Roberto Lopes on Rovers teen he says is ‘one of the players of the season'
Roberto Lopes has backed Shamrock Rovers' teenage stars to help spearhead the club's bid to return to the top of Irish football.
Stephen Bradley's side have opened up an 11-point gap on the rest, thanks to last Friday's 4-1 dismantling of Cork City - and they can further extend their advantage tonight against Bohemians.
Lopes (33) got on the scoresheet against the Leesiders, while Michael Noonan, who at 16 is less than half the veteran centre-half's age, scored twice.
Noonan was one of three teens to start against Cork, along with John O'Sullivan and Cory O'Sullivan (both 19), while Max Kovalevskis (17) came off the bench.
As did Cian Barrett, who only turned 20 in April.
It's a frightening array of talent that is emerging from an academy that has already produced Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
And Cape Verde international Lopes believes the young guns have what it takes to thrive in the high-pressure environment at Tallaght Stadium.
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'The young people that we have in the dressing room at the moment are really good characters, really good personalities,' he said.
'And then the quality, everyone can see out there. They're ready to play. They're probably eager to play every game and they might have to be a bit patient.
'But you see when they come in there, they're ready to do a job. That's the most important thing.
'They give 100 percent each day in training and on the pitch then, they get the rewards for working hard.'
While Noonan has been grabbing the headlines for his goal exploits - he has now scored six in the Premier Division, to add to his historic European goal against Molde in February - Lopes has been much closer on the pitch to Cory O'Sullivan.
And he reckons the 19-year-old has been playing to a level beyond his years.
'Cory's been one of the players of the season for me,' said the Dubliner. 'The games he's been asked to come into, he's settled really well.
'He's had to cover for me, Lee, Dan, Josh, whoever, left wing-back, left centre-half. He's done a job and he's been brilliant.
'And you can see he's been in the 21s, got his first cap for that as well. Cory's got a good head on his shoulders and hopefully he can keep kicking on and finish the season strong.'
As for O'Sullivan's character, Lopes recalled how the youngster started Rovers' 2-1 win away to Derry City in May, only to pick up an early yellow card and be replaced by Josh Honohan after just 17 minutes.
The 19-year-old was back in the starting-11 a week later against Galway United, where he put in an excellent display.
'It was a decision the manager made because I think the yellow cards were being thrown out really early in that game,' said Lopes, 'so it's not a risk you want to take.
'It didn't affect Cory. I think he understands that well. And I think he knows in this game it's not personal.
'He thought about trying to make the team better. And look, I think the next game he came into, he was amazing again.
'He has a really good attitude, personality and resilience himself.'
As for goalscorer Noonan, Lopes said: 'He is maturing with every game. He led the line really well and caused all sorts of problems.
'He's probably disappointed only to get two goals (against Cork), they were a great two but he's always hungry for more. I think his overall game was exceptional tonight.'
Tonight's game at Dalymount Park will be another test for Rovers' youngsters - as will the title chase, even if the Hoops are streaking ahead of the rest.
However, they are buying into Bradley's mantra to not look too far ahead, just as much as their senior teammates.
'I think that's the message around the place from the manager to the senior players. I think a lot of young lads get that as well,' said Lopes.
'They are grounded. I think that's important. And if you're not, you're brought to ground fairly quickly in pre-season.
'But we're blessed. We have a good group there. Everyone wants to work hard. Everyone's trying to get into the team. The message is the same.'
A former Bohs player, Lopes knows just how big these Dublin derbies are.
'I think it always has been (the biggest derby) since I started football. The Bohs v Rovers, it's probably the biggest game on the calendar,' he said.
'We can't get caught up too much in the occasion, though. It's an important game for us in terms of trying to build on this momentum and keep going and three points.
'But yeah, I suppose it's the biggest game in Irish football for me.'
However, with Bohs already chalking up two wins against Rovers this season - at the Aviva and in Tallaght, he sounded a note of caution.
'I probably sound like a broken record, but I think form goes out the window in these games,' he said.
'I always say it. We know it's going to be a tough game, especially going over there. We know how hostile it can be.
'So yeah, we just have to be prepared mentally going into that and play the game in front of us.
'You have to take the madness out of it at times. It's going to be there. It's going to be 100 miles an hour at times.
'But you need to be able to take a breath and put your foot on the ball and show your quality as well.'
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