History
[The Mid Eighties] [The Late Eighties] [The Early Nineties] [Willie Mc Stay]
[The Treble] [Europe Again] [ Approaching the end of the Millenium] [The League Cup] [Flirting with relegation again. ] [The twentieth century comes to an end. ]
Rovers reward for their first cup victory was
a fairly unglamourous European cup winners cup tie against the Finnish side
Valkeakosken Haka. The first leg was played at the Showgrounds and after a
very disappointing performance Rovers lost 1 - 0. Two weeks later Rovers lost
3 - 0 to go out by an aggregate score of 4 - 0. Rovers second adventure in
Europe had turned out to be an anti-climax. The season's disappointing start
continued as Rovers were eliminated in the prelimanary round of the league
cup. Things went from bad to worse when the league got underway with the team
picking up one point from the first four games. Two back to back wins after
this seemed to indicate that the rot had been stopped but this proved to be
a false dawn. In their remaining 23 league games Rovers failed to register
a single win and indeed only picked up three points. The team finished bottom
of the league and had to apply for re-election. This was coupled with a spiralling
debt once again which saw the Rovers £30,000 in debt. The season of woe ended,
predictably, with a cup humiliation. Rovers first round game against U.C.D.
ended in a draw before the students inflicted a humiliating 5 - 0 defeat on
the team in the replay.
For the following season Rovers decided to revert to a part time structure
with Gerry Mitchell returning as manager to replace Paul Fielding.
Once again Rovers failed to progress past the preliminary round of the league
cup. The league campaign started in the knowledge that expansion of the league
to form two divisions would mean that four teams would be relegated to the
newly first division. Rovers league form was once again very poor and they
were in the relegation zone for most of the season. There was to be a dramatic,
if tragic, end to the season for the club. In the final game of the season
Rovers were losing 3 - 0 to Drogheda United but they managed to fight back
to earn a draw which left them fifth from bottom, two points ahead of Shelbourne.
Shels had still to play one game and this was against Galway United who had
won the cup the previous week. Shelbourne won the game 3 - 2 to save themselves,
on goal difference, and consign Rover to play in the new first division. A
miserable season was capped by a first round exit from the F.A.I. cup after
a replay to Athlone Town who were proving to be a bogey team in the cup.
Rovers made a decent start to the 1985/86 season
by qualifying for the quarter finals of the league cup before being eliminated
by Galway United on a penalty shoot out. Their first season in the first division
started with the team on fire and they were unbeaten in their first eight
games. All through the season they fought for top spot with Bray Wanderers
eventually finishing runners-up and clinching promotion. The league campaign
was also historic because it witnessed the debut of Derry City as a member
of the League Of Ireland. This brought the North West contingent up to three
clubs and would lead to new rivalries. In the cup Rovers made a first round
exit to Bohemians by a very convincing scoreline (3 - 0) and the club failed
to make an impact in the new competition, the first division shield.
The following season Rovers started the campaign with three wins and three
defeats in the League cup group stage but failed to qualify for the knockout
stages. Rovers league form was poor and up until January they skirted the
relegation zone. In January Rovers suffered the humiliation of an 8 - 1 defeat
against Dundalk and were bottom of the league. Form the end of January to
March Rovers put together an eleven game unbeaten run to haul themselves out
of the relegation zone. They lost their last two games of the season to finish
third last, just avoiding relegation. Rovers put together a good cup run during
this season. In the first round of the cup a 4 - 2 win saw off non-league
Crofton Celtic. In the second round Rovers progressed 1 - 0, after a replay,
against Waterford. A 1 - 0 win over Galway United in the quarter finals set
up a semi-final meeting with old rivals Shamrock Rovers. Unusually, on this
occasion, the semi final was played as a two legged affair. In the first leg
at the Showgrounds a 0 - 0 draw seemed to hand the advantage to Shams. The
return leg was an historic occasion as it was the last competitive game to
be played at Milltown. Rovers took the lead with an early goal from Tony
O'Kelly but Mick Byrne equalised to take the game to a replay. Rovers
won the toss and the game was played at the Showgrounds. A last minute goal
from Noel Larkin gave Shams victory.
In January of 1987 Rovers had been taken over by a new company called the
Sligo Rovers Sports and Social club. By September of that year the club were
in such dire financial trouble that some club officials offered to resign
as the club looked to be about to close down. Up to Christmas results were
very poor and relegation was a real prospect. In the league cup Rovers suffered
a heavy defeat (3 - 0) to Ulster senior league side Fanad United and failed
to make the knockout stages. They started the league by conceding twelve goals
in their first two games and picked up only two points from their first eight
games. In one of these games they squandered a 3 - 0 half-time lead against
Bray and ended up having to settle for a point. Rovers managed to win only
four league games all season, finishing bottom of the league, and were relegated
to division 1. Things were no better in the cup as Rovers were eliminated
(3 - 2) in a first round replay against Dundalk. In the summer of 1988 the
club was taken over by a co-oprerative society called the Sligo Football and
Sport Society Ltd.
