History
[Rovers drop out of football] [Return of the Prodigal sons] [The Early Fifties] [The Late Fifties]
[The Early Sixties] [The Late Sixties] [1970 - FAI and Blaxnit cups]
In 1940 Rovers announced that because of the ongoing war they
would no longer be able to take part in senior football. They tendered their
resignation to the league and the Football Association, however both bodies
said that football would continue and refused to accept the clubs resignation.
The club then withdrew from all competitions for that year stating the it
would be in debt again at the end of the year. Eventually the league, reluctantly,
accepted Rovers resignation by the narrowest of votes (5 - 4 )and advertised
for a replacement. In the event a replacement was never found. There is no
record of the club from here until the end of the war in 1945. The club re-emerged
after the war and set about raising funds for a return to league football.
Applications to rejoin the league for the 1946/47 and 47/48 seasons were unsuccessful
as the league decided to stay with just eight teams. Rovers then invested
in ground improvements at the Showgrounds in preparation for a further application
for the start of the 1948/49 season. This application was accepted and along
with Transport Rovers were re-elected to the league
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Yet another new coach was appointed for the start
of the 1950/51 season. This time ex. Manchester City and Doncaster Rovers
player Tommy Wright was given the task of bringing success to the club.
He returned to England after a disastrous city cup campaign which saw Rovers
earn only one win. He was replaced as coach by full back Bob Mooney
but results were no better in the shield with only two wins to show for his
efforts. Things picked up considerably in the league and Rovers were with
the pacesetters all the way. With four games to go Rovers were joint top of
the league with Shelbourne and Cork Athletic. A surprising defeat away to
Limerick left them facing two home games against their nearest rivals. Both
games ended in victories, 1 - 0 against Cork Athletic and 3 - 1 against Shelbourne.
Rovers needed to win their last game against Transport to force a play-off
for the league with Cork Athletic. A disappointing 0 - 0 draw saw the Corkmen
lift the title with one point to spare. Once again Rovers advanced to the
semi finals of the F.A.I. cup with wins over St. James Gate (4 - 0) and Dundalk
(2 - 0). Cork Athletic were too strong for them in the semi winning 2 - 0.
The 1951/52 season saw another new coach in Dick Groves who had spells
as a player with Bristol Rovers, Southampton, Plymouth and Torquay. The league
was expanded to twelve teams and this meant that the Dublin city cup was run
on a knock-out basis. Rovers came away from Dalymount Park with a 3 - 2 win
over Bohs before receiving a bye in the second round. Rovers the beat Dundalk
4 - 3 in a replay, after a 0 - 0 draw, to reach the final. Rovers produced
a very disappointing performance in the final and were thrashed 0 - 4 by Drumcondra.
An indifferent performance in the shield saw Rovers finish mid-table before
Groves dropped a bombshell by resigning, citing family reasons. Before he
left, however, he strengthened the squad by bringing in a number of players
including the Scot Johnny Armstrong who had spells with Stirling Albion
and Chesterfield. A storming start to the league campaign saw Rovers top the
table after an eight game unbeaten run. Former Grimsby Town player Jock
Shearer had taken over as coach as Rovers continued to set the pace in
the league. In the end they faded,losing four of their last seven games, to
eventually finish fourth five points off the pace. Rovers reached their third
semi-final in a row by beating Limerick (after a replay) and Drumcondra. Over
20,000 fans turned up to see them face Cork Athletic for the second year running.
In a game of high drama Rovers lost a goal after only two minutes. Shortly
after the break Tommy Buggy equalised before the Corkmen raced into
a 3 - 1 lead. Once again Rovers fought back and a "Dusty" Miller free
kick reduced the deficit again. A defensive error gave Cork a 4 - 2 lead before
Mick Lipper again brought Rovers to within a goal of the Corkmen. Unfortunately
there were only seconds left and time ran out on the men from the north west.
It was during this season that the stand behind the Church Hill goal, which
was to become known as the shed, was first constructed.
