Rovers in Europe - A priceless experience which must be start of a new dawn for the Bit O’Red
Looking back on six memorable weeks for Sligo Rovers, Alan Finn reflects on unforgettable trips to England and Scotland, famous nights at The Showgrounds and the need to ensure this summer is the foundation for a brighter future for the club. AFTER six unforgettable weeks, Sligo the domestic league.
Rovers’ European odyssey has come to Random pubs in Liverpool, Wrexham, an end. Motherwell and Glasgow becoming Nothing compares to following your ‘Rovers Central’ was a sight to behold. club in a European competition, especially You got the sense that whatever happened when a history-making campaign on the pitch during these expeditions unfolded before your very eyes. were merely the difference between It seems much longer than six weeks a good trip and a great trip when you are ago since I made that first pilgrimage to there in such healthy numbers.
Dublin on July 6 for an early morning The great thing about back-to-back ties flight to Liverpool to see the Bit O’Red against Welsh and Scottish opposition – play Bala Town in nearby Oswestry. beyond the relative ease of travel – was it In that time I met old friends, familiar brought a lot of fans together across all faces from The Showgrounds and got the generations. There was no veteran stalwarts Aidan Keena song permanently lodged in in one stand and Forza Rovers in my head. another. They were all one. Chanting as When the draw was made for the First one. Jumping for joy as one. Supporting Qualifying Round of UEFA’s Europa Rovers as one.
Conference League, my mind wasn’t I can only speak from what I heard immediately filled with glee of a short from those who travelled and what could trip to Liverpool – it was the frustration be seen on social media – but it was clear that deadline day duties may scupper my that feelgood factor was present with chances of travelling. the much smaller but every bit as vocal No flights from Knock to Liverpool on group who visited Stavanger in Norway. a Thursday? Far from ideal. Fly out of It would have been nice to be up in the Dublin at 7am knowing I would travel stands in Park Hall and Fir Park, but the night before with very little sleep in being responsible for capturing memories between? Inconvenient at best. of such an historic journey for the My battles with whether to go or not Sligo Weekender was an honour. These however was a short-lived conflict. Seeing particular issues of the newspaper are your club in Europe isn’t guaranteed to ones that I (and I hope many readers) happen every year. You treat it like a cup can look back on with lots of fondness for final. Getting there was inconvenient, but years to come. not impossible. I only had to think back a Travelling for away games in Europe, few months when I was sick with Covid19 even if it’s only a short flight over the and how the prospect of a European water, requires funds, days off work and trip was the tangible promise of brighter very understanding loved ones. days ahead. The me from eight months It seems like a lot to consider, but when ago would have killed me of today if he it comes to Rovers away in Europe, don’t knew I wouldn’t go to Bala away because I let that little voice in the back of your didn’t fancy staying overnight in Dublin! head dominate the conversation. If you Being there at the away games is something have the financial means, do it. It is a special. It’s an almost surreal decision you will never regret. I could departure from the bread and butter of easily not have gone to Bala away. I dread to think of the experience I would have missed out on.
I made my bookings as a solo traveller, but in truth, I knew most of the trip would be spent in the company of diehard Rovers fans. That’s the beauty of away days in Europe you only see when you’ve been there – you’ll never be on your own.
As for the home games. What do you say? A sense of occasion was successfully built around all three fixtures as fans, new and old, shared in memories that will stay with them forever.
Bala was extremely nervy, but who among us was worried about the penalty shoot-out? When you have Ed McGinty in goal it isn’t a lottery, it is all about skill. Motherwell at home. A priceless occasion that everyone savoured. A game every fan was proud to attend as the so-called Irish minnows upset the Scottish club we were led to believe were giants. Viking could have felt like a glorified friendly at best with empty seats around the ground due to the heavy first leg defeat. Those worries were put to bed as supporters turned out in big numbers to enjoy what was always likely to be this year’s European swansong and appreciate what their team had achieved.
Will Fitzgerald’s deflected goal may have been a mere consolation, but the roar from the crowd is one reaction I will never forget. You could easily convince someone blissfully unaware of the previous week’s game that Fitzgerald had given Rovers the upperhand in the tie based on how the fans reacted.
Those three nights were among my favourites in nearly 20 years of going to The Showgrounds. For fans of clubs around the country, many will tell you their earliest memory is attending a big European night – I have heard this a few time from fans around the block a wee bit longer than myself who pinpoint Club Brugge at home in 1994 as their abiding memory that got them into the club.
If those occasions over the last six weeks have not gained dozens of new fans for the club, then nothing will. I don’t only hope, but I know in about a decade’s time at least there will be fans – and perhaps even a breakthrough academy star or two – who will cite those famous home wins over Motherwell and Viking as the nights that truly began a lifelong association with the club.
It is going to feel strange not planning my weeks around a big game on Thursday night anymore. Life before July 6 seems like an eternity ago, but we are back to the real deal to make Thursdays special again in 2023. Rovers have it all to do to secure a top four spot. Few believed they would beat Motherwell. Few believed they would win last Thursday. Few believed they would even get to the third qualifying round.
I’m not advocating for collective pessimism, but Rovers have upset the odds more than once already this season to suggest that ambition isn’t over just yet.
Everyone who was part of this summer’s journey has a taste for it now. European football is the key to being able to compete where it matters for a club like Rovers in a league where the landscape is shifting further and further towards only clubs with investors having the means to succeed.
The Europa Conference League is designed to give teams a chance to go further in Europe where it was previously difficult to achieve more often than not.
Rovers created history in just their second run in the competition – who is to say they can’t go all the way to the group stages within the next few years if the UEFA money is wisely invested? This summer can be the beginning of a new dawn for the club. The sky is the limit for League of Ireland clubs who should take great confidence from what they achieved this year.
As a well-known fan who I used to join on Furey’s Coaches for away days often said as he stepped off the bus after a difficult result, “Keep the faith!”