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Stephen Bradley has hailed Shamrock Rovers’ 2019 FAI Cup final win as the catalyst for the success that has followed. Since that penalty shootout success over Dundalk , Bradley’s first trophy as Rovers boss, the Hoops have won five Premier Division titles and qualified for three European group stage campaigns. They missed out on a double in 2020 when the Lilywhites gained revenge in a 4-2 extra-time win. But according to Bradley , Rovers ’ 2019 win gave them the experience they needed to get future successes over the line. “We needed it,” he said. “You can't just talk about being successful or bring in lots of players and think you are going to be successful; when you cross the white line you have to earn it on the pitch. “With the league this year we felt for a long time that it was done but the hardest part is to mathematically make it done. “That is always the hardest part and cup finals are no different - they are difficult games. “But over the years we have learned how to play in big games. We go to Athens on Thursday [to play AEK in the Europa Conference League]. A full house against a top team. “That can only help us going into Sunday's environment and everything else that comes with it.” Rovers are gunning for their first double since 1987, when Pat Byrne was a member of their famous four-in-a-row side. That achievement was matched by Bradley’s men when, in 2023, they won their fourth consecutive Premier Division title. However, they are still missing a coveted double, something that Byrne claimed three times during his glittering spell with the Hoops. Byrne will speak with the current double-chasing crop ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Cork City . “They [the 1980s team] are really close to our group and they have been really amazing to lean on, more so when it was not going well at the start,” said Bradley. “I remember Pat Byrne coming out and staunchly supporting us when it would have been easier to go the other way. “I would have private conversations with Pat, and Pat is probably the best player to ever play in the league. For him to understand what we are doing and how we are playing and where we were going is brilliant. “They have been incredible for us. A few of them are going to pop into the training ground this week and sit down with the players to share memories about what they did all those years back. “They paved the way for us. They have shown what can be achieved and we have followed their path. “Without them, what we are doing would not be possible.” It’s an unusual Cup final build-up for Rovers, as they have a huge European game away to AEK Athens just three days before their Aviva Stadium decider with Cork City. The last time this happened, in 2016, Dundalk were away to Zenit St Petersburg before their FAI Cup final - also against the Leesiders - and a Seani Maguire goal in the final moments of extra-time settled that one. Bradley is confident that his players can cope with the heavy demands of this coming week. “It is pretty normal for a Thursday-Sunday game,” he said. “Travel [Wednesday], play Thursday and back straight after the game, recover Friday, train Saturday and the game is Sunday. “It is pretty standard for a European week.” He expects Danny Mandroiu and Josh Honohan to recover from knocks in time for Sunday, but is less optimistic about veteran striker Aaron Greene. Bradley would love to finish Rovers’ domestic campaign on the same note as six years ago, when Gary O’Neill slotted home the winning penalty to secure Rovers’ first FAI Cup since Pat Byrne’s team in 1987. “It was a special day for the club and for us as a group,” he said. “I always say you have to earn being successful on the pitch to understand what it takes to win as a group. “Everyone can talk about it and what they would do in a situation but until you are actually in it, it is irrelevant. You have to learn what it takes to win on the pitch. “That Cup final taught us what it took to win. I felt we should have won the league that year. We just did not have that know how. The cup final gave us that belief. “It was a pivotal moment in this group's development as a whole but, for us as a club, the fans had not won it in so long. “It was a special day that sticks out in my mind, the showpiece game, you know all your family and friends are there. “It brought joy to so many people. A pivotal moment in the evolution of this group.” Click here to sign up to our soccer newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from the League of Ireland and beyond
