Pictured at the recent special draw of Sligo Rovers 500 club were (L-R): Sean Crossan Draw committee, Cathaoirleach Cllr Declan Bree, Tony Quinn, Draw committee, Tommy Higgins, Rovers Chairman, Vincent Nally, Chair Draw Committee, Peter Henry, Draw Committee, Robbie Fitzpatrick, event MC.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION TO MARK MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT

Sligo Rovers has long been showcased as a model community club, and one aspect of the club’s administration illustrates this beyond any doubt. Since it was established in 2003, the Friends of Sligo Rovers 500 Club has raised €2m for Sligo Rovers, and this hugely impressive milestone was marked by a special draw at the recent friendly match against Everton.

At half time at that fixture, 500 Club Draw Chairman Vincent Nally presented a cheque of €50,000 to Sligo Rovers, which brought the total raised for the club for Sligo Rovers by 500 Club members to €2 million.

A special draw was held pitch-side at half-time. With the Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor Declan Bree in attendance, two lucky members won €1,000 each, Stephen Gilroy from Tonaphubble and William Gaffney from Ardaghowen. Vincent also made a presentation to the founding members of the 500 Club, Peter Henry and Tony Quinn.

Draw Chairman Vincent Nally said ‘It was the vision and spirit of the late Brendan Byrne along with Tony Quinn and Peter Henry that laid the foundations for the draw, and their work continues to the present day by our current team of volunteers’.

Rovers Chairman Tommy Higgins said the importance of the 500 Club to Sligo Rovers was immeasurable. “As a community owned club, we are totally reliant on the loyalty and generosity of our supporters, and we simply would not survive without the core fundraisers; The 500 Club, Weekly lotto and annual draw. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Vincent Nally and his team for their invaluable contribution over many years.’

An important feature of the Draw is its generosity, over the years 2,370 draw winners have shared almost €300,000 in prize money. Without any major benefactor, Sligo Rovers is reliant on its supporters, local community and teams of volunteers, and their loyalty lies at the heart of the enduring success of the draw.

The 500 club welcome new members, to join, simply fill out the contact form using the link below.

https://www.sligorovers.com/500-club/

In the first of an occasional series highlighting some of our local legends, Jim Gray chats with David Pugh to reflect on an iconic career.

By Jim Gray

David Pugh is one of Sligo soccer’s most iconic heroes. A local centre-half who joined Rovers from the junior soccer ranks, he is generally regarded as one of the best players ever to wear the bit’o’red and, indeed, one of the greatest of all time League of Ireland performers. He also managed Rovers on two separate occasions.

 His remarkable career included an FAI Cup winner’ medal with Shamrock Rovers in 1969 and a successful spell in the fledgling American soccer leagues. But his best years were spent as an inspirational skipper with his home-town club, during which he was honoured with the captaincy of the Irish under-23 team. A master of many trades, David also played senior Gaelic football for Sligo; was an international basketball player; an accomplished rally driver, and a top amateur golfer. He was offered the chance to play professional football, but turned down opportunities to join both Celtic and Chelsea.

In a strange twist of fate, the man associated with great soccer moments also made GAA history. When the GAA finally kicked to touch its infamous ban on ‘foreign’ sports, he was among the first soccer players in the country to play in a provincial football final, alongside another Rovers favourite, Gerry Mitchell.  For good measure, he captained an Irish under-23 international team where most of the players were cross-channel professionals. He drove a lightning- fast car at break-neck speeds at motor rallies all over the country. He played in three West of Ireland golf championships off an eye-watering three handicap. He won a Sigerson Cup and played basketball for Ireland. 

His love of sport manifested early and he was always a dual player: “We weren’t allowed play soccer in school, so it was Gaelic football in St. John’s School in Temple Street and soccer in the nun’s field, where the Cranmore housing estate was later established,” he recalls.

Later in life, those fields of dreams would become the Showgrounds and Croke Park and countless other sports arenas, but the odd thing about a lad with such awesome ability was that his natural gifts were never matched by extravagant ambition. On the pitch, he was an unbeatable goliath, but outside the sidelines there reigned a shy and introverted youngster.

