STEPHEN BRADLEY reckons Josh Honohan will end up as a centre-back like Liam Scales.
But, in the meantime, he believes he can be good for 10 goals a season with a few tweaks.
Second-half goals from Johnny Kenny, Darragh Burns and Aaron Greene saw Shamrock Rovers comfortably beat Bohemians, whose sole response was from Declan McDaid in injury time.
But it was Honohan who scooped the man-of-the-match award after lining out at left wing-back.
He has already lined out on the right side and as one of three centre-halves since signing for Cork City, with Scales showing similar versatility before moving to Celtic.
And Bradley said: “I watched Josh for a year and every time I watched his games, I’m thinking ‘He’s playing in a different position’.
“But he’s taken me by surprise because he’s so comfortable. What I love about Josh is when you’re dealing with him during the week, helping him technically and tactically, he wants all the information you can give him.
“I think he’s going to be a centre back as time goes on, he’s tailor made to be one, he’s lightning quick, both footed, really good on the ball, can play wing back or full back.
“I said when I signed him that I saw the Liam Scales mentality in him, someone who you could ask to play up front and he’d say ‘How do you want me to play it? No problem, I’ll do it’.
“That’s the kind of character he is.
“He’s got a really high ceiling Josh. Mentality, character, attributes, they’re as good as we’ve ever had here
“As a defender, in terms of pace, power, naturally both footed, as quick as anything you’ll see, I think he’s got a really high ceiling. He’s lots of work to do but a really high ceiling.
“There’s so much more to come from him. I think he can get 10 goals for us, Josh, if he can just tweak a little bit.”
The 23-year-old revealed in a post-match TV interview that Bradley had taken him out for a one-to-one shooting session in the lashing rain on Tuesday.
And Bradley explained: “I’ve been working on certain techniques with him.
“Josh has a real habit of not setting it out because he can play with both feet, when you’re naturally one sided, you always set the ball out but Josh doesn’t, he keeps it central.
“It’s really hard to shoot from a central position so it’s about understanding that space and shifting it. He hasn’t had to do that but I think we’ll get there.
“He’ll score goals doing it because he’s naturally left and right footed, and that pace and power, it’s a brilliant combination.
“You can see him getting frustrated because he’s never been shown it or taught it, what he’s done, he’s thought it has always worked but for me it hasn’t, we can make him better.
“I can see it with my son, naturally both footed, he doesn’t set the ball outside so it’s really interesting seeing it, we can definitely help him get better. And he will get better.”
SECOND-HALF WIND
Bradley was pleased with his players’ response after the break following an underwhelming first half.
He said: “Second half we were brilliant. First half, I thought we were slow in everything we did.
“Maybe it was the occasion in terms of everybody talking about the 10,000, the biggest attendance and all of that. Maybe that played a part in how hesitant we were
“We knew how they pressed. Alan Reynolds presses that way, he did that with Derry. We knew how he presses. The spaces were there, we just didn’t see them first half.
“And as a result, they came into the game off our mistakes. At half-time we had a look at it and the players, to be fair, recognised it straight away.
“We just went 10 yards higher up the pitch, were more aggressive, played quicker, ran quicker and the spaces were there.
“The penetration was a lot quicker and as a result, it could have been four or five to be honest.”