For the 1988/89 season Gerry Mitchell was replaced as manager by David
Pugh. The club introduced an all local policy for the season and once
again failed to reach the knockout stages of the League cup. The league campaign
saw the club make a promising start with two wins, one draw and one defeat
from their first four games. But this was to be the season when Rovers reached
rock bottom. The team could only manage two further victories all season and
finished on the bottom of the First Division. A brave performance against
Cork City in the cup resulted in an exit by the narrowest margin 1 - 0. David
Pugh inevitablly resigned at the end of the season and was replaced by
Dermot Keely.
Keely strengthened the squad by adding seasoned players, mostly from
Dublin. The season started with the club failing to make the knockout stages
of the League cup once more. Keely's team were strong defensively but
were hardly prolific up front. Nevertheless the league results were pretty
good. A twelve game unbeaten run saw Rovers emerge as challangers for promotion.
The season came down to a dramatic finish in the last game of the season against
Kilkenny City. Rovers needed just one point to secure promotion and two points
would earn them the championship. Billy Hamilton gave the side the
lead. With two minutes to go Conor Best equalised and Rovers were forced into
a play-off against Waterford for the championship. Rovers won the home leg
1 - 0 and went to Waterford for the second leg hoping to secure the first
division championship for the first time. Waterford won the game 2 - 0 to
take the championship. In the cup Rovers overcame non-league Boyne Rovers
after a replay (1 - 0) before crashing to an unexpected defeat to Newcastle
West in the second round.
Rovers started their first season of the nineties
by, once again, failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the League cup.
They started the league poorly and picked up only one point from their first
three games. In the following eighteen games the team suffered only two defeats
and were flying high in the top half of the league. Thay could manage only
two further victories in the remaining twelve games but still managed to finish
fifth in the league. Edenmore United were defeated (2 - 1) in the first round
of the F.A.I. cup setting up another tie against Shamrock Rovers in the second
round at the Showgrounds. An exciting game finished 2 - 2 and the teams had
to face a replay at the R.D.S. The replay ended in a 0 - 0 draw with Shams
progressing to the next round after a penalty shoot out.
For the 1991/92 season Rovers hoped they could build on the success of the
previous season. Keely strengthened the squad by bringing in Ray O'Halloran,
Anthony Gorman and Tommy Keane. The season got off to a pretty
good start with Rovers qualifying for the quarter finals of the League cup
only to lose out to Derry City (1 - 0). The league form was very poor and
Rovers managed only one point from their first four games with only a single
win from the first nine. In November veteran striker Paul Mc Gee returned
to the club and latter on Rovers signed Raith Rovers young striker Colin
Cameron. In the end the latter signing would prove to be significant.
Rovers results continued to be poor and they were once again in danger of
being relegated. At the end of October Rovers had their biggest win of the
season (5 - 1) against Galway United. This was followed by a run of fourteen
games with only one win including a 5 - 1 defeat by Galway United near the
end of January. Keely offered his resignation after this game but reconsidered
his decision 24 hours later. With three games to go Rovers looked doomed but
they picked up seven points from the last three games to avoid relegation
by two points. The final game of the season saw a hat-trick from Colin
Cameron defeat Drogheda United to haul the team to safety. Rovers drew
north west rivals Derry City in the cup and after two 1 - 1 draws the men
from Foyleside eventually advanced (2 - 1).
For the 1992/93 season the League of Ireland was to try a new innovation.
For the second half of the league the Premier division would split. The top
six would play each other for the championship and the bottom six would fight
it out for the relegation places. Rovers started the season well and qualified
for the knockout stages of the league cup. Goals from Kieran Rooney
and Fran Hitchcock gave them a 2 - 1 victory over Derry City in the
quarter finals. The run came to an end with a defeat by St. Pats in the semi-final
(2 - 1). Rovers got off to a disastrous start in the league losing their first
four games. Keely resigned as manager after the third of these and
his assistant Chris Rutherford took over while the club searched for
a replacement. Another season of struggle was in prospect. Three weeks after
his resignation Keely was replaced by former Celtic full-back Willie
Mc Stay as player-manager and the Scot immediately set about strengthening
the squad. Without the benefit of pre-season preparation Mc Stay could
not stop the slide towards relegation. Inevitably Rovers found themselves
in the bottom six when the league split and, equally inevitably, in the bottom
two at the end of the season. The team did put together a decent cup run beating
Bluebell United (2 - 1) in the first round before thrashing Cob Ramblers 5
- 1 in the second round. St. Pats brought the run to an end with a 2 - 1 victory
in the quarter finals.
