Sligo Rovers A-Z

A new feature on MNS this season, but has yet to do Sligo Rovers. So why wait, when any Rovers fan with a good knowledge of the club can do one themselves ? This isn't restricted to just 2011, or any particular season, this article features players, managers and moments from any point in Rovers 83 year history.

Crest from Sligorovers.com

A... For Alan Paterson, one of Sligo Rovers greatest goalkeepers and Johnny Armstrong, arguably the greatest striker to ever play for the club, scoring a total of 138 goals in his 11 seasons, which spanned from the early 50's to the early 60's.

B... For Billy Sinclair, who managed Sligo Rovers to their 2nd league title in 1977. B is also for Benny the Bull, the much loved club mascot.

C... For Paul Cook, the current manager who has lead us to 3 Finals, winning two of them, C is also for Seamus Coleman, the former Rovers right back who has gone onto be a star player for Everton F.C. and play for the Irish senior team.

D... For Dixie Dean, arguably the greatest striker in English football history, scoring 349 goals for Everton in just under 400 games. He scored 10 goals in 10 games for the Bit O' Red.

E... For Eddie Annand, the Scottish striker who won the fans hearts in the early 90's with his consistent goalscoring. E is also for Enda Scanlon, the local defender who played for the club in the 80's, your every day attack minded defender, who was also strong at the back.


F... For the FAI Cup. Won 3 times by the Bit O' Red, the most recent being last November, when Ciaran Kelly pulled off those 4 savesin the shoot out. F is also for Forza Rovers, who constantly bring much colour and noise to The Showgrounds, and all over the country, wherever Rovers play, they'll be there.

G... For Gerry Carr. The current assistant manager and scored the header that won us the FAI Cup in 1994. Its been debated that it deflected in off of a Derry City player, but Gerry will always claims it as his goal!

H... For Harry McLoughlin, the man who scored one of the most memorable goals in the club's history when he put a lovely chipped effort past the Bohemians keeper to win the FAI Cup in 1983 for the first time.

I... For International players. We have seen a number of players join Rovers who've represented their country at the highest level such as Joseph Ndo, Romauld Boco, Seamus Coleman, Paul McGee, Wesley Charles, Shaun Holmes and Alvin Rouse to name just a few.

J... For Jako, who have proudly provided the Rovers kit for a few years now. J is also for Jim Lauchlan, a man who gained amassive reputation as a fan favourite last season and the Jinks Avenue stand, where the true colour and noise of The Showgrounds comes from.

K... For Ciaran Kelly, last seasons Cup Final hero when he saved those 4 penalties in a nerve wracking shoot-out. K is also for the new Ken Barlow song, which will probably become a regular one, home and away from this season onwards.

L... For Harry Litherland, another all time great striker for the club who goes back to the very early days of the club, scoring 29 goals in his first season and amassing a grand total of 43.

M... For Managers. We've had some great managers down the years such as Paul Cook, Lawrie Sanchez, Willie McStay and Steve Cotterill, but we've also had some forgettable names such as Don O' Riordan and Rob McDonald.

N... For Joseph Ndo, the former Cameroon International was a class act in 2010 for the club, stunning the Showgrounds with his neat flicks and killer passes, he also scored a few goals since he joined.

O... For Conor O' Grady, the local midfielder who was a massive influence for the players, and played with sheer pride for the jersey. He showed the true meaning of 'Playing for the shirt'.

Q... For queues. They are few and far between when it comes to Sligo Rovers, may it be the first match of the season, a Cup Final day or the day tickets are out for a Final, the queues are usually impressive.

R... For Richie Ryan, the instrumental midfielder, who played a key role in our 2010 season, winning the PFAI Player of the Year along the way.

S... For Tony Stenson, the man who equalized in Dalymount Park on that historic day in 1983, a true legend of the club who dedicated as many as 15 years of his career to Sligo Rovers. S is also for the Shed, which of course was demolished in 2006 and was for a long time where the real passionate fans of this club stood and cheered on the Bit O' Red.

T... For Tony Fagan, a true icon of this club who gave his all. Rain, hail or snow, this man was passionate about pulling onthe red jersey and doing the club proud. He won the two major honours in Irish football in his long, established stay with Rovers.

U... For Unforgiven, which applies to a few people as you will know from the supporters. Richie Winter, Chris Turner, John Carpenter and Sean Connor are a few names who spring to mind.

V... For Danny Ventre, the versatile player who has captained the squad on many occasions, most notably in the 2009 and 2010 FAI Cup Finals, known for his passion and 100% commitment in every game.

W... For Winning, a word associated with Charlie Sheen these days, but its something we got very used to last season, and hopefully there's more to come this year.

X... For Xano, the Porteueguese striker who was supposed to have joined us twice. If Wikipedia is anything to go by he scored 19 goals in 18 games for us depsite never playing for us....

Y... For Youth players, something which the supporters hope to see break into the first team, which contains some promosing talent as it is such as Mark McGoldrick and Daryl Horgan.

Z... For Zoltan Vasas, the Hungarian midfielder who played for us in 2007... Yeah, sorry, kind of struggled with Z...


Well thats your round-up of Sligo Rovers A-Z, i'm sure iv'e missed some things that could've been mentioned, but i'm sure there could be another one done some day. Hopefully you all enjoyed the read, and if you have any suggestions, the bitoredblog will use them in a second installment of 'Sligo Rovers A-Z'.