Shamrock Rovers ‘lucky’ to be second after dropped points– Roberto Lopes

The champions have won six of their opening 15 games but still sit joint-second, and just three points off leaders Shelbourne, as the season approaches the halfway mark.

Stephen Bradley’s side missed the chance to go top after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Waterford last Monday. It was the Blues’ first away victory over Rovers in 29 years and a result centre-half Lopes labelled as “borderline embarrassing”.

Despite the Hoops taking 24 points from a possible 45 so far, no rival has pulled away at the top and Lopes says it reflects the standard of the league.

“We have to understand we’re probably in a lucky position, but we have to focus on ourselves. We can’t be looking at others to do us a favour,” said Lopes, speaking at a PFA Ireland/Sports Direct event announcing the introduction of a new €200 equipment voucher for every League of Ireland player.

With just one win in five, Bradley’s men will be looking to bounce back from Monday’s shock defeat against a managerless St Patrick’s Athletic tomorrow.

“Look, we knew straight away it [Monday] wasn’t good enough. It was poor, a below par performance from ourselves, almost embarrassing,” said Lopes.

“Waterford outfought us in our own backyard and that’s disappointing to take. A lot of us have been in the dressing-room a long time and we know when levels aren’t there. You can feel it. It’s about looking inwards first before you look to the next game.”

The Cape Verde international also has two World Cup qualifiers on the horizon in June and he says his side must believe they can reach the 2026 World Cup.

“We have to strive for it, absolutely. We want to be at these big tournaments. If you look at our group, we’re in with a shout. I’m blessed to be able to go to different places and do something I love.”