Football is the least of Stephen Bradley’s worries.
Shamrock Rovers don’t look likely to win a fifth consecutive League of Ireland title.
A disappointing season from the Hoops sees them in fourth place behind Shelbourne, Derry City and Waterford FC in the league table after 24 games.
And considering the Tallaght side’s considerable budget, the season doesn’t reflect particularly well on manager Stephen Bradley – even if they are dealing with a lot of injuries.
A 1-0 win over Dundalk on Thursday night helped their case in the title hunt but the club lost three of their previous four matches before that.
The most disappointing of those results came last Friday when they lost 2-0 away to Sligo Rovers.
It was a result which sparked particular concern among fans, but while Bradley is determined to put things right, he says the poor run of form hasn’t affected him much in the grand scheme of things.
That’s because the last few years have put football firmly into perspective for the 39-year-old.
As, for those who don’t know, his son Josh is continuing to receive treatment for leukaemia.
Josh was diagnosed in June 2022 after feeling sharp pains in his back and knee while away on holiday.
With those pains came “bad sweats and poor energy” and blood tests soon revealed the horrible illness the young boy was living with.
Speaking in September 2023, his Dad Stephen explained how Josh “takes his tablets every day and spends a week of every month in Crumlin Children’s Hospital”
“Myself and my wife were obviously devastated, your world completely flips and changes.
“I don’t know what it was inside me at that moment in time but straight away I asked the doctor how are we going to make it better? What’s the plan?
“It was my way of dealing with it obviously. I wanted to know the next step, I wanted to know how we were going to get through this.”
A world of stress was made that bit worse in May 2023 when two Cork City fans directed chants towards Bradley about his sick son.
“It’s not something anyone should experience. It was disgusting and affected us all,” commented the Shamrock Rovers boss shortly after the incident at Turner’s Cross.
“But the amount of good wishes we received in letters and emails from the public afterwards showed the togetherness of the community in Ireland.
“It showed there is more good than bad in the world.”
It’s been a while since we have heard an update on Josh’s health, but speaking after Rovers’ win on Thursday evening, Bradley reminded everyone how small football seems in his world.
When asked if the “pressure” is off now that everyone is talking about Shelboure and Derry in the title race, he put an entirely different definition on the word.
“No, when you’re at this club and you set your standards for six years, you have your own pressure, internal pressure.
“When people talk to me about pressure I laugh at them, they don’t understand pressure.
“Pressure is seeing your son being left on an operating table every few weeks – that’s pressure.
“This isn’t pressure, this is a privilege, this a joy for us, this is our job.
“When people ask if I feel pressure I genuinely laugh at them.
“Real pressure is watching your son being sick, that’s real pressure.”
Interviewer Aisling O’Reilly followed up on Bradley’s answer by asking how Josh is doing; a gesture he appreciated.
“He’s doing really well, thank you. He’s doing really well.
“He’s getting through his treatment. Bad days and good days and bad moments.
“But he’s doing well, he’s a fighter.”
