Stephen Bradley: I thought about walking away over chant about ill son

Events in the Bradley episode have moved on in the last 24 hours, with the Rovers boss confirming he was in contact with gardaí in Cork and was confident charges will be pressed against the City fans who mocked him last week over the fact that his nine-year-old son, Josh, is battling leukaemia.

City also stated they had handed down lifetime bans to two supporters involved, adding that the pair have admitted their guilt and apologised.

"I'm hoping the guards in Cork have enough to bring charges and push forward with it because it has no place in any sport or walk of life,” Bradley said.

He said the most difficult part of a tough week was working out how to explain to his son why those fans had used his cancer battle to attack the Rovers manager.

"There is not much that would stop me. I’ve seen my mam pass of cancer after fighting for four years. And that was tough,” he said.

"I’ve always said there is not much in football that can hurt me because of what I’ve seen, with what my son is going through at the moment. But that really got to me, that really made me think of what I’m doing, maybe questioning everything and doing things, not for me, but for my son, and so it’s been difficult.”

Asked if he considered quitting, he said: “I think you do. I think your kids and your family shouldn’t have to hear that or put up with that because of my job. So it did make me think about that, yeah.

“I talked to people close to me. The key is you can’t let these people win, that’s important and I think it’s only natural to have the thoughts I had, because as a parent you do everything possible to protect your kids. I think anyone would do, or think like that. It’s only a natural thought process to have.”