Willie Mc Stay was born on the 26th
of November 1961 in Hamilton. He was part of a family which was steeped in
the tradition of Glasgow Celtic. He was the grand nephew of Willie and Jimmy
Mc Stay who had both played for the Glasgow club in the early part of the
century. When he joined Rovers two of his brothers were on the books at Celtic.
Paul was an established Scottish international and one of the finest players
of his generation in Scotland and Raymond was hoping for the breakthrough
from Celtic reserves to the first team. Sadly, Raymond didn't make the breakthrough
to the first team at Celtic and eventually moved on to Hamilton Accies. The
Mc Stay family was thus Celtic through and through. Willie made his debut
for Celtic in the Glasgow cup against Clyde in 1981. He had four seasons as
a first team player with the club from 1983 to 1987, mostly filling in for
Roy Aitken or Tom Mc Adam. Mc Stay scored two goals for the club the
second of which has a place in the Old Firm history books. On the second of
April 1984 Celtic defeated Rangers 3 - 0 in an Old Firm game with two of the
goals being scored by the Mc Stay brothers Willie and Paul. This is the only
opccasion on which brothers have scored in the same Old Firm Match. He has
one championship and one cup winners medal to show for his time at Celtic
Willie left Celtic and played for a number of clubs in England (Huddersfield
Town, Notts County and Hartlepool on loan) before returning to Scotland to
play for Partick Thistle in 1989 and was then transferred to Kilmarnock. Kilmarnock,
at the time were managed by another ex. Celtic player Tommy Burns and
it was his influence and encouragement which prompted Mc Stay to take his
first step into management. His time as manager of Rovers was shortlived as
the success he brought to the club was inevitably going to lead to greater
things for this talented manager.
At the beginning of the 1993/94 season there
was a mass exodus from the club as Mc Stay sought to build his own
team. The season got of to a great start with Rovers qualifying for the knockout
stages of the league cup. In the quarter final goals from Eddie Annand
2, Gerry Carr, David Reid and Johnny Kenny helped the
team to a 5 - 2 win over Droghreda United. In the semi-final a narrow defeat
by Derry City (2 - 1) ended the teams involvement in this competition. The
good early form continued in the first division shield as three wins and a
draw enabled Rovers to top their group and qualify for their first final since
1983
The early results in the league were indifferent with five draws from their
first ten games. On November 26th Rovers switched on their new
floodlights before the game against Home Farm. The new lights allowed the
club to move their league games to Saturday night where they were free from
the competition of football on TV. This venture proved to be a great success
and Rovers started the new era with a 4 - 0 thrashing of Home Farm. The game
was also memorable for one of the best goals ever seen at the Showgrounds
scored by Riverstown winger Johnny Kenny. Rovers were unbeaten in all
competitions at the Showgrounds for the rest of the season, Saturday night
football was here to stay. At the end of December Rovers travelled to Waterford
for the first leg of the First Division Shiels final. Goals from Johnny
Kenny and Gerry Carr gave Rovers a 2 - 1 win and an advantage to
defend in the home leg at the Showgrounds in January. The second leg proved
to be a sterile game at the Showgrounds and a 0 - 0 draw was enough to clinch
the first trophy since that famous cup victory in 1983.
After securring the First Division Shield Rovers next game was against league
leaders Athlone Town at the Showgrounds. The shannonsiders were somewhat fortunate
to escape with a 2 - 2 draw but Rovers won their next five games to take over
at the top of the league. With three games left Rovers travelled to St. Mels
Park knowing that a win over Athlone Town would clinch promotion. Goals from
Declan Boyle and Ricardoo Gabbiadini gave the team the victory
they required and now they had two games left to clinch the championship.
The championship was securred with a 1 - 0 win against Bray Wanderers at the
Showgrounds on the 26th of March. With two trophies already in
the bag Rovers were now free to concentrate on the third leg of a treble which
no-one would have dared dream about at the start of the season.
