Rovers look ahead to new season
AS February 15th draws closer, Sligo Rovers’ preparations are ramping up ahead of the new season.
The Bit O’Red face the champions Dundalk on the opening day of the season at Oriel Park, a daunting prospect at the best of times.
This new look Sligo Rovers team under manager Liam Buckley are still getting to know one another, and with pre-season friendlies coming thick and fast, excitement is building.
With zero competitive games played under Buckley as of yet, the criticism has still been heard and seen, particularly on social media channels.
Pre-season, though, means very little in the grand scheme of things, and no assumptions on players or the squad should really be made until a few games into the season.
The squad is still short of a number of players. Former player Ryan Connolly has been on trial with the Bit O’Red for the last week or so alongside an American striker.
David Cawley, who returned to the Bit O’Red last season after two years away was a vital cog in Rovers’ wheel last year.
“I’m looking forward to the season starting. Hopefully I can play some part in the remaining pre-season games. I haven’t trained a lot since I picked up that knee injury in the last few weeks of the season. You’re always looking forward to getting going in the new season.”
The Ballina native is yet to feature in a pre-season game with that knee injury continuing to trouble him.
He is hopeful that he can play a part in the opening games of the season should his knee recover.
“Everyone seems to have settled in really well so far. Especially when you consider that there’s been such a turnaround in the squad. In the first week everyone was sort of just getting to know each other. Some lads have paired up and have got houses or apartments together so that’s good.”
At 27, Cawley is one of the more senior players in what is a very young squad.
“When I came back last year after being away for a couple of years, I was surprised by how young the squad was, I couldn’t believe it. They’re a very young squad. I was only 26 last year and I was one of the oldest.
“This year there’s a couple of lads my age, like Ronan is my age and Dunleavy as well. Kyle (Callan McFadden) is much younger but he is experienced and quite mature.”
He has been impressed with the training sessions led by player/ assistant manager John Russell.
“I’ve trained a few days but I’ve had to pull out of a few sessions. The training is very hard, I’m watching them and they are training really hard. John Russell has them working extremely hard. I’ll be in the gym with them and I can see how much fitter they’re getting every few days. Games are good to see where you’re at.”
No-one was more disappointed by Rovers’ struggles last year than Cawley, and he is hopeful that this year will be a different story.
“You don’t want to be down at the wrong end of the table again, Last year was very tough. If we had got to the final of the EA Sports Cup there would have been a full house. The disappointment of that was hard to take.
“Liam (Buckley) was telling some of the new players about when he brought Pats here when we won the league in 2012 and the place was packed.
“Once you’re doing well, there’s no better place to be. Lads go around town and have lunch everyday with their girlfriends or whatever and people come up to them and have a quick chat. We want those times back.”
One of the new arrivals this season is Donegal man Johnny Dunleavy.
And it’s so far, so good for the former Cork City man who is hoping his injury woes are behind him as he starts a new era at Rovers.
“I’m loving it so far. Sligo itself, I probably never spent that much time in the town itself. The people are lovely and the town is lovely, most importantly I’m enjoying the football.
“The craic is good. We come in
in the mornings and there’s always something happening. There’s plenty of craic in the dressing room. As much as we’re having the craic there’s plenty of hard work and there’s been some seriously hard training sessions so hopefully that will all stand to us come the start of the season.”
He feels the pre-season friendlies are of vital importance, particularly to the young players coming into the squad.
“It’s all about practice, how we’re going to play, what shape we’re going to play, showing what people can do as well. I’m sure for the younger lads that are coming in it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to try and impress. Each of the games are very important.”
His main aim for the season is to play games following an injury ravaged 2017 and 2018.
“Luckily so far I’ve felt good and I’ve felt strong. Training and the gym has felt good. I’ll play anywhere, I’m just looking forward to getting back out there.
“Hard to describe my best position. I’m quite a ‘heart on my sleeve’ player. I like to leave it all out there. That will be no different here. I’d like to think I’ve got ability as well.”
He is more than happy to lend a hand with younger players seeking advice, too.
“I’m coming in here as one of the older lads which is a strange one for me. I feel very old. I’m enjoying it, it’s a different role for me but I’m enjoying it, looking after some of the younger lads and trying to impart any little bit of advice that I can.”
Likewise, Bermudan international Dante Leverock says he is loving his time at Rovers so far. “I’m enjoying it. There’s been a lot of hard work. Pre-season’s been tough, getting our fitness in, the games are starting now. I’m really enjoying my time here. The boys have welcomed me. I feel at home already, I’m ready to start playing games.”
He says the community and family aspect of Rovers is part of the reason he joined.
“I think that’s what attracted me here. Being from Bermuda, which is small as well, I can feel that here. You walk around and people know who you are, they know you play for Sligo Rovers. It’s always a good feeling.”
He knows he will have to compete for a place in the starting 11, but he is up for the fight.
“That’s what you want. You want a team that’s pushing each other every day. We all get along, we all want to win.”
The Estonian football season runs similarly to the League of Ireland, meaning that Leverock’s season finished in November too.
He explained how his move to Rovers came about: “I knew Ciaran Nugent, and Jake Keegan who played for Liam so I had that connection. I talked to Liam and things moved quickly. Liam did his analysis on me. Now I’m here and ready to get going.”
Internationally, Leverock’s career is going well. Bermuda are also one win away from qualifying for the Gold Cup.
“Next game is against the Dominican Republic and if we win that we get to the Gold Cup. That will be the first time Bermuda’s ever done that, we’re in a good position to do that. We’re really looking forward to that game and getting that done.
“I’m captain so it’s always a great feeling leading out your country. If I can lead with the players that are there to get to a Gold Cup, it’s a major achievement in my career. Hopefully we can get it done.”
He can’t wait to get the season underway.
“Dundalk away first is a huge task. I think it’s good for us to start against harder teams to measure where we’re at. If we can get results in those games we can get confidence going forward.”
Mayo man Ronan Murray was one of manager Liam Buckley’s first signings. He is delighted to be back closer to home.
“It’s great to be back in the west and playing football in the west, some familiar faces and family and friends around, I’m a lot closer to home. But still Sligo is a different place so I’m still settling into the environment.
“Training’s been good. We’ve been tested physically in the last two and a half weeks or so, and we’re raring to go and get the games up and running.”
Rovers were 11-0 winners over Sure Sports FC in Milebush last Tuesday, while they also defeated Galway 3-0 at the same venue on Saturday.
“Tuesday was just getting to know each other and what each other wants on the field, position wise and what people like to generally do. It was another training exercise for us really and you can’t emulate the games in training so games are what we want.”
He praised the coaching of John Russell.
“John is taking the sessions which have been good. He has good experience with coaching at such a young age, they’ve been very good. He knows the players side of it which is good, and then Liam obviously has the respect of what he’s done in the league so we’ll see how things go in the next couple of weeks.”
He is targeting 90 minutes a game for this season, having struggled to get game time at Dundalk last season.
“It was frustrating, when I was in England that was generally the case as well, I didn’t come back to Ireland to sit on the bench again. That was one of the main reasons that I left Dundalk. I enjoyed it, but sometimes not getting the playing time that I wanted. Hopefully I can just play my football now and enjoy it.”