IT IS over 13 years since a Michael O’Neill-managed Shamrock Rovers team made history by becoming the first Irish side to qualify for the group stages of the Europa League.
The fact that the Hoops lost all six of their subsequent matches did not detract from the enormity of the initial achievement.
The League of Ireland’s surge in popularity by virtually every metric has been well-documented this year.
There is no single reason for this upward trend but Rovers’ 2011 success story was undoubtedly a key moment in attracting new fans to the league and significantly improving the perception of the domestic game.
There has been slow but substantial progress since then.
Stephen Kenny’s Dundalk became the first side to win a Europa League group-stage game in 2016.
The Lilywhites repeated the qualification feat in 2020 but could not emulate their predecessors by winning a match in the group stage.
The introduction of a third competition, the Conference League, in 2021 undoubtedly has made it easier for Irish sides to go on the kind of run that the Hoops are currently enjoying.
Yet the significance of Rovers’ feat this season should not be underestimated despite this caveat.
At least two of their 2024 performances deserve to be considered among the best ever produced by an Irish side in Europe.
On Thursday, they beat a Bosnian side, Borac, who are contending for the title in their domestic league and only lost once in the league phase before.
The battling 1-1 draw away to Rapid Wien on matchday four was arguably just as impressive, as was their extra-time victory over Celje in the qualifying rounds that made ex-Liverpool player Albert Riera eat his words.
Despite only finishing as the second-best team in the country, 2024 will surely be remembered among the most memorable Rovers campaigns of the modern era.
But since those heady days in the O’Neill era, Rovers have experienced as many lows as highs in Europe.
Even their qualification for the Conference League group stages in 2022 felt slightly anti-climactic as they picked up two points from six games.
Stephen Bradley has helped inspire Shamrock Rovers to new heights in Europe. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Yet all that European pain has made Stephen Bradley’s men stronger.
There is confidence and maturity in the way the Hoops are playing, which can only be acquired from several years of experience in European football.
While many pundits fancied them to beat Larne and New Saints when the draw was made, to be unbeaten and sitting sixth in the table on 11 points after five games has exceeded most people’s expectations.
They deserve to be considered alongside O’Neill’s Rovers and Kenny’s Dundalk as trailblazers for Irish teams in Europe.
On the back of the Lilywhites’ success, Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan earned moves to England and were called up to the Ireland squad.
Holding on to all their talented players will similarly be a challenge for Rovers.
Johnny Kenny (Celtic) and Darragh Burns (MK Dons) are still technically on the books at clubs in Britain, while Markus Poom and Aaron McEneff are on loan from Flora and Perth Glory respectively.
Youngsters Kenny and Burns, both excellent in Tallaght last night, will surely attract interest from other clubs and could become the 2024 equivalent of Boyle and Horgan.
Indeed, Kenny has been one of the strongest performers in the entire competition. With five goals, he is currently the Conference League’s joint-top scorer along with Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Afimico Pululu of Jagiellonia Białystok.
Dylan Watts, Neil Farrugia and Josh Honohan were also among Rovers’ standout performers on Thursday night, as they have been all season. The trio have comfortably adapted to the higher level of European football.
Yet perhaps the most important figure in this great sporting success story has been Stephen Bradley.
Rovers may have just fallen short in their five-in-a-row bid for the league, but the current squad looks as formidable as any the manager has assembled in his eight years at the club.
The 40-year-old coach’s tireless pursuit of perfection has rubbed off on the players.
Along with his hard-working staff, this determination to continually inspire evolution has ensured the squad’s intensity has rarely dropped off and their hunger for success countless trophies later has remained.
Last month, Shamrock Rovers beat The New Saints in another milestone win as they became the first Irish side to reach seven points in a European group stage, and Bradley’s comments after that victory resonate even more now.
“I said up in Larne [after winning 4-1] that our aim was not to get seven points and then just say, okay, pat each other on the back and say job done. That was never the aim. Why limit our expectations and what we want from each other? We are the ones who have brought up the standards in this country for a long time and the players continue to do that.”
It is this inherent and perennial refusal to settle which has driven Shamrock Rovers’ squad to exceptional and unprecedented heights.
Expect a similar mindset when they travel to face the Premier League giants Chelsea in their final league phase tie next week with a spot in the top eight and automatic progression to the round of 16 at stake.
