Statistics can sometimes mislead, but there’s a significance in the fact that Shamrock Rovers wingback Neil Farrugia has had more touches in the opposition penalty area this year than every other player in the league apart from Drogheda United striker Freddie Draper.

Farrugia is a crucial part of the Hoops attacking strategy, thriving in a new role on the right side after making his name as a left winger at UCD.

His old club visit Tallaght Stadium tonight and Stephen Bradley says he would have no concerns about pitching Farrugia in again after his goal-scoring contribution to Friday night’s big win at Dalymount Park.

The idea of Farrugia playing twice in a weekend was fanciful this time last year as the Hoops continued to manage his comeback from persistent long=term hamstring problems that placed question marks over the direction of a promising career.

Now, the 23-year-old is flying and feeling strong. He scored the first competitive goal of Stephen Kenny’s reign as U-21 manager and was on standby for senior duty last autumn. Kenny watched Farrugia against Bohs and Bradley is convinced the player can reach that level at some point in the future.

“He has all the attributes you’d want to play at that level,” says Bradley. “When he’s in the form he has been all year, he’s unplayable.”

For now, Farrugia is focusing on short-term targets, and is enjoying being asked to take a leading attacking role from a position he is still learning.

“Look, when I get the ball the first thought in my head is to be positive with it,” he says.

“You find that once you get positive players around you come and support you. You get little one twos, defenders then start to drop off. All of a sudden you are in the box. Just be positive on the ball, that is my mental note at all times within games.

“I think sometimes in games, especially as a wingback you have to keep the width and trust the players to get the ball forward. You are not really in control of the game, but we have brilliant players in midfield. You have to trust those players so when they get it wide that’s when I’m most dangerous. It’s about trusting the boys to get the ball forward.”

This was evident at Dalymount, with Farrugia linking up with Jack Byrne before drifting inside to steer the latter’s cross beyond James Talbot to break the deadlock.

Farrugia asserts that composure off the park has been key to a turnaround in fortunes with back-to-back wins and favourable results elsewhere leaving the Hoops just seven points off top spot following a sticky opening to their title defence.

“One of the things he (Bradley) really tells us is to trust what we do,” he said.

“Trust how we play and the outcome will come from it. he repeats that a lot and it’s powerful. It’s huge, especially at the start of the season when we’re drawing games, we lost against Derry, we’re coming off the pitch and we thought we had played alright.

“The gaffer is keeping us calm, reminding us all the time to trust each other and it’s really powerful because it keeps us confident going into the next game.”