick United and came and signed me.

"I won the league with Wexford (First Division), there onto Galway, didn’t stay at Galway too long, before Rovers came calling and the rest is history."

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