His goal as a substitute against St Joseph’s helped the Hoops hurdle a Conference League round but he’s not been with the squad for almost a fortnight. Chatter grew about a spat with his manager when Stephen Bradley omitted the 29-year-old from his squad for last week’s trip to FK Ballkani in Kosovo. Exclusion from the initial list means Byrne is also unavailable for this second leg in which the league leaders need to overturn a 1-0 deficit. It also has financial implications as the Ireland international won’t be entitled to the European bonus if his team completes the turnaround, setting up a playoff next week for league phase participation. That’ll likely be against Portuguese outfit Santa Clara, who lead Larne 3-0 heading into their second leg in the Azores. Bradley is prepared to tackle this task without a player who has been integral to their revival. Byrne was central to their 2019 FAI Cup triumph and three of their four-in-a-row of titles. It’s believed the row stems from Byrne taking issues with being left out of the league game against Derry City the weekend before last. Words were exchanged during a preparatory training match, in which the Dubliner was part of the back-up XI. It’s only two years since Rovers rejected three bids, rising to €500,000, for their lynchpin from MLS side Charlotte. Byrne was understood to favour the switch at the time but signed a contract extension later in 2023 that expires at the end of 2026. A 12-month further option is held by his club. Bradley would only confirm that the player’s absence wasn’t due to injury, adamant he wouldn’t be distracted ahead of a huge night at Tallaght Stadium. There is still the possibility of a reconciliation but a parting is also a possibility. Both Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic previously expressed interest in enlisting the midfielder and would lead the queue were to become available. Initially an apprentice at Manchester City, where he played under Patrick Vieira in the development squad, Byrne had spells at Oldham Athletic and Kilmarnock before moving back home. He remains the last player to win the coveted SSE Airtricity Soccer Writers’ Ireland Men’s Personality of the Year. Bradley does welcome back another Irish international, Graham Burke, into the fold following an injury. “We were off our level in the first leg,” said the Hoops boss, whose side remain 10 points clear in the Premier Division despite being held scoreless at Galway United on Sunday. “Ballkani were used to their surface last week whereas our lads were slipping. That’s not an excuse that they were, but it played a part. “They were dangerous where we thought they would be and we were slightly off it, which can happen. “When that’s the case but you leave with a result that keeps us in the tie, you take it. One thing you can never question about our group is their character and togetherness. Hopefully there’s a big crowd cheering us on.” Meanwhile, St Patrick’s Athletic are in damage limitation mode in Turkey. Tammy Abraham helped himself to a 30-minute hat-trick for Besiktas in last week’s first leg as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side led 4-0 at the break before Simon Power bagged a consolation. The former Manchester United manager will rotate his squad with an eye on the playoff round next week and the start of their domestic league, aware of the chasm between the teams. “We were too charitable by giving up goals and wanted to get off the plane feeling we’d have a chance of winning the tie,” lamented Saints boss Stephen Kenny in Istanbul. “ We restored some integrity in the second half, we want to do ourselves justice and enjoy the game. “Besiktas will want to put on a show at home so we’ve to match that and stay in the game. We were too passive in the first leg and want to bring a greater physicality and intensity.” In other news, Uefa have approved Tolka Park as the venue for Shelbourne’s Conference League playoff. There were fears the limited capacity of 3,500 would require a switch to Tallaght but the club have sought and been granted clearance. Joey O’Brien’s side will either have a rematch against Linfield — whom they overcame in last month’s Champions League opening round — or Vikingur Gøta. The Faroese hold a 2-1 advantage ahead of Thursday’s second leg at Windsor Park.