At a training ground in Dungannon, youngsters assemble in the familiar mix of Liverpool, Manchester United, Celtic and Rangers jerseys.
Dungannon Swifts’ head of youth development Dixie Robinson has already spotted a new name adorning the back of the jerseys.
“It’s great to see so many lads wearing Conor Bradley’s name on their shirts,” he says proudly. “This is already happening. I was coaching a few school kids on Thursday morning as part of our community program. Everyone was talking about Conor.
“There is a lot of pride here for him. Even non-Liverpool fans become secret Liverpool fans thanks to Conor. Now we are looking for the next Conor Bradley.”
Bradley, whose remarkable performance for Liverpool against Chelsea in midweek had all the makings of a life-changing player, played for Dungannon Swifts Under 15s for 18 months after transferring from hometown club St Patrick’s in January 2018. The boy from County Tyrone tended to play either on the right wing or as a striker back then.
“He was slightly built but had tremendous pace, was athletic and incredibly hard-working,” says Robinson. “His energy levels meant he was exactly as you saw him on Wednesday; up and down the field. The goal he scored shows that he is a striker. He has always had the ability to get past defenders. He ticked many boxes from a young age.
“That electric pace is such a vital component for those who move up to higher level. You could see how he would develop as a wing-back or as a full-back. There was one game where we won quite comfortably and our goalkeeper had nothing to do. Conor offered to go in goal so the goalkeeper could run in midfield. “He is such a character; always good in the group; disciplined and good-natured.”
Bradley’s potential was confirmed when he captained Northern Ireland to the 2018 Victory Shield – their first win in 17 years – with wins over Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
By then he had begun a regular 30-minute flight from Belfast to Liverpool, where he was quickly established as a “native” as a Merseyside-born contingent at Kirkby Academy.
“Liverpool’s Irish scouts Cliff Ferguson and Stefan Seaton have had him on their radar since he was nine and have built a relationship with him. He was a Liverpool supporter; Conor never hid it. There were a lot of people doing research but I think it was always going to be Liverpool,” says Robinson.
“They did everything right for him, especially his mother [Linda] “From the moment he started going to Liverpool and the moment he was loaned to Bolton last season.”
Under Jürgen Klopp, the academy’s youngsters have been promoted at an efficient rate. Bradley follows the lineage of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones; He was not recruited from another Premier League academy at a young age and did not cost the club a penny in transfer fee or compensation.
His physical development was slower than some; He successfully transferred to Bolton Wanderers last season, where he won the treble of being named young player of the year, senior player of the year and player player of the year, and was critical to his adjustment to senior football. As Klopp has often said over the past month, he might have gotten his chance sooner had it not been for an untimely injury last August (a stress fracture in his back due to a growth spurt).
This was when Bradley signed his new three-year contract until 2026, although this was not publicly announced until his first appearance of the season in December. In another refreshing departure, Bradley doesn’t have an agent; His mother has a reputation for making sure every decision is made in her best interest.
The scouts who brought him to Merseyside also have an almost paternal instinct to nurture Bradley through his breakthrough period, although there is no danger of him being consumed by fame.
A few hundred meters away from Anfield is the popular bar Taggy’s, which has become a hotspot for fans and the occasional VIP guest on match days. A rite of passage for young players is signing the original Anfield players’ gate, which is now on display in the bar. Bradley penned his name last Friday as he posed for the same symbolic photo with Alexander-Arnold, shortly after his first-team debut.
Such realism had already endeared him to the tougher sections of the crowd, and the immediate rapprochement of this section was what caused his name to be chanted so loudly against Chelsea.
“I could hear Kop calling his name,” Robinson says. “He was exactly the extraordinary and angry person we knew him to be. He’s a down-to-earth kid and will never compromise his work ethic, that’s for sure. People ask me, ‘Where can it go from here?’ he asks. Where is bigger and better than Liverpool?
It is certain that the longing for Bradley jerseys will spread to the strong Liverpool team in Northern Ireland. If Wednesday is a taste of what is to come, there will be a similar demand from the Kop.
