Stale-mate in Drogheda enough to see Rovers safe
DROGHEDA UNITED SLIGO ROVERS
SLIGO Rovers secured their Premier Division status on Friday evening as they drew 0-0 with Drogheda United at United Park in the last day of the season.
Proceedings in Eamonn Deacy Park and Maginn Park had no bearing on Rovers’ survival, as the Bit O’Red knew that one point would be enough to see them safe, regardless of how the other games went.
Wins for Galway United and St. Patrick’s Athletic and a defeat for Ger Lyttle’s men would have seen them make the drop to the First Division at the final hurdle, but Rovers got over the line.
With Craig Roddan and Regan Donelon missing the game through suspension, Lyttle was forced to shuffle his pack somewhat. There was 17 minutes on the clock before either side could muster up an opportunity. John Russell dragged his shot wide of the post, while Chris Mulhall forced Shaun Patton into his first save of the evening minutes later.
Neither keeper was kept too busy during the first half, Russell again sending his effort straight into the arms of McGuinness in the Drogs goal, who was probably the Louth side’s best player on the night.
McGuinness was beaten when Jamie McDonagh excellently cut in from the right, but he could not steer his effort goalwards.
Vinny Faherty and Russell went close ahead of the half-time whistle, while at the other end, Patton never really looked in danger of conceding.
Shane Keegan’s side were losing 3-1 at half-time, meaning that Rovers were in a good position at that stage of the game, although anyone who has kept a keen eye this season knows that you could never take anything for granted. Rovers did take control of proceedings in the early stages of the second-half, and really should have taken the lead. A stunning effort from Jack Keaney was well saved by McGuinness, while Gary Boylan’s audacious effort from an angle smacked the crossbar.
Rovers were extremely relieved, however, when player of the year nominee Kyle Callan McFadden headed a Dave Mulcahy effort off the line, before Sean Brennan did similar to deny Faherty’s certain goal.
McGuinness again did brilliantly to prevent Callan-McFadden from giving Rovers the lead, but in the end it mattered little as a point was more than enough to see Rovers safe after an extremely difficult season with Galway United, Finn Harps and Drogheda dropping to the First Division.
Drogheda United: Stephen McGuinness, Shane Elworthy, Dave Mulcahy, Kevin Farragher, Stephen Dunne, Adam Wixted (Thomas Byrne, 58), Ryan McEvoy, Sean Brennan (Jamie Hollywood, 90 +4min), Mark Doyle, Stephen Meaney (Sean Russell 82), Chris Mulhall.
Subs: Colm Deasy, Lloyd Buckley, Conor Kane, Dylan Sweeney.
Sligo Rovers: Shaun Patton (Ed McGinty, 64), Seamus Sharkey, Mick Leahy, Kyle McFadden, Gary Boylan, Rhys McCabe, John Russell, Jack
THE overriding emotion leaving United Park on Friday night was relief. Sligo Rovers got over the line on the very last day of the season at the expense of Galway United. The fact that Rovers did it themselves without being totally reliant on the result in the meeting of Galway United and Dundalk meant that things were in our control.
The players, to their credit, have really knuckled down since the defeat to Galway United in particular, however reality had set in after the cup exit at the hands of Longford Town. In the last few weeks especially, no-one has been getting carried away.
They have worked hard and done exactly what was needed of them. Only they themselves could have saved the club from relegation and they did it.
Ger Lyttle deserves all the credit in the world. He came in to Sligo Rovers at a very difficult time. Rovers looked destined for First Division football. There was no confidence, there was no ideas, no cohesion in the team and there were no options on the bench. The club had to dig deep and give Ger a budget during the mid-season transfer window and while that made things difficult financially, it saved the club from a sure relegation.
Ger made changes to backroom staff, to training, to his team, he boosted the squad and he got the best out of players where we hadn’t seen it before. Options on the bench Keaney, Jamie McDonagh (Raffaele Cretaro 70), Vinny Faherty, Greg Moorhouse (Benny Igiehon 83). Subs: Daniel Kearns, Chris Kenny, Omar Haughton, John Mahon.
REFEREE: Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan).
and players who could change a game were crucial to Rovers survival.
Conceding goals was our biggest problem all year, and having kept just one clean sheet in the whole first series of games, there was a huge improvement needed defensively.
Rovers managed to keep three clean sheets in the second series of games, while in the third series they kept a total of six clean sheets - that was the difference with Galway United - their failure to hold on to clean sheets caught up with them in the end.
If you take a look at the following stats, it shows that while our goalscoring didn’t really improve from one series of games to another, the difference defensively was the big change.
Series 1: Conceded 20, scored 12. Series 2: Conceded 17, scored 10. Series 3: Conceded 7, scored 11.
It has been fairly gradual but Ger Lyttle brought a big change to the team and their form in the final round of games in particular was impressive, given everything that happened all year.
The squad has come a long way since that 5-1 hammering in Limerick on the opening day of the season, and they have come far since losing 4-0 to Derry in Buncrana as well.
It’s funny then that in a year full of hard and stressful days, that we end it feeling optimistic ahead of next season, even though we’re all glad to see the back of the 2017 season.
Ger Lyttle staying on means there is stability again, we need that. We have seen this summer that he can recruitment the kind of players that Sligo Rovers needs, and fighting off Cork City to keep hold of Rhys McCabe and Kyle Callan-McFadden speaks volumes about what Ger has got going on at Sligo.
It’s worth noting too, that those players had agreed to stay on regardless of how Friday night’s game went. They were keen to stay on, even if it meant plying their trade in the First Division for the 2018 season.
We have cause to believe that there is a good squad in the making here, and with eight players signed up for next season already, and more to come shortly, we have cause to be optimistic about all things Sligo Rovers once again.
Surviving after that season is massive, but Sligo Rovers should never be in that position, and it should never have come to the last day of the season. But that argument is for another day.
This off-season is about building on what we have, there is the bare bones of a good squad there and boosting it will mean that Rovers can push on next year.
A difficult and testing season has come to an end, and it certainly won’t be the last. There’s work to be done for next year, but we have reasons to be hopeful.
See you all in February.