There may have been little for Shamrock Rovers to cheer about on the pitch on Sunday afternoon, but their manager Stephen Bradley was full of praise for Derry City supporters after what was a deeply emotional day for him and his family.

Stephen Bradley, along with his assistant Glen Cronin, ran the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Marathon earlier that morning, raising funds for Oscar’s Kids, a charity supporting seriously ill children and their families. The cause is especially personal for the Rovers boss, whose son Josh bravely battled leukemia before wonderfully getting the all-clear in August.

Incredibly, after completing the 42.2km course, Stephen Bradley made a swift dash north, arriving in Derry by helicopter just in time for the 3pm kick-off at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

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And despite the 2-1 defeat to Tiernan Lynch’s side, Bradley was deeply moved by a special moment during the game.

I thought the Derry City fans were a different class.

They celebrate their win which you’d expect them to. But I’d like to thank them for singing Josh’s name.

The people were brilliant, I think they appreciate that we’ve run for a brilliant charity that helps sick kids and families. So that was a touch of class and I’d like to say thanks to them.

It was a poignant gesture from the Derry faithful, and one that clearly struck a chord with Stephen Bradley after an already exhausting and emotionally charged day.

Rovers Downed In Derry Despite Gaffney’s Late Goal

On the pitch, it was a tough afternoon for Shamrock Rovers as they will have to wait a bit longer to be crowned Premier Division champions.

Brandon Fleming opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half before Sadou Diallo made it 2-0 in the 87th minute. Rovers were reduced to ten men on 63 minutes after Lee Grace was sent off, further compounding their uphill battle.

Rory Gaffney pulled one back in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late as Derry made sure that Stephen Bradley’s side would have to wait to secure the league title.

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