Without further additions, we face a battle to stay up

THE football community in Sligo sent out a message last week as the Showgrounds hosted its smallest crowd for a league game in many years.

Disenchanted by two terrible performances on the pitch, it was a sparsely populated stadium that greeted the entrance of the teams last Friday evening with just over one thousand, away support included, making the pilgrimage up Church Hill. Sligo Rovers fans were voting with their feet.

There may have been an international rugby match to contend with but such a meager crowd tells a story in itself.

Pat’s are not the draw that Dundalk are and neither do they have the support to fill half the Jinks’ Avenue stand in the way the Lilywhites did.

But to attract such a poor crowd comes as a huge concern given it was just the club’s second home game of the year.

The FAI’s scheduling team didn’t cover themselves in glory on this one particularly given that the 2017 Six Nations games were confirmed over two years ago.

Fair enough, the fixture had to be played on a Friday night because of the Monday night games and a Saturday/ Tuesday format wasn’t an option because of the Champions League. But surely there was a more suitable week in the calendar to have a Friday/ Monday set of fixtures?

The Ireland/ Wales game did take away from the crowd, of course.

But a huge and undeniable contributing factor to the alarming shrinkage in attendance was in the majority, down to the choice of the supporter.

Trawling through social media, reading online forums and meeting fellow supporters at games, it is obvious that the majority of Sligo Rovers supporters do not hold much confidence or hope in the current regime.

There’s a real sense of restlessness and frustration amongst fans today and nothing happened last Friday to persuade a sea change in thinking.

It seems severe on Dave Robertson to say it after just three games, but today ( before the Cork game) it is extremely difficult to pick out any positives going forward.

We mix an over- reliance on players who just aren’t up to the standard of meeting the targets set and expected with not getting the best out of those who do possess the necessary talent.

The manager has assembled a squad he thinks can achieve his objectives and to date it looks as if he has fallen short.

As a collective we are not up to the task. It’s old hat at this stage but without another one if not two experienced defenders and a proven goalscorer we will struggle to stay clear of the bottom three.

Friday saw the return of the most decorated figure in the history of the club make his first return west. Gavin Peers was by far Pat’s best player on the night and showed a calmness and maturity that comes with twelve seasons in the League of Ireland, so lacking in the ranks in Sligo this term.

The Dubliner almost won the game at its death but saw his bullet header shave the Rovers crossbar. There would have been a poignancy to that moment had it sneaked under Shaun Patton’s post.

The Pat’s team last Friday was undoubtedly the weakest to have played in the Showgrounds for many years. Rovers didn’t look much if any better however.

Patton is still finding his feet and didn’t look comfortable at all between the posts on Friday.

Several miscommunications between himself and his back four occurred with Patton relying on Mick Leahy to clear Graham Kelly’s effort off the line mid- way through the first half following a lack of decisiveness from both Patton and Kyle Callan- McFadden.

Patton is still inexperienced and will take time to learn the ropes but the return of Micheál Schlingermann as soon as possible will bring with it more defensive stability. Worrying too were knocks to both Callan- McFadden ( pictured) and Regan Donelon who were forced off during the second half.

With only one other recognised first- team centre half available and no established left back to cover Donelon, last night’s trip to Leeside could have been a lot more daunting if neither man had travelled. Thus highlighting once more our shortfall in reserves. This Saturday heralds in the arrival of a talented Bray team who many expect to challenge for a European spot this season. They’ve had a mixed start with wins over Pat’s and Finn Harps before last week’s collapse at Dalymount Park where they surrendered a two goal lead to lose 3- 2 to Bohs.

They are suspect at the back having conceded seven goals in their opening trio of games but go up against the league’s worst defence with what before yesterday’s games, the division’s joint most prolific attack.

It’s not inconceivable to be of the opinion that the Bit O’Red may struggle in this one.

I may have been proved wrong last night but I don’t see Rovers going into Saturday’s game on the back of a second victory in Turner’s Cross on the bounce.

With crucial points to be won against fellow strugglers Harps and Galway United over the next two weeks, those two pivotal games could decide the direction our season takes and will be Robertson’s biggest test should he survive this weekend.