Rovers seemed to have an easy draw in the first round of the cup but non-league
Glenmore Celtic held them to a draw at the Showgrounds. Goals from Eddie
Annand and Gerry Carr were enough to give the team a 2 - 1 win
in the replay. In the second round Cork City were the visitors to the Showgrounds
and the premier division side were seen off with goals from Gavin Dykes
and Ricardo Gaddiadini. This opened the way for another cup battle
with Cobh Ramblers in the quarter final. Ger Houlahan's goal was enough
to earn Rovers a place in the semi-final. The semi-final against Limerick
had to be postponed on the Saturday night as the Showgrounds was unplayable.
On the following Wednesday night Eddie Annand's goal was enough to
earn the team their seventh appearance in a cup final.
The F.A.I scheduled the final for Tolka Park but because Rovers and their
opponents Derry City were considered the two best supported teams in the country
they move the game to Lansdowne Road. Once again Dublin provided the traditional
cup final weather with a continuous downpour making the pitch very greasy.
Rovers were confident going into the game but shortly after the kick off Derry
began to dominate the game. Rovers survived an early scare when Donal O'Brien's
header hit the post in the sixth minute. Derry dominated the first half as
Rovers were forced to defend deeper in their own half. They survived to half
time with a mixture of good defending and some luck. The pattern at the start
of the second half was similar with Derry continuing to press for the opening
goal, but slowly Rovers began to get a foothold in the game and started to
look dangerous themselves. In the 72nd minute Eddie Annand
went on a twisting run down the left wing and won a corner. He took the corner
himself and the ball was swung towards the near post where Gerry Carr
rose to flick the ball with the top of his head. The ball looped over Dermot
O'Neill and inside the far post to give Rovers an unlikely lead. Dermot O'Neill
thus established himself as Rovers favourite cup final goalkeeper, he had
also been in goals for Bohs in 1983. From here to the end of the match Derry
threw everything they knew at Rovers for an equaliser. The tension reached
unbearablr proportions in the West stand and North terrace where the Rovers
fans had congregated. With six minutes remaining Bo Mc Keever was sent through
on goal and an equaliser seemed inevitable. Mark Mc Lean spread himself
and managed to block the shot.
After a final six minutes which seemed to go on forever the whistle eventually
sounded and Rovers had won the cup for the second time. Captain Gavin Dykes
lifted the cup and the scenes of celebration were almost as emotional as in
1983. In many ways this was a fortunate win for Rovers but this was a club
which had experienced the other side of this particular coin. This was a club
which had experienced the heartbreak of cup final defeats on accasions when
lady luck had abondoned them. If Lady luck should choose this game to make
amends then Rovers would not complain.
During the summer of 1984 Celtic sacked their
manager Lou Macari and replaced him with Kilmarnock manager Tommy Burns. Burns
was instrumental in Willie Mc Stay taking the plunge into management and now
the call went out for Mc Stay to return to Glasgow to coach the Celtic youth
team. It was too good an opportunity to turn down and Mc Stay left Sligo Rovers
to rejoin Celtic. Rovers had been drawn against Florianna of Malta in the
European cup winners cup with a real chance of progressing to the next round.
Now the search was on for a new manager to lead them into the new season.
Once again assisstant manager Chris Rutherford took over while a replacement
for Mc Stay was found. Rovers travelled to Malta for the first leg without
a manager and were 2 - 0 up before being pulled back to 2 - 2 at fulltime.
Padraig Moran scored Rovers first ever goal in Europe with Mark
Reid adding the second. Meanwhile Rovers appointed former Wimbledon midfielder
Lawrie Sanchez as manager. Sanchez had scored the winning goal
for Wimbledon as they defeated Liverpool in the F.A. cup final of 1988 for
the club's greatest moment. In the second leg of the European cup winners
cup match John Brennan's goal was enough to see Rovers through to the
second round.
In between the European games Rovers picked up four points in the League cup
which was not enough to see them through to the knockout rounds. The team
then made a poor start to the league drawing their first two games and losing
their next two before they were due to play F.C. Brugge in the second round
of the Cup winners cup. The first leg was played at the Showgrounds on September
15th in front of a packed house. The inevitable heavy defeat seemed
to be materialising when Brugges took an early lead. But Rovers rallied and
driven on by a crowd which created one of the best athmosphere's the ground
has ever seen Rovers took the game to Brugges. They had a number of chances
to equalise but just before half time a Rovers attack saw the ball played
through to Padraig Moran in a central position. He hooked the ball
over his head to the inrushing Johnny Kenny who drove past the Brugges
keeper for the equaliser. The athmosphere had been special up to then but
the goal lifted the roof off the Showgrounds. Rovers opened the second half
on the attack and Padraig Moran had a great chance to put the side
in front but he shot weakly at the Brugges keeper. As the game went into it's
latter stages the fitness of the Belgians began to tell and they eventually
snatched the winner. In the second leg in Brussels Rovers lost an early goal
and seemed to be heading for a heavy defeat. But they steadied the ship and
Aidan Rooney shocked the home crowd with an equaliser for the "bit
o' red". Brugges eventually ground the side down and ended up winning 3 -
1 but Rovers could hold their heads up after a creditable performance against
a team which had recently been seen on Irish TV screens competing in the champions
league.
