Switching wings helped put Conor Bradley on road to being Liverpool’s newest rising star
AS Conor Bradley races down the right flank for Liverpool as a raiding fullback, not many in the Kop may realise they’re watching a former left-winger with a knack of scoring goals.
Declan Devine, the Bohemians manager, can recall his time as an underage elite coach with the IFA when Bradley played about as far away from right-back as it’s possible.
‘I worked with Conor a lot. I think he was about 12 when we took him to his first tournament. At the time, he was very direct wide left winger, scoring a lot of goals coming on to his right foot,’ said Devine.
‘Through his development, we felt right back was his best position. Liverpool were part of that process as well, as Conor had a tie-in with them from a young age.
‘With the attacking prowess he could bring, his ability to cross, and be creative, his fitness levels and his speed, we always felt that’s where he’d end up playing. ‘He moved from one side of the pitch, and began playing with the game in front of him. We always believed he’d turn into what he has turned into.’ From Castlederg in Tyrone, Bradley could have declared for the Republic of Ireland but he’s been with Northern Ireland since he led the U16s to Victory Shield success and has chalked up 13 senior caps. He’ll be a key player for Michael O’Neill in the Nations League campaign later this year. ‘I’ve had players who’ve moved from one Association to the other. That’s something as coach or manager you never get involved in,’ said Devine, who worked for the IFA from 2013 to 2018. ‘He’s certainly a lad who would have had attention from both Associations. There’s been changes with other players. He’s seen the path he wanted to take, and the family wanted to take.
‘He’s a fantastic kid, from a fantastic family. He deserves all he gets,’ he added.
As Bradley strives to play a key role for Liverpool as they chase four trophies in the coming months, Devine’s focus is on ensuring Bohemians are ready to rumble next Friday for the new SSE Airtricity League season.
Devine led Bohs to the brink of success on two fronts last season, only to fall short, with the FAI Cup final loss to St Pat’s the last of a number of late blows.
‘It was a painful experience,’ he acknowledged. ‘With three games to go in the league campaign, there was a possibility of finishing second and you’re targeting Europe.
‘Bohs have been in Europe twice in the last 11 years, so it wasn’t something we thought was going to be automatic in our first year together.
‘We haven’t won a trophy in 15 years and we were 45 minutes away from winning that too.
‘So, there were a lot of setbacks in the last three or four weeks of the season which we had to accept.
‘What do you do? Do you crumble under? You have to use it as motivation and that’s something we talked about as a group.
‘So we want to go a step closer this year. We want to improve on the difficult moments we had towards the end of the season.’
With James Talbot taking time out to focus on his mental health, Bohs this week signed Polish goalkeeper Kacper Chorazka, 24, on a multi-year contract.
Devine insisted ‘the door is always open’ for Talbot. ‘At this moment, it’s for James to deal with some of the issues he has to deal with.
‘James is a huge part of the fabric in Bohemians. He has been a brilliant servant and hopefully he can get back to where he has been throughout his career, a really top, top goalkeeper.’
Chorazka became the sixth signing of the close season following Rob Cornwall and Dayle Rooney, and Estonian trio Sten Reinkort, Martin Miller and Michael Lilander.
‘When I first came in, there were a lot of murmurs about people that hadn’t bought into the ethos of the club. My remit was to overhaul the squad,’ said Devine.
‘I think 18 players have left from those I inherited in October 2022.
Everybody in the squad, 19 senior players, with the exception of James Clarke, we have either signed or we have extended their deals.
‘Of course, we would have liked to keep Jon Afolabi, and one or two other players but when I look around the dressing room, we have people that we strategically wanted at the club.’
Devine is positive about the season ahead, as Bohs seek to muscle in on a decorated Dublin podium which has Shamrock Rovers in the gold medal position, St Pat’s in silver, and Shelbourne in bronze.
‘Whether it’s the pain of losing or the ecstasy of winning, it has to be parked. You have to use it as a motivation to go again.’