He vividly recalls ‘shaking like a leaf’ in his early days in the Rovers dressing rooms. On one occasion the club’s wily trainer, James Tiernan, offered him a plastic bag into which he could spill his nerves and told him he’d be ok once the game started.  He was right. The young center-half had a blinder.

Perhaps it was that inherent shyness which influenced his decision not to join Celtic as a teenager and, some years later, to reject Chelsea’s advances. But there are no regrets.

The Celtic offer came after a month-long trial arranged by Sean Fallon when Pugh was a fourth-year student at Summerhill College. Chelsea’s approach came following a successful season with Boston Beacons in 1968.

“At Celtic, I was just a kid. I looked around at the great players they had, people like Billy McNeill and Paddy Crerand, and I decided I didn’t belong there. I asked myself what am I doing here. They asked me to sign and without hesitation I said no. Looking back, it was probably a lack of self-belief.

“With Chelsea, it was a more mature decision. I was a grown man with plenty of experience behind me. It was at the end of the season with Boston Beacons, and the manager, Jack Mansell, told me he could lift the phone and have me at Chelsea in the morning. I told him ‘I don’t think so’. He was flabbergasted, but it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t want that lifestyle.”

Instead, his Boston room-mate, Paddy Mulligan signed for Chelsea and enjoyed a prolonged career in the English First Division and with Ireland.

All Pugh ever wanted was play for Sligo Rovers. His uncle, Ray Foley, had brought him to the Showgrounds every Sunday and soon he was caught up in the frenzy which envelopes almost every Sligo town child who ever kicked a ball. As a teenager, he played for Collegians in the junior league and was good enough to win an Irish junior cap. It was only a matter of time before the senior club came calling, but it was an inauspicious start.

Rovers had just returned to senior football in 1963 after a year’s absence and their ‘new’ team was a mixture of Dublin based veterans and untried locals, but the Sligo lads were very often at the back of the queue when it came to selection. 

Pugh recalls: “I was all set for my debut, togged out in the dressing room, nervous but excited. My dad, uncles, brothers all there to see me play for Rovers, a big day for the family. Then, shortly before kick-off, the manager arrives in with a few Dublin lads off the train. ‘You won’t be needed today’, he tells me. I was absolutely devastated, heartbroken, but that’s the way it was in those days. Locals would get one game and never be heard of again once there were enough Dubs to fill the shirts. I was determined from very early on that it wouldn’t happen to me, and once I got my chance I made sure they couldn’t shift me.”

Regularly picked for inter-league teams in the following years, his stock rose significantly when he was selected to captain a star-studded under-23 international team against France at Dalymount Park in 1966.

At the start of the 68/69 season, he joined a Shamrock Rovers team laden with talent, and he slotted in comfortably alongside some of the greatest players ever to grace the league under the expert management of the legendary Liam Tuohy. A memorable season with the Hoops was capped by the club’s record-breaking sixth successive FAI Cup victory, with Pugh becoming only the second Sligoman ever to win a cup medal.

The following season he was back with his hometown club and back in an FAI Cup final, as Rovers reached the decider for the first time in 30 years. A three-game marathon was eventually won by Bohemians. In the second replay, following a collision with fellow defender, Kevin Fallon, Pugh finished the game concussed and confused. It would be two hours after the game before he realized the result had gone against Rovers.

One of the better days, however, was when he got the chance to share a field with the fabulous Pele, winner of three World Cup medals and acknowledged as the best player in the world. Pugh was midway through a one-year contract with Boston Beacons, who faced Pele’s club, Santos, in an exhibition game. 

It still feels slightly surreal: “I was casually told ‘you pick up Pele’, and I thought ‘yeah, no problem’. Just to be on the same pitch was such a thrill. All of the Santos players were Brazilian internationals, fabulous players. I would have paid in to see them and here I was on the same pitch, trying to keep Pele quiet. I actually won a few headers from him, but even to get close to him was hard enough. 

“The one regret is that I didn’t get his shirt. Our manager ran on after the match and grabbed it. I’ve never forgiven him for that.”