After the excitement of Europe the domestic competitions were an anti-climax.
The confidence gained from the European matches was reflected in better league
form and Rovers moved steadily up the table. By February they had fought their
way into a position where they could be seen as challangers for the league
title. Rovers then went three weeks without a game due to bad weather and
the momentum was lost. They won just a single league game for the remainder
of the season and finished eight in the league. Once again the cup provided
some excitement with a first round victory against St. Pats. thanks to a goal
from ex. West Ham striker Mike Small. In the second round a 0 - 0 draw
at the Showgrounds with Galway United meant a difficult trip to Terryland
Park for the replay. Rovers produced a great performance to win 2 - 0 with
goals from Gerry Carr and Johnny Kenny. In the quarter finals
Rovers went to Dublin and played out a 0 - 0 draw with Shamrock Rovers. In
the replay at the Showgrounds two penalties from Eddie Annand saw Rovers
into the semi-finals again. Alas there was to be no back to back cup finals
as Shelbourne proved too strong in the semi-final.
The summer of 1995 saw the break up of the cup
winning team with Declan Boyle being sold to Celtic and Gerry Kelly,
Gerry Carr, Mark Reid, Mike Small and Eddie Annand all leaving the club. The
usual summer scramble for players saw Ian Gilzean, Brendan Aspinall,
Andy Ramage and Darren Grogan join the club. Gilzean
scored on his debut in the League cup opener against Fanad United but after
the game Sanchez dropped a bombshell. He announced he was leaving to
take up a coaching position with his old club Wimbledon. Sanchez recommended
his friend Steve Cotterill as his replacement and Rovers appointed
the former Wimbledon and Bournemouth player as manager. Rovers qualified for
the knockout stages of the League cup and picked up seven points from their
first three league games to get off to a good start. In the League cup quarter
final a comprehensive victory (3 - 0) over Cork City saw the team through
to the semi-final with two goals from Steve Birks and one from Padraig
Moran. A 3 - 2 win over Drogheda United earned Rovers a place in the final.
Rovers played Shelbourne, over two legs, in the final and a goal from Ian
Gilzean gave the team a 1 - 0 advantage to take to Dublin for the second
leg. The second leg at Tolka Park produced the game of the season and one
of the best games in the history of the club. Rovers went to Dublin to attack
and this produced a very open game. Just before half time Johnny Kenny
escaped the Shels defence down the right wing and his cross was met by Padraig
Moran who hammered the ball into the ner to increase Rovers advantage.
Early in the second half Declan Geoghegan pulled one back for Shels. With
virtually the last kick of the game his brother Stephen equalised to send
the game into extra time. In extra time Steve Birks had a smashing
shot from outside the area crash against the face of the crossbar but in the
end penalties were required. Shels scored with all five of theirs but Paul
Tovey mised for Rovers. It was an unfortunate defeat and perhaps if Steve
Cotterill had been more defensively minded Rovers might have chosen to
protect their lead. Cotterill's tactics did make for a great game and one
that will be remembered for a long time.
Rovers league results continued to be very good and the team were never out
of the top four. A place in Europe seemed to be a distinct possibility. Rovers
eventually finished third and just missed out on a place in the E.U.F.A. cup.
They did qualify for the Inter Toto cup for the following season. This was
the club's best league finish since winning the league in 1976/7. In the cup
Rovers beat Cobh Ramblers in the first round thanks to two goals from Ian
Gilzean. A 3 - 1 win over Limerick in the second round and a victory over
Cork City in the quarter-final set up a semi-final meeting with Shelbourne.
Once again Shels got the better of Rovers winning by 1 - 0.
During the summer of 1996 the usual clear out of players occurred. The most
controversial was the transfer of club captain Gavin Dykes to Derry
City. City were now playing in the National League of Ireland but they invoked
the Bosman ruling and claimed that the had signed Dykes under freedom
of contract. Rovers on the other hand wanted £20,000 for their captain. Rovers
did eventually receive £10,000 for Dykes though it was never clear that this
money came from Derry City as it was paid through the F.A.I. In came Sunderland
born Lee Thew from Scarborough, Mark Hutchinson from Dundee and Englishman
Dale Hawtin. In the Inter Toto cup Rovers produced two good home performances
to gain draws with Dutch club Heerenveen and French club Nantes. The game
against Nantes produced a 3 - 3 thriller at the Showgrounds. The two away
games ended in defeat to Norwegian club Lillestrom and F.C. Kanaus from Lithuania.
