Rovers aim to make milestone fixture a game to remember
AS SLIGO ROVERS PREPARE FOR THE OPENING GAME OF THE 2018 SSE AIRTRICITY PREMIER DIVISION, THEY WANT TO SEE THE STANDS FULL FOR WHAT WILL BE THE CLUB’S 3,000TH COMPETITIVE GAME.
For Sligo Rovers, this Saturday’s game against Limerick at The Showgrounds is a milestone fixture.
The meeting between the two sides, which is their opening fixture of the 2018 season, will be Sligo Rovers’ 3,000 th competitive fixture.
With that, the club want to see at least 3,000 fans attend the game, filling the stands and boosting Gerard Lyttle’s side as they look to start their campaign on a positive note.
The ‘Up the Bit o’Red campaign’ has evoked some wonderful memories from fans and locals alike since its launch.
If you hear someone talking locally about their engaging, passionate and ever-popular president, they may not necessarily be referring to the current incumbent of the Aras.
They may have in mind the honorary president of Sligo Rovers, Eddie McCullagh.
Eddie has been following his beloved Rovers for over 60 years. He has witnessed good times and bad, but for our president, the one factor that has remained consistent is the enduring loyalty and generosity of the people of Sligo.
In an interview with Kevin Colreavy, Eddie said: “There is a feeling of goodwill to Sligo Rovers that extends beyond the club. I think over the years people of Sligo appreciated the challenges we have overcome and they have always rallied to our side.”
Throughout his many years as a committee member and volunteer for Rovers, Eddie has seen that community spirit at first hand on numerous occasions. He recalls going around the housing estates in Sligo town in the late 60’s collecting money to repay the purchase loan on the Showgrounds.
“Even people who never went to our games took a special pride in the fact that Rovers had a home of their own, and in those hard times I picked up a shilling every week from households that were scarcely flush - but their feeling for Rovers ran deep. That feeling hasn’t changed.”
That community spirit has been evident in many other ways. During the early 2000’s, Rovers constructed a new stand along its boundary with Treacy Avenue. The new facility was much bigger than the one it replaced. Yet there was nothing but support and encouragement from the people of Treacy Avenue who were directly affected by the development.
It is doubtful of any other club in the country would have received the unqualified backing of the local community for a project of this scale, almost literally on their doorsteps. The same occured for the development of the new Railway End stand where local businesses and individuals contributed €2,500 each to get a project off the ground and change the Showgrounds completely.
Eddie firmly believes the ‘Rovers family’ and wider community will once again prove their loyalty and affinity for their club and that the ‘Up The Bit O’ Red ‘ campaign will harness the goodwill towards the club beyond the immediate support base. Today it passed €25,000.
He sums up his view this way.
“The manager proved his ability last year in keeping us in the Premier Division. Now he deserves the chance to maintain this progress, develop his team, and hopefully we will be back where we belong, at the upper end of the League challenging for Europe. As I see it, the people of Sligo deserve and expect no less.”
When Up the Bit o’ Red started, the group received some wonderful messages as the first number of donations came in almost instantly.
Padraic McGowan in Athlone wished the club every success in 2018 as the first online donator.
Michael Travers in England put it so simply - his donation was “my little bit from the south of England, in memory of my father Paddy, who would have been 90 this year, just like The Showgrounds”.
For those that have Sligo Rovers on our doorstep, sometimes it can be taken for granted.
A stroll through O’Connell St where you end up talking Rovers with a friend, acquaintance or even the players or manager - it happens every day for some supporters.
Others watch from afar like Padraic, Michael and of course much further afield, such as the Gallagher family in Hong Kong.
As Paul Gallagher donated, he said he was doing it for the connection Rovers brings to him with Sligo. It is memories from home when so far away.
It reminds him of the good times of being in the Shed on a Sunday afternoon as a youngster.
Paul’s father Johnny played for the club in 1960s, his uncle Dessie Gallagher in the ‘70s, and like so many of us, Sligo Rovers brings with it better friendships.
Johnny was the youngest player to play for Rovers at the time when he made his debut.
For their most recent trip home, Paul’s son Jared presented the match ball to Danny North in 2014 and he has caught the Rovers bug.
Being 11,000km from The Showgrounds is quite irrelevant once you get that taste and this summer, when back again, he wants to train with Under-17 team as he is currently playing in the Hong Kong Division 1 U16 League.
When the first whistle is blown against Limerick, the 3,000 th competitive game for Sligo Rovers, thousands will be present in Sligo.
But many more will be following Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for that latest update, hanging on every word, and it’ ll be followed so intently that the final whistle may even be heard in Hong Kong.
The Gallagher family continue to be so dedicated to the club and we thank them for the boost to our campaign.
With the new season comes a whole host of new signings for the club. Brazilian Eduardo Pincelli and former Liverpool striker Adam Morgan are among the most exciting of the new additions.
At the time of writing, Gerard Lyttle was still to add the final couple of signings to his squad but additions such as Lewis Morrison, David Cawley, Adam Wixted, Caolan McAleer and Alistair Roy mean that it’s a much changed squad heading into a new season.
Due to the fact that Derry City’s Brandywell Stadium will not be ready in time for the second game of the season, in which they were set to host Sligo Rovers, that game has now been moved to The Showgrounds.
It means that Rovers will host three home games in a row: Limerick, Saturday February 17 th, 7.45pm, Derry City, Friday February 23rd and Cork City, Monday February 26 th.
The Bit o’Red have been slow out of the starting blocks in the last two seasons, and will be hoping that this season will be different, getting off to a much better start.
For anyone llookingki to ddonate to theh club’s l b’ fundraising campaign, or for ticket info for the club’s 3,000 th competitive fixture, check out sligorovers.com.
There is a feeling of goodwill to Sligo Rovers that extends beyond the club. I think people appreciated the challenges wehave overcome and they have always rallied to our side.