Stephen Bradley: 'The frustrating part is they're very close to putting a run together'

Stephen Bradley lamented his side's poor discipline as a red card contributed to another defeat on the road against St Patrick's Athletic on Saturday evening.

His side saw their chances of a comeback halted away to Dundalk on the opening day when, having pulled back a goal, striker Graham Burke was sent off for kicking the Lilywhites' Jamie McGrath.

And another unforced dismissal, to stand-in full-back Heaney, cost Rovers at Richmond Park on Saturday when his side surrendered a one-goal lead to Liam Buckley's resurgent Saints.

The Hoops led early thanks to a tidy near-post finish from striker Gary Shaw, but there were just 34 minutes on the clock when Heaney saw red for successive fouls on Pats winger Conan Byrne.

“It's disappointing. We were in control of the game at 1-0 and 11 v 11 we were doing well,” Bradley told extratime.ie.

“I think we looked very dangerous and were going to go on and hit them for two or three, but the sending-off just changes the whole game. It was a sloppy sending-off and it kills us.

“We'd worked on it all week, what Conan can do. He'll touch it outside you so we worked with Sean all week on those one v one situations, and that's why I was so disappointed.”

The sending-off saw Bradley make rapid changes to his starting line-up, with attacking midfielders James Doona and Darren Meenan sacrificed for Dave McAllister and Sam Bone.

Roberto Lopes, who had begun the match as the anchor in the a 4-1-4-1 formation, dropped back into defence, while defender Bone, on his debut, slipped into the deep midfield role.

The final ten minutes of the first half saw the visitors drop deep in defence as they restricted the Saints to long-distance efforts.

Rovers' Canadian goalkeeper Tomer Chencinski was called into action just once in the opening period as he tipped Byrne's free kick around the post four minutes before the break.

“That's the way it goes when you're down to ten men - they get attacks. You have to settle in and be comfortable in your shape and move as a team, and we did that.

“They didn't create one chance when we were down to ten men – for 60 minutes they didn't create a chance but but they still scored two goals. It's frustrating.”

That strategy continued after the break with half-time substitute Bone in place to break up the Pats attack, and it worked until another sub, Kurtis Byrne, equalised on the hour.

Another substitute, Josh O'Hanlon, grabbed the winner seconds after his introduction as he headed a Conan Byrne corner in off the bar after evading his marker, Lopes.

“It was the first time [they had an opportunity inside our box] and even that's a deflection into his path and he puts it in. The second one is a set play and we shouldn't be giving away that goal.”

“We were comfortable in what we were doing. We were very comfortable – they had all the possession but they didn't create anything.

“We knew if we kept our shape and our discipline they wouldn't create, and they didn't. Obviously they go and get the deflection and they score and that changes things.

“And then when they get the second one we have to go and have a go to try and get something out of the game.”

The defeat to struggling St Pats – who were without a win in their opening five games – leaves Bradley's side eighth, a point behind Limerick, who have played a game fewer.

The Tallaght native has faith that following a difficult opening month – which has seen his side lose to each of the three teams that finished above them last year – his squad will come good.

“It's only a start – there's a long way to go. I said it at the very start – this team will take time. The frustrating part is they're very close to putting a run together.

“Every team we've played, we've played really well.

“Other than Dundalk, where we were OK, we've played well in all the other games and that's the frustrating bit, that we're not far away from putting a string of results together.”

Rovers welcome sixth-place Finn Harps – who have taken eight points from their last four games, including a 2-1 win at Richmond Park – to Tallaght Stadium on Friday.

And Bradley expects his side to take all three points as they begin a less daunting conclusion to the first round of league games.

“We expected three points tonight and if we'd kept 11 v 11 we would have got it. We have to go and work on the gameplan during the week and go and win.”