‘He’s carrying on the tradition through his family’ – Stephen Bradley heaps praise on Cian Barrett
Cian Barrett with the President's Cup. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Stephen Bradley has hailed the progress made by Shamrock Rovers youngster Cian Barrett as the third generation from that football family to make an impact in the senior game.
Barrett came off the bench for a league debut at home to Sligo Rovers last week and, given the injury situation in the Hoops’ camp ahead of Friday’s test away to Derry City, he could feature again, in a busy spell which includes a weekend double header against the top two in the league.
Cian’s dad, Graham, is an ex-Rovers player who also made first appearances for Arsenal and was capped at senior level while Graham’s dad, Gary, was a stalwart for Shelbourne in the 1980s.
"He’s carrying on the tradition through his family, which is always special, now he needs to stay focussed, if he does that and keeps working hard, there’ll be plenty more opportunities to come for him,” Bradley says.
“That’s the first and hopefully the first of many. I was really happy with Cian. He went on loan last year and played a lot of games for Kerry FC. He’s been learning different positions in the last year or so, and it’s been about putting him in at the right time. Like all young players you’re waiting for the right opportunity and the right environment, but I really liked what I saw against Sligo.
"He played with real maturity, passed the ball with real tempo and made some really good tackles. We’ve known Cian since he was seven years old, we’ve seen him develop all the way up. His attitude and desire to be a footballer is first class. When you combine that with ability, you always have a chance,” Bradley told club media.
After a slow start in their title defence where they had to wait six games for a first win, the Hoops picked up of late with four wins in five, but a looming double header away to second-placed Derry City on Friday and then league leaders Shelbourne on Monday will test them.
"Obviously Derry are a good side and we know that. They’ve got good players and we know Derry away is always a difficult game but I think we’re in a good place. We’ll go up there with every intention to respect Derry but go try and win the game and that’s what we’ll try to do. It’s usually a good game, both teams are decent who go for it, so it has the makings of a good game and we’re really looking forward to it,” Bradley added.