When the GAA voted to abolish the ban on foreign games – ironically Sligo was one of only two counties who objected – another intriguing chapter opened up for Pugh. A talented if under-utilised Gaelic footballer, he had won a Sigerson Cup with St. Joseph’s College, Belfast, where he was doing his PE teacher training, scoring a spectacular goal in the final at Croke Park. Sligo manager, Brendan McCauley, invited Pugh and his Rovers pal, Gerry Mitchell, to join the county panel in 1971. They reached the Connacht final, losing out to Galway after a replay, in which Pugh scored a goal with a bullet-like shot from a 14-yards free.

Later in his career, he would serve as Rovers manager for two separate spells, while more tangible success as a coach came during his 28 years as a PE teacher at Summerhill College, where his teams won 18 Connacht titles and five All-Irelands. More than a dozen of his proteges went on to play in the League of Ireland and further afield.

As he reflects on an amazing sporting life well lived, Pugh has only one lingering regret

“I’ve been very lucky. As a young child, I could never have imagined I’d get to do so much in so many different sports, and I’m thankful for all of that. But, if I could change one thing, it would be to have won something with Sligo Rovers.  That would have been the pinnacle.”

*This article contains extracts from the book: LOCAL HEROES: A CELEBRATION OF SLIGO SPORT by Jim Gray and Leo Gray.

Sligo Rovers return to league action this Saturday as Galway United visit the Showgrounds for the second time this season for the third Connacht derby of the season, kick-off 7.45pm.

Rovers will vie with their provincial neighbours for league points following last Sunday’s comprehensive three goal defeat of Cobh Wanderers in the FAI Cup. Rovers are in fantastic form, picking up four wins in as many of their previous games in all competitions. 

The Bit O’Red will be without the injured John Mahon and Conor Reynolds who remain some way off a return, while Stephen Mallon serves a ban following his red card in a recent Premier Division match with Bohs at Dalymount Park. JR Wilson will also miss this one. He serves the last of a three game suspension following his dismissal against Derry City. 

Both sides are locked on the same points with Galway sitting one spot above Rovers by virtue of a superior goal difference. Either side is yet to score against the other following two scoreless draws so far this term.

With this in mind, Rovers boss John Russell is expecting another tight tussle between two clubs looking up the table.

“Both games have been really tight between us this year”, he says. “We’ve yet to score against each other and have played out two scoreless draws and we’re right beside each other in the table. We’re in good form at the moment and so are they. They put six past Longford at the weekend in the cup and we have scored at least two goals in our last five games including the Everton game. So it feels like something might give on Saturday in terms of goal. It should be really entertaining and we’re hoping for a big crowd to come out and back us.  

“Galway have strengthened during the window and have brought in real experience so they’ll be looking to push up the ladder. They’ve been a great addition to the Premier Division so far and it’s great to have these Connacht derbies back.

“Again, our recent form means nothing once we kick-off. We’re in good form and that’s the way we want to keep it come 10pm Saturday. We are the home side in a derby and we’ll look to start on the front foot and see where that takes us.”    

David Goulden

We look forward to welcoming all supporters to our friendly with Everton FC this Friday 19th July. The game is sold out. If you are attending the game please note the following match-day arrangements which have been agreed in consultation with authorities.

SLIGO ROVERS V EVERTON MATCHDAY NOTICE

1) Car parking for cars at The Showgrounds and Nazareth House will NOT be available on Friday July 19th.

2) Parking for buses only at The Showgrounds

3) Supporters parking available at:

Summerhill College, St Mary’s GAA Club, Wine St. CP, Quay St. CP, Adelaide St CP, Market Yard CP, Cathedral CP, Abbey St CP, Quayside Shopping Centre CP, Holborn St. CP, Connaughton Road CP, The Mall CP, Parkes Yard CP, Glasshouse CP, Rockwood Parade CP.

4) Turnstiles open 2pm, K.O. 4pm. Game sold out, no cash/cards taken.

5) Seating is limited, on a first come basis.

6) Please observe Garda traffic management and be respectful to parking at neighbouring estates. Illegal parking may result in fines or clamping. 

Sligo Rovers travel to Dublin this Friday night to take on Bohemians for the third league meeting of the two sides this season, kick-off at Dalymount Park is 7.45pm.  