Rovers started the following season with a 2 - 2 draw against Shamrock Rovers
in the Dublin city cup, losing the game on corner kick's. The performance
in the shield was reasonable eventually finishing with six wins. Rovers did
reasonably well in the league. They managed to stay in the top half of the
league for the season finishing fifth, seven points behind champions SAhelbourne.
The F.A.I. cup saw them progress to the second round after beating U.C.D.,
then a non-league team, after a replay. St. Patrick's Ath. were too strong
in the second round and Rovers were eliminated. The season had been hampered
by the club's inability to appoint a new coach and had failed to live up to
the drama of the previous three years.
For the 1953/54 season it was all change again as this time John Black
was appointed coach. The arrangement lasted only four matches until he was
suspended for a breach of club discipline and returned home. No replacement
was found for him with the result that the Dublin based players were coached
by Jock Mc Cosh while the local players were trained by groundsman, Cha Howley.
Once again the club struggled to find a settled side and 29 players had been
tried before the league started. The inevitable result of such uncertainty
was a first round exit from the city cup at the hands of Shamrock Rovers (0
- 4) and a second from bottom finish in the shield. By the time the league
started the team had settled somewhat. Rovers had once again started the league
well and won their first seven home games. Only one point from five away matches
meant that they were second in the table to Shamrock Rovers at this stage.
Their season fell apart after this and only one more victory was recorded
in the league. A final league position of ninth was a poor reward for the
early promise. In the cup Rovers earned a 1 - 1 draw at Milltown before losing
2 - 0 at the Showgrounds to Shamrock Rovers. This had been the first time
the sides had met in the cup since the final of 1940.
Before the beginning of the following season the financial trouble which were
a constant source of aggrevation to the club surfaced again. Rovers needed
£1,000 pounds in order to be admitted to the league. The club formed a society
called the Sligo Rovers Sports Association which was aimed at raising the
money. Members paid a £5 fee and in return received a season ticket and a
vote at the A.G.M. The future of the club hung in the balance as they tried
to raise the cash. They were successful and the season started with a first
round exit from the city cup and a poor performance in the shield. This poor
form was carried into the league with Rovers eventually finishing ninth. Half
way through their league campaign Rovers appointed Jimmy Batten as
coach. The season finished with another of the glamorous imports that have
littered Rovers history. For the F.A.I. cup game against Shamrock Rovers the
Austrian international forward Albert Straka had been signed. A crowd
of 7,000 packed the Showgrounds for the game and watched as Johnny Armstrong
gave Rovers the lead. Shams equalised with a goal from Hennessey and Liam
Touhy put them in front. With time virtually up Rovers were awarded a penalty.
The crowd spilled onto the pitch holding up play for ten minutes. When order
was restored Straka scored from the spot to earn a replay. Rovers lost
the Replay 2 - 1 to go out of the cup.
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For the beginning of the 1955/56 season Rovers,
once again, failed to find a player coach. They started the season well and
reached the semi-finals of the Dublin City cup. St. Pats. were too strong
and Rovers lost the game 5 - 2. The shield also provided reasonable success
with the club eventually finishing fourth. The highlight of the shield campaign
was a 7 - 0 win over Transport. The league campaign went from one extreme
to the other. In the early stages Rovers went seven games without a win but
as the league drew to a close the team won six gams in a row to finish in
fifth place. Rovers cup campaign was over after the first round when they
lost the replay to Drumcondra (2 - 0) after a 1 - 1 draw at the Showgrounds.
The original game had been postponed after a controversial penalty awarded
to Drumcondra triggered a pitch invasion.
There was still no player coach for the following season as Rovers crashed
out of the Dublin City cup in the first round to Dundalk, on corners, after
a 1 - 1 draw. There followed a disastrous campaign in the shield with only
two wins from from their eleven games to finish second from bottom. At last
a player coach was found for the start of the league campaign as Hugh Colvin
from Derry was installed. A new innovation was introduced for the league in
which the teams finishing in the top four played off for the championship.
