Joanne Kelly from Kingswood Cross, Dublin was the lucky winner recently in Rovers weekly lotto draw, winning the jackpot of €8,800. Though Joanne is a Dubliner, her family have strong Rovers connections. Her Dad Hugo is a loyal supporter, for many years he travelled to Sligo for games with his great friend Jack Carney. Joanne is one of an increasing number of people who enter the Rovers lotto on-line. ‘It’s a quick and easy way of supporting the club, and every draw gives you a chance of winning a jackpot or a Match 3 Voucher.’

Rovers on-line lottery has become very popular in recent years. Particularly during Covid, when lotto agents were restricted, the online lottery became an attractive alternative. It has developed to an extent that in the region of 30% of tickets in each draw are purchased online. This is reflected in the geographical spread of subscribers, with people participating from countries such as Australia, America, and England. The St Patrick’s Day draw earned a €200 voucher from a Canadian punter.

Doing the lottery online could not be easier. There is the option of subscribing to an individual draw, or for convenience people can enter their chosen numbers for a full year to ensure they never miss a draw, simply log on to the link on Rovers’ website and chose from a number of options.

The Sligo Rovers lottery is acknowledged to be one the most generous of the lotteries in terms of payouts. Since January 2023, it has paid out over €42,000 in jackpots and Match 3 Vouchers, prize money unrivalled by any other similar lottery. The largest jackpot in recent times was €18,800 won by the Kennoy family in August 2023.

Rovers Chairman Tommy Higgins congratulated Joanne on Kelly on her recent success. ‘This latest jackpot win shows that our lottery is the most enduring and successful of the local lotteries. We have people playing every week from across the world, they find it a great way to support their home club. With the ongoing support of our regular punters, it can continue to be a hugely valuable fundraiser for Sligo Rovers.

3rd May 2024

By Leo Gray

This Friday, May 10th, marks the 10th anniversary of Sligo Rovers historic victory over Dundalk in the final of the Setanta Cup.

The triumph meant that Rovers claimed all the top honours in domestic soccer – the League Cup, FAI Cup (3 times), the League of Ireland Championship and the Setanta Cup – in a spectacular 4 year golden era – the quickest haul of the major trophies by any club in the country.

The record-breaking achievement was completed by the Setanta Cup success. A rain-sodden surface at Tallaght Stadium threatened to spoil the occasion as a spectacle but heroic Rovers made light of the demanding conditions and a stubborn challenge from a resolute Dundalk team to chisel out a hard-earned 1-0 victory, courtesy of a well-taken Paul O’Connor goal.

It was the ninth and final time that the cross-border tournament took place, meaning that the Bit O’Red can claim to be reigning All-Ireland soccer champions ten years on from their famous win.

Rovers demonstrated their intent right from the start of the competition, registering an emphatic 9-1 aggregate victory over Crusaders in the quarter-finals.

The first leg took place at Seaview on February 24th and it turned out to be a spectacular occasion for new recruit, Eric Odhiambo, who marked his competitive debut with an impressive hat-trick. Aaron Greene also got in on the scoring act as the Bit O’ Red cruised to a surprisingly easy 4-1 victory.

The result meant the second leg at the Showgrounds on March 10th was no more than a routine engagement for Rovers. The Irish League side, obviously demoralised from the first fixture, offered little by way of resistance and, as expected, it was all one-way traffic as Rovers romped to a comprehensive 5-0 win. Danny North helped himself to a brace while Evan McMillan, Ross Gaynor and Liam Flatley also go on the scoresheet.

St. Patrick’s Athletic were expected to provide a more searching test in the semi-final, especially as the draw dictated they would have the second leg at home.

Indeed, the first game at the Showgrounds on March 25th was a closely fought encounter. Danny North, playing against his former club, gave Rovers the lead and the Dublin side might well have settled on taking just a one goal deficit back to Inchicore for the return game. However, North struck again just before the end to give the Bit O’Red a two goal cushion.

