STEPHEN BRADLEY stayed with Shamrock Rovers to ‘finish what he started’ and his team responded by picking up where they left off.
A roller-coaster week of speculation was finally put to bed and then copper fastened with a devastating show of strength from his champions.
The rampant Hoops could have scored six or seven on the night, but settled for three rapid fire ones in an 11-minute, first-half spell.
Roberto Lopes and Danny Mandroiu, twice, were on the mark and led the way as team-mates queued up behind them to torment Harps for the remainder.
Visiting goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley - with Ireland No 1 Gavin Bazunu looking on from the stands - was a blizzard of flailing limbs in a man-of-the-match display.
Conor Tourish pulled one back before the break and Harps had half chances from Ethan Boyle and Yoyo Mahdy too, sandwiched in between Mandroiu’s two goals.
But there’s a reason why senior players like Ronan Finn - rested here - stepped in this week to play their part in convincing Bradley to stay.
They believe there is more to come from this squad as they chase Europe’s group stages in the summer - not to mention a third league title in-a-row.
Derry City’s lead has been whittled down to a slender point and Rovers are coming to the boil, playing with a swagger that wasn’t seen in the first series of games.
Bradley’s future will become a talking point again in the summer, when the focus hinges on his European mission, and at season’s end.
But it’s parked for now and, on this evidence, there’s no doubt his decision to stick around has galvanised the team to reach another gear.
The fanfare was kept to a minimum.
There was a boy band element to the way Bradley, Stephen McPhail and Glenn Cronin emerged from the tunnel one after another to take their place on the bench.
And a young fan by the dugout handed Bradley a large, homemade cardboard sign with a message scrawled across it.
Bradley tucked it away in the dugout for safe keeping, but that was the extent of the razzmatazz as normal business resumed.
Rovers were expected to win - and win comfortably.
With three changes at the break and two more by the hour, they inflicted all sorts of pain on the visitors who chased shadows.
Aidomo Emakhu and Richie Towell could have snatched a hat-trick apiece during a second-half where the Hoops possession stakes left Harps demoralised.
But the damage was inflicted well before that.
Lopes opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Rory Gaffney flashed a shot at goal but although Mark McGinley kept it out, Lopes smashed home the loose ball.
And that was all the incentive ruthless Rovers needed to inflict further punishment - although not without a scare or two with Mahdy and Boyle going close.
But Rovers doubled their lead three minutes after that opener when Mandroiu crouched low to chest home a Sean Gannon cross after good work from Gaffney.
And it was game, set and match before the half hour when Mandroiu headed home a stunning, deep Jack Byrne cross from the right.
Harps kept Rovers honest when Tourish headed home a Jesse Devers cross three minutes before the break. But it was false hope.
McGinley’s performance in goals was Carlsberg-ad material as Towell and Emakhu wondered what more they could do as they bombarded him with chances galore.
When Emakhu did eventually beat him, the vicious shot crashed off the far post and cannoned back off McGinley’s head and away to safety.
The home fans chanted ‘Stephen Bradley’s Green and White Army’ on the final whistle and he strolled down to the South Stand to applaud them.
He hasn’t gone away you know, and it’s no wonder he’s staying because Shamrock Rovers mean business.
SHAMROCK ROVERS
Alan Mannus 6
Sean Gannon 8
Roberto Lopes 7
Lee Grace 6
Andy Lyons 6
Chris McCann 7
Richie Towell 8
Sean Kavanagh 6
Jack Byrne 6
Danny Mandroiu 7
Rory Gaffney 6
Subs: Graham Burke (for Byrne, 45), Sean Hoare (for Grace, 45), Aidomo Emakhu (for Gaffney, 45), Aaron Greene (for Mandroiu, 60), Barry Cotter (for Lyons, 60)
Subs not used: Leon Pohls, Dylan Watts, Gary O’Neill, Neil Farrugia
FINN HARPS
Mark McGinley 8
Erol Erdal Alkan 6
Conor Tourish 7
Rob Slevin 6
Regan Donelon 6
Ryan Rainey 6
Jesse Devers 7
Ethan Boyle 6
Barry McNamee 6
Yoyo Mahdy 6
Filip Mihaljevic 5
Subs: Luke Rudden (for McNamee, 72), Nathan Logue (for Mahdy, 82), Shaun McDermott (for Mihaljevic, 89)
Subs not used: Mark Timlin, Dylan Woods, Conor Black, Damien Duffy, Stephen Black, Gavin Mulreany.
Referee: Tom Owen (Wales)
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