Stephen Bradley feels Shamrock Rovers were back to themselves against Shelbourne - even though the night ended in frustration again.
The Hoops’ search for a first win of the season goes into a sixth game when they host struggling St Pat’s on St Patrick’s Day.
As expected, hard-working Shels proved to be stubborn opponents in last night’s 0-0 stalemate at Tolka Park.
The game failed to ignite and there could not have been a greater contrast to Monday’s madcap 4-4 thriller with Cork City.
A handful of Rovers fans vented their frustration after the game when players and staff clapped supporters at the Ballybough end.
Hoops ace Graham Burke was particularly irked by something said from behind the goal and had to be led away by team-mates.
Defender Sean Hoare tried to defuse the situation and went over to speak to some supporters behind a gate.
A social media video of that exchange has since gone viral with Hoare asking a fan to back the team whether they win or lose.
Quizzed on the Burke incident, Hoops boss Bradley put it down to emotions running high and said: “That's Graham. Sometimes he's not happy to see me.
“When I take him off I can't talk to him for five minutes, he's emotional. But I'll have to talk to him, I don't know what it was about.”
Rovers have four points from five games after draws with Sligo, Drogheda, Cork and Shels and a defeat to Derry since the start of the campaign.
But Bradley is refusing to blame it on bad luck and maintains that he and his players won’t panic.
“I was much happier tonight. That looked more like us,” he said. “Monday was a crazy game. If you score, we score.
“Tonight was a lot more controlled. We controlled the game other than two spells in the second-half, had opportunities and looked like we had real balance.
“We were better against Derry than tonight, but the pitch helps with that. If you're playing on a pitch like it is, the players did extremely well to control the game.
“I can't remember Shels having an opportunity on goal. I think they had five touches in our box and in a Dublin derby we'll take that all day with our performance.”
Bradley continued: “If the players aren't running or fighting or competing, and we're not playing at our levels, then it's a worry for everyone.
“But that's not the case. If you watch the performances and not the results, we're very close to hitting top gear.
“Tonight, like I said, we could walk away with 2-0 and everyone talks about it in a different light.
“As a performance I really liked tonight, a lot of balance, a lot of control. I don't like the results or the points total, that's quite obvious, but I like where we are.”
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