Rovers were struggling to put a squad together for the season and failed to
qualify for the knock out stages of the League cup.
In the League Rovers started well and were unbeaten in their first seven games.
The first defeat came against Dundalk in the eight match at Oriel Park. In
the meantime Steve Cotterill announced that he was leaving the club
for personnal reasons. Once again Chris Rutherford took over while
the club searched for a new manager. The search took two months before Jimmy
Mullen was appointed as Cotterill's replacement. Mullen had been a player
at Sheffield Wednesday and had resigned as manager of Burnley after his wife
had been abused by some Burnley fans.During this period Rovers maintained
their good league form and were rarely out of the top four. The start of Mullen's
reign was dogged by injury to key players and the eventual transfer of Jimmy
Mulligan to Finn Harps after Derry City had originally agreed terms for the
striker. Rovers results suffered and they eventually slipped to sixth position
in the league. In the F.A.I. cup Rovers defeated Cobh Ramblers 3 - 0 before
they went out to St. Pats in the second round. Rovers competed in the North
West Cup, which was a new cross border competition, for the first time during
this season. They reached the final of this competition after aggregate wins
over Ballymeana United and Finn Harps. A hat-trick from Lee Thewgave
Rovers what looked like a comfortable lead to take to the Brandywell against
Derry City in the final. When Donagh Oates put the team ahead in the
Brandywell the game looked over. But an unbelievable collapse saw Rovers lose
5 - 1 on the night and 5 - 4 on aggregate.
During the summer of 1997 the rumours started
to circulate that Jimmy Mullen would be leaving the club. In July it
was confirmed that Mullen was to return to England for family reasons.
One of Mullen's last signings was ex. Manchester City midfielder Nicky
Reid and he was offered the position of manager. Reid had been
brought to Sligo in the twilight of his career as a player and now he found
himself taking his first step into management. Players to arrive during the
summer were Neil Ogden formerly of South African club Amazulu, Peter Cobesson
from Dutch club Telestar and Brian Southworth who joined after an unsuccessful
trial with Lincoln City. South African, Falcon Rose, joined the club also
but after a promising start he returned to South Africa during December for
a break and didn't return. Matt Hare joined the club from Exeter City and
former Wales under-21 international Aled Rowlands also joined. Locals Conor
O'Grady Sean Flannery and Glen Shannon made the step up from the youth team
to the first team. Reid got off to a good start in the League Cup as
Rovers topped their group to qualify for the knockout stages. In the quarter
final a goal from Falcon Rose was enough to beat Bray Wanderers. Rovers
then had to face Home Farm over two legs in the semi final. The first leg
at Whitehall produced a dreadful game which had 0 - 0 written all over it
and indeed that's the way it finished. In the return leg at the Showgrounds
Padraig Moran eased the nerves with a goal after just ten minutes but
Rovers could not build on this lead. With half an hour left midfielder Lee
Thew was sent off leaving Rovers to hang on with ten men for the rest
of the game. This they did to earn another place in a League Cup final.
Rovers opponents in the final was to be Shelbourne once again. In the first
leg at the Showgrounds there was very little between the sides. Then in the
second half Neil Ogden capitalised on a poor kick out from Shels keeper
to place a well hit shot into the net for the lead. Rovers held on in spite
of Shels having a goal disallowed. So, just as they had done two years earlier,
Rovers travelled to Tolka Park with an advantage. In the return leg at Tolka
Park Nicky Reid chose to defend his one goal lead and played with just
one man up front. The plan was simple put everyone behind the ball and let
Shels try to break us down. It was a negative approach and produced a match
of mind numbing boredom. But two years earlier Steve Cotterill had
come to Dublin with a cavallier approach and been punished. Rovers defensive
display was such that Shels did not have a single clear cut chance all night.
When the final whistle went the Rovers fans spilled onto the pitch to acknowledge
that Rovers had now won all the important domestic competitions.
Rovers started the league in fine form and chalked up three wins and three
draws from their first six games before they tasted defeat for the first time
against champions St. Pats. It would be ten games before they picked up their
next league win and the early momentum was lost. Rovers signed striker Marcus
Hallows early in January. Born in Bolton Hallows had formerly played with
Stockport County. Also in January the R.T.E. camera's moved into the Showgrounds
for the first live game to be screened on National television from the venue.
