Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley says an All-Island league cannot happen soon enough.

He saw his Hoops end an eight-game winless run over arch rivals Bohemians on Friday in front of a record Tallaght Stadium crowd for a league game.

7,021 were wedged into the raucous south Dublin venue and it gave Bradley a flavour of what could be possible on a more regular basis.

Tech entrepreneur Kieran Lucid is continuing to drive plans to merge the two leagues on this island and has respected figures like Brian Kerr helping him.

They want a new league formed by 2021 - and even sooner if they can get full commitment from clubs, sponsors and TV companies.

There remains some scepticism as to quite how committed the Northern Ireland clubs are.

While some north of the border have signed expressions of interest, that is no cast iron guarantee.

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But Bradley feels everyone should be rowing in behind the ambitious proposals to shake up the domestic game.

Stephen Henderson - the former Cobh boss who is now Head of Youth Development at Shelbourne - is also chairman of the League Management & Coaches association.

And a number of meetings among first-team bosses have taken place in an effort to accelerate a push towards a united league.

Bradley continued: “There is hopefully change coming with the league and the All Island league.

(Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)

“We’ve had some good meetings, we’ve met a few people involved in the All Island a few times, so I’d definitely help in any way possible.

“They’re serious people who know what they’re doing. When you sit down and listen to them and know their plans, why not? Why can’t we go and do it.

“We can’t keep talking about trying to fix it and trying to make it better. These people are really good people and we should get behind them.”

And of the Irish League clubs, Bradley said: “If they see the plans that we’ve seen, I’m sure they’d be on board.

“Linfield showed last Thursday that they could push a top side (Qarabag, in the Europa League playoff) all the way.

“I don’t think people like them would have any fear about joining an All Island League.”

Meanwhile, Bradley admits it is a monkey off the back to have ended Rovers’ Bohs hoodoo after no wins - and seven defeats - in the eight league meetings before Friday.

Graham Burke won the derby for the Hoops and Bradley said: “You can’t get away from the fact that they’ve beaten us the last few times so it’s nice to put that right.

“You lose big derbies and people are going to talk about it - you have to accept that.”

Tonight, Rovers are hoping that league leaders Dundalk slip up when they go to Sligo Rovers to play one of their two games in hand.

The Hoops are then back in action when they travel to face Galway United in Friday’s FAI Cup quarter-final.

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