GRIEVE: WE HAVE TO BE RUTHLESS!
Staying on course key for Bradley
ALEX GRIEVE is seeking to make history AND avoid it.
Never before have Bohs been relegated from the top flight but if Drogheda were to beat them tonight in the relegation six-pointer at Dalymount, then the prospect of the Gypsies dropping into the playoff zone would increase significantly.
So, that’s the kind of history chapter he does not want written.
Yet the other kind, the one that sees his name enter FAI folklore as the first New Zealander to win the FAI Cup – well, that’s a goal he’s determined to achieve.
The Auckland-born forward has only been in Ireland for two-and-ahalf months yet already he has clocked up eight games between league and cup.
Helped
Goals against Kerry and UCD have helped Bohs reach the last four of a competition they last won in 2008 and while dreams of bridging that gap remain strong, before they get that far, they have a different goal in sight.
Grieve said: “None of us have mentioned the cup this week. How can we? Drogheda are a form team and are only eight points behind us.
“So, okay, we have been playing well recently.
“The Shelbourne performances (where Bohs secured a pair of 1-1 draws against the league leaders over a two-week period) gave us belief.
“We now know we can dominate periods in big games. Yet the next step is to be ruthless.
“Against Shels, we actually came off the pitch with a lot of frustration that we did not win. Look where Shels are in the table and look where we are.
“While the table doesn’t lie, we are confident we can push on from where we are.”
Right now, Grieve is sharing a house on the northside of Dublin with three team-mates, Archie Meekison, James Akintunde and Jevon Mills.
Yet Ireland is not the first country he has left New Zealand for, having previously spent three years in the US playing collegiate football with Northern Kentucky University, prior to stints in Scotland with St Mirren and English non-league with Birkinhead.
Along the way he has also managed 14 caps and two goals for New Zealand.
He said: “Football is a lot more popular in New Zealand than people imagine.
“For sure, rugby has the highest profile but a lot of parents are sending their kids to football clubs now when they are starting out in sport – knowing it is safer.”
Having come through the New Zealand system, tasting the semi-pro experience with Waitakere, in the country’s semi-pro Northern League, Grieve ventured north of the equator, Dublin his latest stopover.
Chance
He said: “The League of Ireland is a brilliant place to be.
“I had spoken to Max Mata about his experience with Sligo – and when the chance came to come across here, I wasn’t going to turn it down.
“I love playing in front of big crowds and we have a super fan base here which is only going to grow.
“The other thing growing is the confidence within our team. We now believe we can dominate a lot of teams.”
Tonight will test that theory.
STEPHEN BRADLEY
(above) has spelled out what is needed from Shamrock Rovers as they head to Derry City on a pivotal night for their faint title hopes.
The Hoops are third in the table, four points behind the Candystripes with seven games each remaining, while leaders Shelbourne are a further four points ahead.
Rovers won back-to-back league games for the first time since April when they followed up their win against Sligo Rovers last weekend with another three-point haul over
Galway United.
Bradley’s men have won the last four Premier Division titles in a row and the Hoops boss said: “We know what it takes as a team. We have been here before.
“It is about staying focused and about continuing this good run on Friday night up in Derry.
“We know it will be a difficult game, but the aim is to continue this run, go there and get all three points.”
Confident
Rovers’ last visit to the Ryan McBride Brandywell, in April, ended in a
3-1 win for the reigning champions.
However, Derry will be supremely confident this time around, having seen off Shels in their FAI Cup quarterfinal.
“It should be a good game as it is two good sides,” said Bradley.
“We know they are a team full of good players and we are a top team.
“It has the makings to be a really good match and hopefully both teams will go to try and win, and we will see a good game of football.”
Recent signing Marc McNulty opened his Rovers account in the Galway win and Bradley said: “It was great for Marc to score.
“He is getting sharper and sharper as the weeks go on.
“He took his goal really well, as he could have snatched at it but he didn’t.
“He was probably disappointed he didn’t add to that goal.”
FAMILY TIES: Derry City’s Ben Doherty is desperate to emulate his father Eamon (inset, right) who won silverware with the Candystripes