"Simple as that. To win any game of football, you have to show up. A few did, but not enough showed up.
"Dan should put the header in. It's a few yards out. It's a free header. They have one (chance) across the box from a corner, but I don't think there's any other chance in the game until the penalty.
"But like I said, if you want to win any game of football, the large majority of the team have to show up. We didn't have enough tonight."
The game fell three days after the high-point of Shamrock Rovers' otherwise messy 2024 season, their dramatic Champions League First Qualifying Round victory over Iceland's Vikingur Reykjavik, the visitors missing a last minute penalty when trailing 2-1 and holding a man advantage in the case of extra-time.
Their reward is a tie against Sparta Prague, the Czech side landing into Tallaght for the first leg on Tuesday. Bradley, however, wasn't inclined to pin tonight's loss on their European exertions.
"No, we obviously made changes off the back of Tuesday. But we have a squad and we have a squad for a reason.
"No excuses, the squad is the squad. It's strong. The first XI was strong. But we didn't show up."
Bradley had no gripe with the penalty call that decided the game, when Josh Honohan tripped Ross Tierney in the box.
"It's a penalty. He catches him blindside. It's clever by their player, he gets his leg in the way. The build-up from us was really poor. The ball is out wide, we don't defend it well."
With the Cup done for another year, and the prospect of overhauling the leaders in the league looking like an increasingly remote possibility, the chances of Rovers claiming silverware in 2024 appear dead in the water. But Bradley is inclined to focus on one game at a time and isn't officially going to announce the five-in-a-row is gone yet, at any rate.
"Obviously we're out of the Cup. Full focus on Tuesday and then the following Tuesday. And then it's Waterford after that."
Bohemians assistant manager Stephen O'Donnell hailed a big night for the club after what had been a difficult period, which had seen them slip to eighth in the league, albeit with multiple games in hand vis a vis their nearest rivals.
"We're going to enjoy tonight, but we're also aware we're going to have to build on this, going into our remaining league fixtures and obviously the remaining rounds of the Cup," said O'Donnell, who joined Bohs in May, a couple of months after his departure from Dundalk following a poor start to the season.
"Tonight, we're delighted. Delighted for the manager and delighted for the players. A really good night for the club. You obviously could sense that coming in off the pitch, atmosphere-wise."
The Bohemians assistant was quick to highlight their debutants, 20-year old defender Leigh Kavanagh and New Zealander Alex Greive, the latter having joined from St Mirren, partly on the advice of Sligo's Max Mata, according to the man himself.
"Credit to them. Leigh Kavanagh is making his full debut. Alex Greive was making his debut (for Bohs). Complemented by all our experienced players and the players that came on.
"It's not easy coming on in your first game in a match like that, when you've basically been in your off-season. And real bravery from the manager putting them in in such a big game.
"Delighted that that was rewarded. I'm delighted for the group of players and everyone involved. The last couple of results have been disappointing. Tonight, there was a real feelgood factor around. We've got to build on that now."
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