Rovers will be without full back John Ross Wilson who serves the first of a three match ban, following his dismissal against Derry City last week. While centre halves John Mahon and Conor Reynolds remain unavailable through injury. 

Winger Simon Power returns to the match day squad having missed that win over Derry due to illness. 

As above, the teams have met twice already this term. 

Goals from Reece Hutchinson and Fabrice Hartmann earned the Bit O’Red a draw in Phibsboro on the opening night of the season. While the Gypsies beat Rovers at the Showgrounds in May. 

Speaking ahead of the tie, Sligo boss John Russell says he wants to build on recent wins over Shamrock Rovers and Derry City, but knows Alan Reynolds’ side will have different plans.

“We picked up two brilliant and well deserved wins over one team defending their title and one team chasing it”, he said.

“We want to keep building on recent performances. We have shown that we can play with the teams at the top of the table and now it’s down to us to show we have the will and ability to go toe-to-toe with a team who are below us. Dalymount is a really tough place to go for anyone in this league, as their supporters always get right behind them and we need to manage that. They have a very deep squad which gives them the ability to change the game at any moment from the bench.

“They’ve let go of a few players but have also brought in a number of new faces so we are going into the unknown somewhat. 

“We must plan without JR, but we knew about that straight after the Derry game and have worked well on our shape and formation all week. We are going to try and continue the momentum from the wins over Shams and Derry and bring it to Dublin.” 

David Goulden

Ellis Chapman struck a wonderful 89th minute winner to beat Derry City at the Showgrounds as Sligo Rovers picked up their second win on the spin. 

Paul McMullan’s 54th minute strike had put City in the lead. But a Chapman penalty along with his sublime late winner, turned this tie on its head to stretch Derry’s run without a win in Sligo to six. A winless run that goes back to 2021.  

Ed McGinty pulled off a superb double stop in injury time at the end of this game to secure the full quota of points for the Bit O’Red. 

Rovers finished this game with ten men after JR Wilson was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident in added time at the end of the tie.  

Sligo were forced into one change from their impressive win over Shamrock Rovers at the same venue six nights previous. New signing and former Derry wide man Stephen Mallon was given his debut against his former club in place of the recently departed Fabrice Hartmann who returned to parent club RB Leipzig this week. While Simon Power, who netted both goals in that win over the Hoops, missed the game due to illness. 

City’s record in Sligo has been relatively poor in recent years having taken just two points from a possible 15 in their last five visits to Church Hill. While Ruaidhri Higgins’ side have also failed to score in the last four at the same venue. 

The Derry boss kept faith with the same eleven who put five past Drogheda last week. A decision which looked justified in the early stages as City threatened early on, targeting their flanks in particular whilst pinning Rovers back.  

Daniel Kelly tested McGinty at his front post when the Sligo net minder blocked Kelly’s shot with his legs after the former Dundalk man was played through by a neat flick from Pat Hoban. 

The hosts were boosted this week by the extension of McGinty’s loan from Oxford until the end of the season. The Motherwell native showed his worth on the half hour when he rushed from his line to meet McMullen and smother the Scot’s effort after he was sent through on goal by Adam O’Reilly.

The Foylesiders remained the more menacing of the two sides as the break approached and Hoban was next to threaten when he met Cameron Dummigan’s cross with a well-timed bicycle kick. The finish didn’t match the acrobatics however the overhead kick bounced past McGinty’s post.  

The second half was nine minutes old when the Brandywell outfit took the lead. 

Hoban allowed Kelly’s cross travel all the way across the face of the penalty area where McMullan was given the space to settle himself, before bending the ball beyond McGinty from 15 yards. 

The advantage lasted just eight minutes. Chapman fired Sligo back into the game from the penalty spot after Sadou Diallo had clumsily tripped Will Fitzgerald just inside the City area. 

Chapman popped up again with one minute to go as he supplied a glorious winner. 

The former Cheltenham attacker making the most of space afforded to him after he had slipped past three Derry defenders, before showing superior composure and deft skill as he neatly squeezed the ball between Maher and his far post.  

Rovers had McGinty to thank in added time when he pulled off a magnificent double save, shutting out both Hoban and Colm Whelan.