The country was treated to an exciting match as Shels took the lead in the
first half through Pat Scully. Neil Ogden equalised for Rovers in the
second half and Sean Flannery squandered a great chance to snatch the
points near the end. A ten game unbeaten run dragged the team back into the
top half of the table but they faded in the run in and finished just outside
the top half of the table. In the cup Rovers faced what looked like an easy
first round game against Mervue United at the Showgrounds. The Galway non-league
side took an early lead and held onto it until near the end when Marcus
Hallows equalised to earn Rovers a replay. In the replay at Terryland
Park two goals from Padraig Moran were enough to see Rovers through
to the next round. In the second round goals from Padraig Moran and
Sean Flannery are enough to see off St. Francis and earn the team a
quarter final tie with Cork City. Rovers cup run came to an end at Turners
Cross where the Corkmen won 2 - 0.
During the summer of 1999 Rovers eventually persuaded
Jim Mc Inally to become Nicky Reid's replacement.
From the beginning his stay at the club was uneasy. Mc Inally did not want
to move his family to Sligo as he was reluctant to take his children out of
school. Mc Inally was just a few months into the job when he gave an interview
to a tabloid newspaper in England which landed him in trouble with the management
committee. But as he started his managerial career the new boss was facing
bigger problems than, maybe, he realised. Rovers financial position had once
again deteriorated and it was clear that the manager would have a very small
budget for new players. Nevertheless new players did arrive. Local lad, Ian
Rossiter, joined the club from Galway United, Khalid El Khallifi joined from
Dutch football where he had played for Sparta Roterdam, Excelsior and NC 27
and Paul Bonnar joine from Ayr United. For the first season since ? the season
did not start with the league cup. The National league had decided that the
league cup would have a knock-out format and would start slightly later in
the season.
The seasons started with a league game against U.C.D. at the Showgrounds and
through to form the students raced into a two goal lead at half time. Rovers
did pull a goal back after the break but the students held on for the win.
Rovers goal was scored by Padraig Moran, who was returning to the team after
a lay-off of almost a year with a serious knee injury. The second game gave
some signs of encouragement as Rovers went to Turners Cross and pulled off
a remarkable victory against Cork City. The Corkmen dominated the game, but
Rovers defended in depth and Moran snatched his second goal of the season
with a rare breakaway. At the end of October Rovers travelled to the Brandeywell
to play Derry City in the league and a 2-0 defeat ended their interest in
this competition. Rovers then went six games without a win, in fact picking
up a single point in that period at home to Drogheda. Included in the run
was a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Shamrock Rovers at Morton stadium, Santry.
Only woeful finishing by the home team kept the score down. Mc Inally slaughtered
his senior players after the game and threathened to resign, the writing was
on the wall. The game did have a landmark as near the end 16 year old Keith
Gilroy scored a superb goal, his first senior goal for Rovers.
After the great escape of the previous season Rovers fans began to wonder
if a repeat was going to be needed. In the middle of October Rovers went to
the Brandeywell and with Padraig Moran on fire, they won their second game
of the season. Moran looked to have completely shaken off his knee injury
as he helped himself to a superb hat-trick. A week later, at the Showgrounds,
a Jim Sheridan header gave Rovers their first home win of the season. Two
wins in a row and the team seemed to have turned the tide. But rumours of
unrest in the camp were persisting with talk of the manager resigning at Christmas.
With money in short supply a group of local supporters got together to set
up a team development fund. They paid into the fund each week and the cash
would be used to buy new players. So Billy Findley arrived in time for the
game against Galway United and former Dundee United midfielder Dale Gray arrived
in time for the game against Bohemians at Dalymount Park. The game was the
outstanding game of the season for Rovers but it probably also marked the
beginning of the end as far as survival in the Premier division was concerned.
Glen Crowe had Bohs in front at the break but with Billy Findley and sub Gray
superb in the Rovers midfield Rovers were dominating the start of the second
half. Gray drilled the equaliser past the Bohs keeper. Shortly afterwards
Padraig Moran raced clear of the Bohs defence, rounded the keeper and rolled
the ball into the empty net. Shannon and O'Grady both missed gilt edged chances
before Bohs staged a late revival, scoring twice, to win the game. Rovers
failure to kill the game off proved costly and the long slide towards relegation
was underway.
A draw at Belfield gave no hint of the drama that was to follow. The following
weekend, after the home match with Cork City it was announced that Jim Mc
Inally has resigned and was returning to Scotland. He told the players of
his intentions before the game and the result was a capitulation in front
of the Showgrounds fans as City ran riot, thrashing Rovers 5-0. It transpired
that the players had threathened to strike during half time in this game,
in support of the manager. Mc Inally quoted an inability to work with certain
members of the management committee as the reason for his resignation. Billy
Findley departed with the manager after less than a month at the club leaving
Rovers in relegation trouble and in complete turmoil. Once again the ever
dependable Chris Rutherford stepped in until the club found a new manager.
