From fan to player: Shaunie Bradley loving life back at Harps

Shaunie Bradley is making the most of his playing time back at Finn Harps, and the Fahan native is battling to try and nail down his place in the starting lineup as they travel to Kerry on Friday night.

Bradley joined Finn Harps at Under-13 level and played the whole way up until the Under-20s, making his debut at 16 under Dave Rogers in a First Division match away to Waterford in 2023, which was his only appearance of the season.

He had to wait two years until his next appearance, spending a season away from the club as he joined his local Buncrana Hearts in the Inishowen Premier Division, before joining the club permanently again last year.

“I just wasn’t enjoying my football as much, and it didn’t feel right playing, so I went back to Buncrana for a year and started loving football again and got back to where I am.

“I always knew that Finn Harps is where I wanted to be, and I wanted to be playing at the highest level that I can. I played for a while with the Under-20s and had to work my way back into the first team, but I got there eventually.

“It’s great to be getting into the team. I started on the bench in the first game of the season, but came on in the first half, and I knew that was my chance to take and try to stay in the team, and I’ve been in since.

“Every week you're fighting for your spot, and training is competitive because we have options everywhere across the field, and it’s about working hard to keep that spot.

Bradley grew up going to Finn Park with his father, Shane, a club legend, making almost 300 league appearances for the club.

His uncle Damien was a goalkeeper at the club around the turn of the century, while his first cousin, Joel Bradley Walsh, returned to the club in 2025.

“It feels class every time you get on the pitch, from going to watch the games every Friday night as a kid, and now playing on the pitch and the kids are watching you, it’s class to have that.

“The whole family have been involved with Harps, so I was kind of born into it.

“I remember when I was with the Under-13s, Joel would have been with the Under-19s and going up to watch him in an All-Ireland final, and they looked like men compared to me, and now we’re playing together, so it’s great.”

Bradley has one goal in four starts this season, coming in the form of the opener in a 2-1 win over UCD at Finn Park.

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He was taken off at half-time against Treaty United last Friday night with the home side 2-0 down to the Limerick team, but they battled back, and a 94th-minute equaliser from Conor Tourish meant they came away with another draw, their third in a row and a fourth game unbeaten.

“We were disappointed with the two goals we conceded, it wasn’t good enough as a team collectively, but we were happy that we showed that we could come back, and it was good to keep that unbeaten run going.

“But it’s about not giving them soft goals away, and we need to try and turn all these draws into wins.

“We’ve shown we can come back from one or two down, but the main thing is not getting into those situations, it’s not a good position to be in.”

The Harps travel to Mounthawk Park on Friday night to face a winless Kerry side, who got off the mark with three draws in their last three games.

After back-to-back home games, the side are on the road again, and it will be a drive down south in the morning for a trip to a side that the Harps have had a decent record against since their formation.

In six meetings, the Harps have won two and drawn two, with one of the losses being voided as both sides fielded an ineligible player in the first game of the season last year.

Kerry brings back good memories for the 20-year-old, despite it being a drawn game, as Bradley got his first goal in senior football against them when the sides met in Finn Park last October, flicking in from his cousin’s free kick.

“I got my first goal against them, and it would be nice to get another on Friday night.

“The long journeys have to be done, and there’s no point in making excuses. Longford is the shortest journey, and that’s still a bit down the road, but it just has to be done, we’ll just go down and hope to get the three points.

“Every game is so tight in the league, and I don’t think I’ve seen a league like it. If you’re not focused, you’ll be beaten, and that’s it."