Rovers went through the league, losing only four games, to finish third behind
Shamrock Rovers and Drumcondra. They lost to Evergreen United in the top four
knock out tournament to end any hopes of a second championship. In this season
Rovers became the first senior side to play at Flower Lodge in Cork when they
beat the Ancient Order of Hibernains 1 - 0 in the first round of the cup.
They came unstuck in the next round against Shamrock Rovers losing 2 - 1.
The 1957/58 season was not a successful one. Rovers went out of the Dublin
city cup at the first round stage to Dundalk and in the shield they had to
settle for a position in mid-table. They did have a new player coach, though,
as Tommy Mc Lead, the ex. Manchester City player born in Scotland took
over from Colvin. The league campaign was disastrous with only five wins from
twenty two games leaving Rovers second from bottom. For the first time in
the history of the club they had to apply to the league for re-election. In
the cup a 2 - 0 win over non-league Cobh Ramblers set up a second round game
against old rivals Shamrock Rovers. The first game ended in a 1 - 1 draw at
the Showgrounds leading to a replay at Milltown. In the replay Rovers raced
into a two goal lead after only nineteen minutes with goals from Willie
Bradley and Liam Mc Caul. They could not sustain the momentum and
Shamrock Rovers came back to win 3 - 2.
The following season Rovers were once again without a coach. In their first
game in the Dublin city cup Rovers faced their heaviest defeat since they
joined senior football as Dundalk thrashed them 9 - 1. The team did not contain
a single local player and, indeed only Johnny Armstrong lived in the
town. One win in the shield left Rovers bottom of the table and the prospects
were not looking good for the league. In spite of strengthening the team for
the league campaigm results were no better. So bad were the results that Rovers
were spared the ignomy of having to apply for re-election for the second year
in a row on goal average. Four teams finished with 15 points at the bottom
of the league. Rovers and Cork Hibernains had a slightly better goal average
than Dundalk and Bohemians and the latter teams had to apply for re-election.
In fact it was the two goals Rovers scored in a 5 - 2 defeat to Waterford
in the final match which had saved Rovers bacon. Another first round exit
in the F.A.I. Cup, to St. Pats, capped another miserable season.
The 1959/60 season saw Rovers appoint Sean Thomas as coach but he only
lasted a few months. Once again a first round exit in the Dublin city cup
at the hands of Dundalk set the tone for the season. The shield was slightly
better with five wins from from eleven. There was, however, a 9 - 0 defeaat
at home to Drumcondra which remains the club's heaviest defeat at the Showgrounds.
In the league Rovers struggled once again and eventually avoided having to
seek re-election after finishing third from bottom. In the cup Rovers beat
Bray Wanderers in the first round 4 - 2 with a hat-trick from Dr. Kevin
Mc Garry. After a draw with Cork Hibernains (0 - 0) in Cork, Rovers lost
the replay at the Showgrounds (3 - 2). Rovers had started the season deep
in debt (~£1000) and though they had managed to reduce this to £500 at the
end of the season a door to door collection was organised to keep the club
in senior football.
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Before the start of the 1960/61 season Rovers
decided that they would try out more local players rather than bring in players
from Dublin and the North. This developed into a row between the club and
the local junior administrators of the Sligo / Leitrim league. Rovers had
asked for a list of the best 25 junior players from the league and this request
was refused. The junior authorities felt, with some justification, that Rovers
should be aware of the local talent. The row culminated in Rovers withdrawing
the Searle cup, which they had donated to the junior body for summer competition.
Alex Rollo joined the club as coach for the start of the new season,
though like some of his predecessors he had left before the league started.
Rovers looked at a number of local players but in the end only two of them
were signed, Gerry Mitchell and Gus Lynch. Rovers were eliminated
from the city cup in the first round and fared no better in the shield where
they could only manage three wins.