Still, it looked as if everything was still to play for when battle resumed in Richmond Park on April 14th.

Pat’s were entitled to believe they could turn things around on their own patch but Rovers were having none of it. Producing a ruthless display of sharp attacking football and incisive finishing,

they completely overwhelmed the home side, storming to a stunning 5-1 victory, bringing the aggregate score to a comprehensive 7-1 outcome. Scorers on the night in Inchicore were Raff Cretaro (2), Joseph Ndo, John Russell, and an own goal by Foran.

Dundalk, meanwhile, came through the other side of the draw and so the scene was set for what promised to be a fascinating showdown in the decider at Tallaght Stadium on May 10th.

The formbook suggested Rovers would go into the contest as hot favourites. They had claimed an impressive haul of silverware in the preceding years while Dundalk were more accustomed to desperate relegation battles.

However, Stephen Kenny, was slowly putting a highly talented and motivated squad together at the County Louth outfit and they fancied their chances of upsetting the odds.

Few could have anticipated it then but the opposing managers in the final, Kenny and Ian Baraclough, would go on to manage the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the years that followed.

An unseasonal cloudburst which transformed the usually immaculate playing surface at Tallaght into a treacherous quagmire threatened to produce more farce than fanfare but it is to the credit of both sides that they fashioned a competitive, entertaining final.

Rovers went into battle without a number of key players, among them Gavin Peers, Alan Keane and Raff Cretaro while midfield talisman, while captain for the day, Joseph Ndo was forced to limp out of the action after 34 minutes.

On a day which demanded courage, grit and skill in equal measure, the Bit O’Red rose to the challenge magnificently, engineering a first half lead and then defending with commendable vigilance and composure after the break.

The energy-sapping conditions clearly took a heavy toll on weary limbs but, to a man, Rovers stepped up to the plate, expending every ounce of energy in pursuit of the big prize.

After clocking up a staggering sixteen goals on their way to the decider, Baraclough’s men required only one to snatch the spoils on this occasion.

And it came slightly against the run of play in the 14th minute. Greene’s pace took him clear down the right flank and his low, inviting cross was swept to the net by industrious midfielder, Paul O’Connor.

Only a few months earlier, O’Connor had been on the scoresheet for Drogheda against Rovers in the 2013 FAI Cup final but this was his turn to earn an indelible place in Sligo soccer folklore as big match hero and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

As Dundalk stepped up the pace in search of an equaliser, Pat Hoban twice came close to putting the sides on level terms and Richie Towell was out of luck with a powerful long range effort. And Rovers had another close shave just before the end when David McMillan’s clever lob demanded a first-class save from Gary Rogers.

Given the heroics of Rovers defensive resistance on the day, it was hardly surprising that the man-of-the-match award went to Jeff Henderson who was immense in the centre of the back four.

He said: “It’s a great honour to be chosen as the man of the match but the most important thing is that we won the Setanta Cup to add to our haul of trophies. We were under pressure at times but we kept our composure and kept them at bay. I’ve won the League, the FAI Cup and the Setanta Cup with Rovers. I could never have imagined that things would work out so well when I

joined the club. It’s incredible. Rovers are a top club and deserve to be up there challenging for all the top honours.”

By winning the Setanta Cup, Rovers carved out a unique record in Irish domestic soccer, becoming the quickest club in the country to win all the major trophies. They won the first division championship in 2005, the FAI Cup in 2010, 2011 and 2013, the League Cup in 2010, the Premier League Championship in 2012, and the Setanta Cup in 2014. No other club has ever won all those trophies in a nine year span.

No wonder manager Baraclough was elated after the club’s latest triumph.

“The Setanta Cup was the missing link in our roll of honour and we were determined to put that right”, he beamed. “It’s a significant win for the club and it’s all down to a brilliant group of players. We probably didn’t play as well as we can but that happens in Cup finals. The lads were terrific in their commitment and spirit. It was all about getting over the line.”

