McIntyre, Cretaro and Armstrong all pen deals at the Showgrounds

In what has been a busy few days for Sligo Rovers this week, the club today announced Declan McIntyre as Dave Robertson’s new Assistant Manager. This appointment followed the news during the week that club stalwart Raffaele Cretaro signed a new contract aswell as young rising star Gary Armstrong.

Speaking to the club’s official website this Friday evening, manager Dave Robertson spoke about the additions to both the playing staff and mangerial staff, he said; "Raff is someone who has years and years of experience which is invaluable and also a real desire. He is a player who is very committed to this club and loves the club.

“He is exactly the type of person who will help us compete at the top end of things which is where we want to be. He brings versatility, quality and a lot of experience to the squad. I see that he will be able to play in a lot of positions for us across the midfield and cover at full-back also.

“Raff will be a great character to have in the dressing room which is particularly important with the younger squad that we will have this year. He will be a great asset to us on the pitch firstly, he also brings that experience and leadership off the pitch too but his main concentration will be on playing"

Speaking about the signing of Gary Armstring which was announced this past week, Robertson said; "I think this is another very good signing for us. Gary is a young, local lad with plenty of ability.

“I have seen him play in the under-19 game I saw and I took some training sessions with them. What I like with him is that he has shown a desire to improve and become a better player. I see a lot of potential in him and I am really pleased to have secured him with us for next year.

“I see him as an attacking player who can play on the wing, as a centre forward or just off the striker. He gives good balance and a number of options to our attack. He also brings a flair and a bravery to our team which I like.

“I had a conversation with him and told him that he needs to push on and be a regular starter in our squad this year. He is still developing as a player but there is a lot of potential. He has to continue to show his work ethic, improve his strength and be a good team player defensively and if he can combine all those things he will do very well."

Finally Robertson spoke about the club bringing Declan McIntyre back to The Showgrounds in the role of his number two, Robertson said; " Declan is someone I have known for a number of years and he has always been an excellent coach. He understands the club and the League of Ireland very well. He also has experience of working with Micheal Schlingermann which will be a great help to have them work together.

“He will be a great asset for me and the club. I know how he likes to work and someone like Declan will be very valuable for us to have at the club.”

The newest member to the Robinson led background team Declan McIntyre is both a former player and coach at The Showgrounds. He signed for Rovers as a player in 1980 and was in goals for the FAI Cup final of 1981. He spoke to the official website about coming back to the Showgrounds.

“I am really looking forward to coming back to the club. I was here as recently as two years ago when I gave Ian Baraclough a dig out. Ciaran Kelly was the goalkeeping coach then but he got an injury, I was only supposed to come for a few weeks but it turned into half a season. We won the cup that year. There is still a lot of familiar faces around the club. I know the fans as well having played a couple of times, Sligo has always been very welcoming to me.”

The club legend will be entering his 15th season with his home team.

Also speaking to the clubs’ official website today was Raffaele Cretaro. The Tubbercurry tornado had the following to say; “I am absolutely delighted to have signed with Rovers again. It’s great to have it all done so early. For me it will be important to encourage the other players and provide leadership in general in the dressing room. It’s something that you deal with."

Armstrong became the fifth player earlier on this week to commit his future to the club. Speaking about his signing Armstrong said; "I definitely think that Dave is the right man for the job. He has a great record of bringing through young players.

“He told me that he doesn’t want me to be part of the squad. He’d like to see breaking into the team. I understand what he wants for me and getting in the team is my aim."