Once the league started things went from bad to worse. In their first twelve
league games Rovers could only manage two draws and conceded 55 goals. The
team only managed one win all season, in their third last game of the season
against Dundalk. This meant that Rovers had finished bottom of the league
for the first time in the history of the club. The F.A.I. cup capped a miserable
season as Waterford won the first round encounter at the Showgrounds. Once
again Rovers had to find a way of raising money to keep their debt in check.
They found a novel, if unusual, way of doing this by engaging in terrier racing.
This venture proved quite successful.
The following season started in much the same way with an exit from the city
cup in the first round. In the shield Rovers could not manage a single win
and had to settle for two draws from their eleven games. Rovers lost their
first seven league games before things picked up slightly and a run of five
games in which they lost only once gaining one win and three draws. They went
on to lose their last ten games to finish bottom of the league for the second
year running. Shamrock Rovers visited the Showgrounds for the first round
of the cup and the result was a 3 - 3 draw. The replay in Dublin saw Shams
go through 1 - 0 ending another miserable season for Rovers.
At the end of the season the League of Ireland decided to reduce the number
of teams in the league to ten. This resulted in them dismissing the bottom
two clubs Rovers and Transport. Such a move caused consternation throughout
the country and in the ensuing row Rovers withdrew from membership of the
F.A.I. The following year they tried to keep the club alive by organising
tournaments in the north west but this brought them into conflict with the
local junior authorities once again. Rovers were accused of running money
making competitions and players who played at the Showgrounds were to find
themselves banned by the local authorities. For the 1963/64 season the League
of Ireland once again decided to expand the league to ten teams and sought
applications for the two extra places. Rovers applied and were told that they
would have to apply for re-instatement to the F.A.I. first. Once they had
re-joined the F.A.I. a second application was forwarded and this was eventually
accepted. Along with Drogheda they were re-elected to the league.
For the new season former Drumcondra player Johnny Robinson was appointed
coach. The first game played by the club resulted in a 2 - 1 win over St.
Pats. Ath in the City cup with goals from Damien Bradley and Jimmy
Burnside. They were eliminated in the next round by Dundalk (3 - 1 ).
Rovers only managed two wins in the shield but they did introduce two locals
who would go on to have a hugh impact at the club. They were David Pugh
at centre half and seventeen year old goalkeeper Fintan Brett. Rovers
went on to finish ninth in the league winning six and drawing seven of their
twenty two games. The season ended with a first round exit to Limerick in
the F.A.I. cup at the Market's field.
The 1964/65 season started with a defeat to Shelbourne in the city cup (3
- 2) which was followed my a run of two wins and seven draws in the shield.
It wasn't top class form but it was enough to see Rovers finish sixth in the
shield. For the first time in almost ten years Rovers had a good run in the
league. The club eventually finished fifth after a campaign which saw them
win ten matches and draw five to see them finish just seven points behind
champions Drumcondra. There was to be no joy in the cup however as Dundalk
visited the Showgrounds for the first round and plundered a 3 - 0 win.
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The beginning of the 1965/66 season saw the club
in optimistic mood. Johnny Robinson was about to start his third season
as coach, a feat almost unheard of at the club. The club hoped to build on
the good form of the previous season. The season started badly for the club
as Shelbourne knocked them out of the city cup with a resounding 4 - 0 defeat.
The performance in the shield was even worse. The club went through the competition
without a single win and eventually finished bottom with just five points.
Once the league campaign started Rovers form picked up considerably. They
were always up with the top three. Rovers only lost three of their first fifteen
games but they faded badly in the run-in. Only one win from the last seven
games saw the club slip off the pace eventually finishing fifth for the second
year in succession. Rovers carried their good league form into the F.A.I.
cup and managed to knock out Drogheda in the first round (2 - 1) in a replay
after the first game ended 1 - 1. Another 1 - 1 draw in the second round against
Cork Celtic saw Rovers finish off the tie 3 - 0 in the replay. Rovers had
reached the semi-finals and would play Limerick. Once again the game ended
in a draw (0 - 0) and a replay was required. This time, however, Rovers lost
out and Limerick progressed to the final by three goals to nil.
