Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley insists losing to ...

"This club and this team, where we have built a team, you are only ever one result away from a crisis,” Bradley said ahead of his side’s clash tonight.

“We lose in Tolka a few weeks ago and ‘the world is ending, we're finishes.’”

Rovers can go top of the table at the Reds’ expense with a win at Tolka Park tonight, though they have tested the patience of their fans with them waiting five games for a first win.

"It's not a disaster [to lose a game] for us in here as you understand the process and what we are doing, but outside... yeah.

“You have to take a bit of pride in that as you've built it to a standard where people expect us to win and you have to be very careful with that as you've no divine right to win any game of football, you can't become arrogant with that as a team or a club.”

For Rovers, defeats this term to local rivals Shels and St Patrick’s Athletic hinted that they would have a number of challengers this season.

Derry City were expected to be their main rivals for the league. The Hoops swatted away Derry with ease on Friday, a 3-1 away win.

But Bradley backs away from talk of that Derry win as being a statement about their title ambitions.

"Genuinely we are not about making statements, that doesn't come into our thought process, we don't talk about it, we do what we do and whatever people make of that outside, they make what they want,” he said.

“We are not about making statements, we focus on what we do, what we did well, what we didn't do well in the last few weeks, that's not how you want to think or talk about, if people want to label our results a certain way that's fine.”

At a time when the image of the game in Ireland is tarnished by off-field matters, tonight’s match at Tolka Park – on live TV, full house, two full-time teams – provides a more positive image of the sport.

Bradley relishes the big stage and a duel with his former comrade Damien Duff but he also urges caution.

"What we can't fall into the trap in Ireland is reacting to what I would say is yo-yo budgets up and down,” he says.

“You can't build any sustainability. When you look at teams or clubs of similar sizes to ourselves around Europe that we've played throughout the years, they work off three to five year cycles.

“That is a really important model that should be followed as you aren't reacting to one good year or one bad year.

“I think that is really important. I think we are in a better place as a league as a whole. Attendance are up, which obviously helps.

“What we have done well – and I can't speak for other clubs here – is we have brought in really good money in transfer fees throughout the years. That is really important that is part of your business model and that it stays that way.“That helps you grow on and off the pitch. That is what we are doing really well, continually throughout the years sold players and reinvested that in the club in whatever capacity,” he says, estimating their income from transfers at €5million.

Shelbourne v Shamrock Rovers, Live, VM2, 7.45