The Strugglers - Sligo Rovers
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
The third in our series looking at the bottom half of the table focuses on Sligo Rovers. Jody Moylan has taken a look at their season and provides us with this assessment:
Sligo Rovers
Manager: Paul Cook
Home ground: The Showgrounds
Current position (start of season prediction): 7th (6th)
Top scorers: Raffaele Cretaro (13)
Star man: Raffaele Cretaro. Increasingly looking the part, Cretaro is third leading scorer in the league, keeping company with Jason Byrne and Gary Twigg at the top of the charts. The Tubercurry man’s haul, which is closer to 20 in all competitions, is given even more credence given Sligo’s present position. A move to Shamrock Rovers has been mooted.
Story so far: European football made its way to Sligo during the summer as a reward for finishing in fourth last season. As Bohemians won the double there was an extra spot up for grabs and Sligo were the beneficiaries. These can be the small fortunes that benefit clubs like Sligo, where the line between staying afloat and going under is forever marginal. The omens looked good for 2009 but a season in Sligo is a very long time in football.
It wasn’t until the sixth game in in 2009 that Rovers picked up their first win, against Bray in April. The next game between the sides saw the Seagulls win 3-1 in Wicklow in early summer. It has been results like this that has epitomized Sligo’s season. While able to mix it with the big boys, including wins against Bohs and Derry in the league as well as knocking both those sides (along with Cork City) out of the FAI Ford cup, their form has been erratic throughout the season as a whole.
It was, to say the least, a turbulent June in the North West as the Red Army were in danger of raising the white flag at times. Beset by injuries and suspensions, Paul Cook and his assistant Gerry Carr found themselves increasingly alone on the bench and waiting desperately for the July transfer window to open.
Surely Europa League football would provide a lift but Paul Cook was left fuming after a poor display in the Showgrounds proved the early death knell for Rovers as they went down 2-1 to Vlaznia of Albania. The first leg deficit was going to leave a mountain to climb for the return leg in Shkoder. The Bit O’Red ultimately went out, drawing 1-1 away against a relatively poor outfit.
When the transfer window did open, Cook drafted in a host of new signings including Rob Turner, Joe Kendrick, Dean Marshall, Darren Meenan and Matthew Blinkhorn. The latter, signed after being released by Lancashire outfit Morecambe, has proved an early hit with three goals and some good link-up play to assist Cretaro. His new side have shown a great deal of character, assisted by the return to the defence of Gavin Peers, and have just clocked up three impressive league wins in the Connacht derby against Galway before defeating Bray on Tuesday and before that, a six pointer versus St. Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park.
Remaining Fixtures: Dundalk (A), Derry City (A), Bohemians (A), Drogheda Utd (H)
Prediction: 7th. It’s a duel between Sligo, Galway and St. Pat's to avoid the relegation play-off but the form and character are in the North Westerners favour and they will scrape it to safety.
Sligo Rovers
Manager: Paul Cook
Home ground: The Showgrounds
Current position (start of season prediction): 7th (6th)
Top scorers: Raffaele Cretaro (13)
Star man: Raffaele Cretaro. Increasingly looking the part, Cretaro is third leading scorer in the league, keeping company with Jason Byrne and Gary Twigg at the top of the charts. The Tubercurry man’s haul, which is closer to 20 in all competitions, is given even more credence given Sligo’s present position. A move to Shamrock Rovers has been mooted.
Story so far: European football made its way to Sligo during the summer as a reward for finishing in fourth last season. As Bohemians won the double there was an extra spot up for grabs and Sligo were the beneficiaries. These can be the small fortunes that benefit clubs like Sligo, where the line between staying afloat and going under is forever marginal. The omens looked good for 2009 but a season in Sligo is a very long time in football.
It wasn’t until the sixth game in in 2009 that Rovers picked up their first win, against Bray in April. The next game between the sides saw the Seagulls win 3-1 in Wicklow in early summer. It has been results like this that has epitomized Sligo’s season. While able to mix it with the big boys, including wins against Bohs and Derry in the league as well as knocking both those sides (along with Cork City) out of the FAI Ford cup, their form has been erratic throughout the season as a whole.
It was, to say the least, a turbulent June in the North West as the Red Army were in danger of raising the white flag at times. Beset by injuries and suspensions, Paul Cook and his assistant Gerry Carr found themselves increasingly alone on the bench and waiting desperately for the July transfer window to open.
Surely Europa League football would provide a lift but Paul Cook was left fuming after a poor display in the Showgrounds proved the early death knell for Rovers as they went down 2-1 to Vlaznia of Albania. The first leg deficit was going to leave a mountain to climb for the return leg in Shkoder. The Bit O’Red ultimately went out, drawing 1-1 away against a relatively poor outfit.
When the transfer window did open, Cook drafted in a host of new signings including Rob Turner, Joe Kendrick, Dean Marshall, Darren Meenan and Matthew Blinkhorn. The latter, signed after being released by Lancashire outfit Morecambe, has proved an early hit with three goals and some good link-up play to assist Cretaro. His new side have shown a great deal of character, assisted by the return to the defence of Gavin Peers, and have just clocked up three impressive league wins in the Connacht derby against Galway before defeating Bray on Tuesday and before that, a six pointer versus St. Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park.
Remaining Fixtures: Dundalk (A), Derry City (A), Bohemians (A), Drogheda Utd (H)
Prediction: 7th. It’s a duel between Sligo, Galway and St. Pat's to avoid the relegation play-off but the form and character are in the North Westerners favour and they will scrape it to safety.
