Sligo Rovers FC - last updated on 21 April 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Sligo Rovers Football Club
Foundation: September 17th 1928
City: Sligo
Colours: Red and white
Website: www.sligorovers.com
Honours:
FAI Premier Division - 1 (1937, 1977)
FAI Cup - 2 (1983, 1994)
FAI League Cup - 1 (1998)
A bit of history:
Sligo Rovers Football Club was formed on 17 September 1928 as a result of an amalgamation of two junior sides, Sligo Town and Sligo Blues. Their first game was a 9-1 victory against Ballyshannon on 23 September 1928. The club, elected to the League of Ireland in 1934, hails from Sligo and play their home matches at the Showgrounds. The club colours are red and white stripes with red shorts away colours are all white.
In the years of The Emergency (WW II) the club captured the imagination of the country when it signed the legendary Bill "Dixie" Dean -the former Everton legend and still the all time top scorer in the English First Division.
Rovers finest periods came in 1937 & 1977, when they won the League of Ireland championship, 1983 when they defeated Bohemians to win the FAI Cup and 1994, when under manager Willie McStay they won a "treble" of the Irish First Division title, the First Division Shield and the FAI Cup, beating Derry City FC in the final. In 1994 they got through the preliminary round of the European Cup Winners Cup (eventually losing to Club Brugge in the first round proper, 5-2 on aggregate).
Former Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez managed the club in the 1994-95 season. Steve Cotterill, manager of Burnley since the season 2005/2006, succeeded Sanchez as manager.
On 12 November 2005, Sligo Rovers claimed the 2005 First Division Title with a 0-0 draw at home to Athlone Town. Sligo Rovers are playing Premier Division football for the first time in six years in the 2006 Eircom League season. Sligo Rovers reached the FAI Cup semi final in the 2006 season but their manager Sean Connor resigned days after the game despite being contracted until the end of the 2007 season. Despite Connor's lack of interest towards the end of his tenure Sligo Rovers still managed a very credible 5th place finish in their first season back in the Premier Division.
Sligo Rovers are the subject of a popular, semi-autobiographical book,
There's Only One Red Army by journalist Eamonn Sweeney, published in 1997.
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Sligo Rovers FC -
Founded on September 17th 1928
