Inside Conor Bradley's rise from offering to go to goal to Liverpool stardom
Conor Bradley showed the finishing prowess he may have learned from his time as a forward with Dungannon Swifts when he fired in his first Liverpool goal on Wednesday.
But it was a moment when he went in goal as a kid which stood out for The Swifts’ head of youth development as a show of his character.
“The one that sticks out with me when he came down to us as an 11 year old, we had a friendly game organised and we were winning the match quite easily,” said Dixie Robinson. “Conor decided that he would go in as a keeper and let the lad playing in goal get out and play because he hadn’t much to do. That is him. He’s selfless.
"You can talk about his ability and everything but that only ticks one of many boxes to play at the highest level, he was always humble and he was always willing to work and good within the group, so enthusiastic.”
Back in Dungannon, they’ve known for a long time that Bradley was a special talent and even longer in Castlederg where he started out with St Patrick’s and then Maiden City. While Liverpool have been aware since his days as an early teen when he would regularly travel over to train at their academy.
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Bradley, here with his mum Linda, won the prestigious Victory Shield with Northern Ireland in 2018But on Wednesday night, after he helped Jurgen Klopp ’s side thrash Chelsea with a goal and two assists, the rest of the world got to see just how good the now 20–year-old Northern Ireland defender is.
“We always knew he was going to go across the water and get a full-time opportunity and obviously Liverpool was the club that had kept an eye on him from a very young age before he came here,” said Robinson. “I’ve been involved in football for a long time, to get a career in football is great but to be playing at that level with one of the best clubs in the world is just so amazing. We are so proud of him.”
Ever since a sickness bug hit St Patrick’s and his cousin, Shay Gallagher, convinced their manager Rory Lynch to bring along an eight-year-old for a primary school tournament, Bradley has taken his opportunities.
From Aghyaran, County Tyrone, Bradley was a boyhood Red who was football mad but also a keen athlete for Finn Valley AC just over the border in Donegal while also a promising Gaelic footballer. There was hope he could go on to represent Tyrone at county level in GAA as he loved playing for his local side St Davog’s Aghyaran but it was football which took over when he switched to Dungannon at around 13.
“It was a referee that we knew who contacted the club and said that he had refereed the best player he’d seen in many years,” said Robinson. “We invited him down when he was 11, he played in a few friendly games for us, that was with Dungannon United Youths who were our youth set up then.
Bradley has 13 senior caps for Northern Ireland (PA)“Lo and behold, he didn’t sign for us at that time. He agreed to go elsewhere but I always kept in good contact with his mum, Linda, who always kept Conor grounded and was very present in everything that he did. A few years later he joined us.”
Liverpool were already aware of his talents and had him over for sessions but other clubs were sniffing around at the time. “He’s been running around in a Liverpool kit since he was a young lad,” said Robinson. I know there were other clubs interested in him and had him over for trials but it was always Liverpool for Conor.”
Mum Linda was the one to ensure his feet stayed firmly on the ground, though. There was also Northern Ireland. Bradley won the Victory Shield in 2018 which was just Northern Ireland’s second success in the underage tournament. Dungannon Swifts had five players in the squad, four of which are now playing professionally on this side of the Irish Sea. But Bradley was the standout. Now he has 13 senior caps at just 20.
Bradley was 'always' in a Liverpool shirt as a kid and dreamed of playing for the Reds (Facebook)“He was always, always athletic, had so much pace, there wasn’t much to him at the time, lightning quick and a fantastic athlete,” said Robinson. “He was a really good kid in terms of his enthusiasm for the game itself. He couldn’t get enough of playing. He was infectious around the group.”
Bradley moved to Liverpool in 2019 on a scholarship programme before signing a professional deal a year later. His debut was against Norwich in the League Cup in 2021 before a loan spell last season at Bolton where he won the Players’ Player of the Year after a fine season in League One. It was a campaign in which he played 58 games for club and country to ready himself for the demands at the top level.
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Bradley could now hold onto his place at right-back (PA)A back injury suffered in pre-season meant he missed the first half of this campaign but he has taken the chance which came with an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold early last month. Now he has five starts in a row, a goal and five assists. His performance against Chelsea was that of a far more experienced player, while his finish was just as impressive.
“It would be right to say that wasn’t the finish of a right back,” said Robinson. “He could play out wide for us, up front. You can see how he hugs the touchline for Liverpool. He knows where he has to be.”
Kop boss Klopp has a real dilemma on who to start against Arsenal on Sunday with Alexander-Arnold now fully fit. It shows his rise that he will be considered to start for a huge game for Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes.
“It’s the stuff of dreams for him as he said, but it is for us as well,” said Robinson. “We’re pinching ourselves at how well he has done.
“Some of the kids are coming up to me and asking me ‘Did you work with Conor Bradley?’ and they’re amazed when I say yeah. Dreams do come true and it’s great. I’ve seen a big influx of Liverpool kits as well down at our training sessions. Long may it continue.”
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