Copyright irishmirror
Stephen Bradley arrived at the Ryan McBride Brandywell on Sunday 10 minutes after kick-off between Derry City and Shamrock Rovers - but the Hoops boss had an excuse for his tardiness. Bradley and his assistant manager Glenn Cronin caught a chopper from Portmarnock to City of Derry Rugby Club after the pair completed the 2025 Dublin Marathon . They ran the Marathon at an impressive pace - breaking the four-hour mark. Their time was clocked at three hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds. Bradley wanted to run the Marathon to raise money for children's cancer charity Oscar's Kids, which helped his family during son Josh's three-year battle with leukaemia. Cronin's daughter Aoife was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, which was caught early and successfully removed. As of Sunday afternoon the pair had raised almost €50,000 - and donations can be placed here . When they entered the marathon, Rovers weren't scheduled to play on the same day. However, their progress to the league phase of the Europa Conference League meant their trip to Derry City had to be rescheduled. The game also took on added significance when Rovers failed to get the point they needed to wrap up the title in Dublin derbies against Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic. Bradley and Cronin spoke about the help they received from Oscar's Kids when they confirmed their involvement in the Marathon. “Oscar’s Kids have been so important for us as a family. They’ve given us special moments that allowed us to live as normally as possible during treatment. We were lucky that Josh got to ring the bell, but we know not every family gets to have that moment. That’s why we want to raise as much as we can to help others,” said Bradley. Cronin added: “When Aoife got sick, we needed every bit of support we could get. These charities do incredible work. We’re running because we want to give something back, and we hope people will support us in reaching our target." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