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; JR Wilson, Nando Pijnaker, Ollie Denham, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan, Connor Malley; Stephen Mallon (Kailin Barlow 66), Ellis Chapman, Will Fitzgerald; Wilson Waweru (Owen Elding 83). 

Derry City: Brian Maher; Cameron Dummigan, Mark Connolly, Shane McEleney, Ben Doherty; Sadou Diallo (Danny Mullen 74), Adam O’Reilly; Paul McMullan (Colm Whelan 84), Daniel Kelly (Michael Duffy 74); Will Patching; Pat Hoban. 

Referee: Damien MacGraith.

Attendance: 2,859.

David Goulden

New signing Stephen Mallon is available for selection for the first time as John Russell’s Sligo Rovers face Derry City at the Showgrounds on Thursday, kick off 7.45pm. 

Supporters are asked to note the change from the traditional game day. 

Winger Mallon, who signed last month, is available to play for the Bit O’Red from July 1st and goes straight into the match day squad. 

Rovers have no fresh injury concerns following last week’s win over champions Shamrock Rovers. 

John Mahon and Conor Reynolds remain sidelined with respective achilles and leg knocks. 

Rovers have a good recent record against the Candystripes in Sligo in recent years and have played out two draws against Ruadhiri Higgins’ team this year so far. 

Rovers are further boosted by the signature on a permanent basis of defender Ollie Denham who signed an 18 month deal following the completion of a loan spell from Cardiff City. 

While goalkeeper Ed McGinty has committed himself to Sligo until the end of the season after his loan deal from Oxford was extended. 

“It’s going to be another tough game against a team chasing league silverware”, manger Russell said. 

“We put on a really impressive show against Shams last week and that performance showed we can play with the best the league has to offer. 

“There were chances at both ends in the first half, but second half we shut them out and took hold of the game thanks to two brilliant Simon Power goals. 

“That game is done now. We move on to Thursday and another team at the top of the table. We have almost a full squad to choose from now and we hope to keep as injury free as possible. 

“With a fully fit squad and everyone available to choose from, we’re a match for anyone. 

“Derry have threats from all sides and we have seen that in recent weeks and in the games we’ve played them in this year.  

“There’s a real feeling of positivity around the club at the moment and we’re looking to draw from that this Thursday.” 

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that Ollie Denham has joined the club on a permanent basis from Cardiff City, subject to international transfer clearance. 

The centre half has signed an 18 month deal at the Showgrounds to extend his stay to the end of 2025, following an extremely impressive start to the season. 

Denham joined Rovers during pre-season for what was initially a six month loan spell from the Welsh side. 

The former Manchester United youth has become a mainstay of the Bit O’Red’s back four, appearing 21 times so far this term. The Englishman has formed a formidable partnership with both Nando Pijnaker and Charlie Wiggett at the heart of the Rovers defence. 

“It’s great to get the deal over the line. I’ve been really happy here in Sligo since day one”, Denham said. 

“I’m looking to kick on now under John Russell and the staff. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far. From the minute I came here, I’ve felt comfortable with the players and coaches. It’s been a great six months for me on and off the pitch.

With Denham, Pijnaker, Wiggett and the yet to return John Mahon and Conor Reynolds all set to vie for central defensive positions, there will be plenty of competition for those spots as the season wears on. 

“We have a good squad of players and I think competition is good for everyone because it pushes and pushes you. You can then only improve. Everyone in that position is capable in stepping up when asked. 

“It’s a good standard, this league and it’s really tight. There’s a lot of quality players who’ve been around different leagues, and there’s so many young players who can go as far as they want in football. It’s been a good test and a good challenge for me.

“But I do think we’ve a good squad here and we can push for a European spot. We’re very together and I don’t see why we can’t climb the table.”

Commenting on the addition of Denham on a permanent deal, Rovers boss John Russell said; “I’m delighted Ollie has agreed to sign a permanent contract. He has been a brilliant addition to our team this season. 

“He is a player of immense quality who I know will continue to improve and get better. We want to build a team that can be successful and I think that this signing shows the club’s ambition moving forward.”

David Goulden