Bradley reflects on whirlwind few months with Liverpool

Liverpool youngster Conor Bradley has claimed that the recent months, during which he became a Liverpool hero, have been "mental.".

Castlederg native Bradley would have been an unknown name to many a few months ago, but after a stellar game where he scored a goal against Chelsea and recorded two assists, he quickly became an established name on Merseyside. He has since played several times for the club.

Bradley described playing for Liverpool as "mental."

“It’s been mental,” he said. “I remember sitting on the bench at Arsenal, just dying to get on.

“They moved Trent into midfield, and I came on at right-back. I was up against Gabriel Martinelli, and it was a big test, but I did OK, and it’s just kicked on from there.

“It’s been brilliant. All my dreams have come true in the last few months."

Northern Ireland will play Scotland next week, and for Bradley, achieving another dream of scoring for his country would be up there with goals already achieved so far.

Conor Bradley and Cody Gakpo of Liverpool FC celebrate during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 25, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

“I’d love to get my first goal for Northern Ireland; that would be a dream come true.

“But quite a few of my big dreams have been realised, especially scoring for Liverpool, getting my first assist, and winning at Wembley, which was brilliant too.”

The Tyrone native became the first Northern Ireland player to score for Liverpool since Sammy Smyth in 1954, and he admits that he didn't think that his time with Liverpool would go as well as it has.

His goal against Chelsea is something that he finds hard to believe actually happened.

“I definitely didn’t think it would go this well,” he said. “You dream about scoring your first goal for Liverpool, but you never think it will come true.

“My pinch-myself moment was probably against Chelsea when I scored and had two assists, and the fans chanting my name was pretty special.

“I don’t think I’ll have a better night than that, to be honest.”

Northern Ireland play Romania tonight.