When skipper Ndo went off injured, North took over the captain’s armband and so had the privilege of lifting the coveted trophy after the game.

“I never thought I’d be the one to lift the Setanta Cup for Rovers but I was honoured to do so,” he enthused. “We talked about the two injured captains, Alan Keane and Gavin Peers, lifting the trophy but they didn’t seem too fussed about it so I was thrilled to get the opportunity. But, of course, it’s all about the team and the lads were brilliant. If you don’t want to win medals, you shouldn’t be playing football. With the Setanta Cup in the bag, we’ve collected the lot and it just shows what a brilliant club Sligo Rovers is”

The history-making team lined out as follows in the final: Rogers, Conneely, Henderson, McMillan, Gaynor, Russell, Ndo, Cawley, O’Connor, Greene, North. Sub: Ledwidth. Subs not used: Brush, Spillane, Maguire, Odhiambo, Dykes, Djilali. Other members of the squad were Keane, Peers, Cretaro, Brennan, Loftus, Donelon, Boylan, Murphy, Taheny, Casey, Flatley.

Dundalk lined out as follows: Cherrie, Gannon, Gartland, Boyle, Shields, Horgan, Mountney, Hoban, Massey, Towell, Meenan. Subs: Byrne, Higgins, D McMillan

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that the Showgrounds will be a collection point for the Our Shoes campaign.
From Monday April 29th until Friday May 3rd the public are encouraged to drop off all of their pre-loved children’s sports shoes and football boots between the hours of 9.30 am and 5.30pm at the Showgrounds.
Our Shoes was set up in 2019 after Ciarán McHugh, Kevin Grant and Geoff Lockwood visited the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town in South Africa which is home to 2.4 million people.
Our Shoes initially ran two pilot appeals which saw the donation of 15,000 pairs of sports shoes which had outlived their intended use in Ireland, but which still have lots of life left in them. In 2023 children in over 300 Irish schools donated 20,000 pairs of shoes to the kids in the townships.
With the help of their partners Our Shoes ship thousands of shoes to South Africa on an annual basis where they are distributed to some of the most deserving kids in the townships. While the group is very welcoming of all donations of all sports shoes for children there is also a particular focus on pre-loved football boots that would enable the many talented players in the townships to play football safely.

Ciaran McHugh from Our Shoes said “A pair of shoes is often the difference between a hopeful or bleak future. Shoes are more than something that keep your feet safe and warm.  Like most countries, you need shoes to go to school in South Africa. Along with shoes being part of the school uniform, they also allow learners safety and provide a sense of self-esteem and dignity. and they are often the most difficult item to get in materially poor communities. We are delighted to partner with Sligo Rovers on this campaign and we are asking the public in the region to donate as many of your preloved children’s sports shoes and football boots to the Showgrounds. It has a real impact on so many lives.

Sligo Rovers FSR officer Jamie Murphy said ” It’s a privilege to team up with Ciaran and the Our Shoes campaign. As a community club we are well aware of the power that football and sport in general can have in creating meaningful change in the lives of people, in particular people from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds. From speaking with Ciaran we are well aware of the fantastic impact Our Shoes have on many thousands children and we want to help with that it whatever way we can. In terms of sustainability and reducing the impact that football has on the climate it’s also a fantastic campaign. Because of all of the different types of synthetic materials needed to produce a pair of sports shoes or boots they are almost impossible to recycle. They have a huge carbon footprint and by donating them to kids in townships you are helping to create a more sustainable future for us all.

Last week the club were privileged to welcome some of the programme participants from the National Learning Network, RehabCare, Elevate, and CI Connect to the Showgrounds for a tour of the ground and for some football sessions. The visit was part of the club’s commitment to ‘Football For All’ and marked the beginning of a programme of football related activities over the next number of weeks.

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back very soon. For more information on the clubs plans for Football Social Responsibility (FSR) initiatives you can contact our FSR officer on fsr@sligorovers.com

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