Buckley says results
Liam Buckley wants his players to rediscover the form and results that got them to the top of the Premier Division table earlier this season
SLIGO Rovers are hoping that forward Andre Wright can be the attacking spark to ignite the remainder of their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign.
The 25-year-old from England’s West Midlands is a former West Bromich Albion academy player.
He has already scored at The Showgrounds – his predatory strike for Bohemians last September was the difference in a 1-0 win for the visitors. That goal was one of 16 that he netted in 35 appearances for Bohs in 2020, goalscoring form that earned him a place in the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year.
Since playing for Bohs, the target man has had a spell in the Scottish Championship with Ayr United. “I know my job is scoring goals and to perform well for the team,” Wright stated.
“The manager told me what he wants, what he thinks I can bring and what is expected of me – I’m just excited to get started.” Subject to international clearance, Wright has an outside chance of making the matchday squad for Saturday’s home game against Derry City, otherwise it is expected he will be available to feature against Drogheda United on Friday, September 3.
Meanwhile, Rovers goalkeeper Luke McNicholas has gone on loan to Belfast’s Cliftonville, a NIFL Premiership club. The Mayo native, 21, made five first team appearances for Rovers this season, including four starts, during first-choice custodian Ed McGinty’s absence due to injury.
But McGinty’s return has pushed McNicholas down the pecking order, with Rovers already having experienced netminder Richard Brush and up and coming teenage goalkeeper Conor Walsh.
SLIGO Rovers lost again, for the sixth successive game, and once more in vexing circumstances.
Although never outclassed by Bohemians at Dalymount Park last Sunday afternoon, once the hosts went a goal up it seemed inevitable
THERE is no vaccine for this. No jab or booster shot to soothe the frustrations of Sligo Rovers right now.
They are in a pickle, a terrible one at that, with six consecutive defeats making this one of the worst phases in the club’s history.
But manager Liam Buckley is remaining upbeat. He has to. Despite recent reversals, including last Sunday’s 1-0 away loss to Bohemians, Rovers remain third in the Premier Division.
If they remain there come the season’s end then they’ll be back in Europe for 2022 but they are going to have to start winning again – or at least stop losing – for this to happen. There are 14 games left with which to turn things around.
Don’t forget that Rovers were top of the table this season because they were chalking up victories, scoring goals and playing well.
Buckley wants his players to get back to that, on the pitch and in their heads – as he admits that results of late has dented confidence levels. Buckley hopes that midfielder Greg Bolger – a talisman this season – will be back from injury for Saturday’s home game against Derry.
Full-back Robbie McCourt, who has been absent since a broken wrist sustained in June, is another player that Buckley would like an as option, with new signing Andre Wright – a striker who impressed with Bohs in last season’s top flight – another who will potentially refresh things. Wright is a player that Buckley had been keeping tabs on. “I’ve been tracking him for a while and I wanted to get him here – he done well with Bohemians.”
“If he can do anything near as good while he is with us from now until the end of the season then I’ll be happy.” “He will increase the competition among our attacking options – the players that are there already have done well to get us where we are in the table.”
He reflected on yet another setback, the 1-0 defeat to Bohs. “For an hour or so there wasn’t much between us and that has been the pattern in a lot of our games recently.”
“We haven’t done too badly in these games and we probably didn’t deserve to lose all of them, especially the game against Finn Harps.”
“That said, we’re on a losing run but it is going to end somewhere – hopefully it can be this weekend. The Derry City game is an opportunity for us.” He continued: “We’re all frustrated by what is going on. But we can’t focus on the games we’ve lost or the losing run, we can only focus on trying to pick up three points in our next game.” “We are in a race to finish in the top three, along with a number of others,” he pointed out.
This means that if Shamrock Rovers of these chances, and Liam Burt. There was one notable interception from Garry Buckley, who closed the door just as Georgie Kelly was about to convert Liam Burt’s dangerous cross. But this fixture wasn’t all about these Bohs moments. Rovers, who came to Dublin eager to wipe the slate clean after a losing run than began in
“We’re all frustrated by what is going on. But we can’t focus on the losing run, we can only focus on trying to pick up three points in our next game.”
LOTS TO THINK ABOUT: Rovers boss Liam Buckley has seen his team lose their last six games in all competitions. INSET: Action from April’s Premier Division meeting of Rovers and Derry City at The Showgrounds, a game that ended 1-0 to the visitors.
and St Patrick’s Athletic continue as the Premier Division’s top two, which is likely, then Rovers will be challenged for third place by Bohs, Derry City, Drogheda United and Dundalk. “It is going to be a dogfight from now until the end of the season – we all need to pull together and make sure that we give ourselves the best possible chance of finishing third.”
“That’s why we brought in Andre