Rutherford led the team to victory against Waterford in the next game at the
Showgrounds. Following this game former Newcastle winger Northern Ireland
International, Tommy Cassidy was announced as the
new manager. Chris Rutherford took charge of the team for the game against
Drogheda as the new manager watched from the stand. The team earned a draw
keeping Rutherford's unbeated record intact. In his first game in charge the
team produced a decent performance at Richmond Park and were unlucky to lose
2-3 to St. Pats, courtesy of a very dubious penalty.
Cassidy's first home game was to prove an explosive encounter against old
rivals Shamrock Rovers. If ever a game deserved the title "battle of the Rovers"
then this was it. In fairness the players were not helped by some shocking
refereeing. Moran put Rovers ahead early on in a torrential downpour. Then,
with half time approaching, Moran scored a superb second goal. Rovers season,
to date, had been littered with shocking defending and they failed miserably
to clear a corner allowing Colwell to pounce and give Shams a lifeline. Shams
equalised with a simple header from Lawlor and then all hell broke lose. Jim
Sheridan received a harsh second yellow and now, as well as surrendering a
two goal lead Rovers were also down to ten men. Rovers response was positive
and Moran completed his second hat-trick of the season with a superb header
from Rossiter's cross. Rovers couldn't defend the lead for very long and within
minutes Purdy had equalised when finishing a good move at the far post. A
Sean Flannery tackle on one of the Shams midfielders led to a free for all
in the centre of the pitch invilving most of the players. When the dust settled
Flannery (Rovers) and Kenny (Shams) were heading for the early bath. Shams
eased in front with two more goals before Tommy Cassidy finally lost his temper
with the officials and was sent to the stand. It was the season of goodwill,
but not at the Showgrounds. The manager was no longer under any illusions
about the size of the task in front of him.
In the week after the battle of the Rovers the bulldozers moved into the Showgrounds
and began to demolish the old Tracey Avenue stand. After many false dawns
the Showgrounds was finally going to be re-developed. A new 2000 seater state
of the art stand would replace the old shed but on the pitch there was no
hint of a change of luck. Rovers outplayed league leaders Shelbourne for large
chunks of the game at Tolka Park but returned home without a point thanks
to Pat Fenlon's superb strike from the edge of the box. Two derby matches
each side of the new millenium yielded four points and again optimism was
generated at the Showgrounds. Unfortunatly Rovers win against Derry City on
January 3rd was to be the last time they would taste victory this
season. That optimism came to a grinding halt in the cup the following week.
Leinster senior league side Bluebell United seemed to offer Rovers a route
to the second round of the cup. The minnows didn't quite see it like that
and outplayed Rovers at the Showgrounds. With just 12 minutes remaining young
striker, Mark Fitzpatrick, struck to give the non-league side a fairytale
victory. Rovers had not lost to non-league opposition in the cup since 1969
when Longford Town, the a non-league team, won 2-0 against the bit o' red.
They had never lost to non-league opposition at the Showgrounds ! Now theree
was the battle against relegation to focus the minds.
They never looked capable of avoiding the drop and failed to pick up enough
points against their main rivals. The Bluebell game was followed by another
embarrassing, 5-0, defeat at Terryland Park and Rovers lost key games at home
to U.C.D. and away to Waterford United. Six points and just seven goals in
the last thirteen games made relegation a certainty. In early April the Derby
game at Finn Park virtually sealed our fate. James Mulligan put Harps in front
with their first attack of the game. Rovers fought hard for an equaliser and
eventually the pressure told as Conor O'Grady was taken down in the box and
Sean Flannery converted the penalty. Yet another of the defensive blunders
which had plagued Rovers season allowed Harps to get their noses in front
again and it was Mulligan, again, who capitalised. Harps might have increased
their lead when Damian Kennedy headed the ball off the line to deny Mulligan
a hat-trick. The three points virtually secured Harps place in the Premier
division but for Rovers there was now no way back. Relegation was finally
confirmed as the team could only draw with Galway United at the Showgrounds
two weeks later, leaving Rovers final game of the season at Dalymount Park
irrelevant. Cassidy said that he would spend the summer building his team
and he needed five or six players to build a promotion team. The blow of relegation
was softened, slightly, by the sight of the framework of the new stand gradually
taking shape at the Showgrounds. Surely this was only a temporary setback.
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