Fot the following season Johnny Robinson was replaced as coach by ex.
Shamrock Rovers player Shay Keogh. Rovers opened the season with a
first round victory against Dundalk (2 - 1) in the city cup before being eliminated
in the second round by Shelbourne 3 - 1. The recent poor form in the shield
continued as the team won only two matches with nine defeats from the rest
of the fixtures. The form picked up for the league campiagn and Rovers were
to suffer only two defeats from their first fifteen matches and were just
behind the leaders Dundalk in second place. The highlight of this run was
a victory at Oriel Park against thr league leaders with Rovers winning 2 -
1. Rovers had signed a new centre forward Johnny Brooks from York City
and he would score fifteen league goals in his first season. Rovers challange
faded when they hit a sticky patch which started with their F.A.I. cup first
round replay defeat against Cork Hibs by 3 - 2. Three league defeats in a
row followed and the league challange was over. The league campaign ended
with Rovers final league game of the season being abandoned after crowd trouble.
Rovers fans spilled onto the pitch after Gerry Mitchell equalised against
Champions Dundalk. Fighting then broke out between the Rovers fans and the
Dundalk players and the referee was left with no choice but to abandon the
game. The result stood. Rovers eventually finished third which gained them
entry into the top four competition. They lost 2 - 1 to Dundalk in the semi-final
at Oriel Park.
Rovers were searching for a new coach again for the 1967/68 season as Shay
Keogh resigned. He was replaced by ex. Chesterfield, Bury and Oldham player
Ken Bartley. In fact Bartley became the first coach at the club to
have full responsibility for team matters. Although Rovers had always employed
a player / coach the responsibility for picking the team was left to the management
committee. Bartley added some more full time professionals to the squad from
the previous season, but a local lad by the name of Tony Fagen also
made his first appearances for the club. Another mediocre start to the season
saw the club out of the city cup at the first round stage with a defeat to
Dundalk. This was followed by a mid-table finish in the shield. The league
started well enough and a 7 - 1 win against St. Pats. win on the opening day
seemed to be a good omen for the campaign. In fact the side won their first
three games before Shamrock Rovers inflicted a 7 - 0 defeat on the side at
Milltown. This signalled the beginning of a slump which saw the team win just
three more games during the rest of the season. A season which had started
with such promise saw Rovers finish second from bottom and having to apply
for re-election again. Dundalk beat Rovers 4 - 0 in the cup in yet another
replay at Oriel Park after a 1 - 1 draw at the Showgrounds. The season ended
with Rovers so short of players that goalkeeper Fintan Brett was forced
to play a number of games at full back.
In 1968 Rovers announced that they had bought the Showgrounds and the set
out on improving the facilities. A new set of dressing rooms were started
on the Church hill side of the ground and these would be completed for the
1969/70 season. Tony Bartley set about improving his squad for the
beginning of the 1968/69 season. Notable signings during this season were
goalkeeper Tom Lally from Galway and centre half Tony Stenson
from Sheffield Wednesday. The season started with another first round exit
in the city cup to Dundalk followed by another mid-table finish in the shield.
The league campaign was a big disappointment. In fact but for four league
wins from their last six games Rovers might have been seeking re-election
again. During the league campaign Rovers made another notable signing Johnny
Cooke from Manchester United. They eventually finished in eight place.
But this season will be remembered for the clubs biggest cup disaster. Rovers
were drawn away to non-league side Longford Town from the leinster senior
league. A team filled with full-time professionals (something very unusual
for the League of Ireland) were defeated 2 - 0 by the minnows, a result which
forced Ken Bartley to resign. He was replaced for the rest of the season by
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The F.A.I. cup was to provide the seasons highlights
and Rovers beat St. Pats. 3 - 0 in the first round to earn a home tie with
non-league Rialto in the second round. A comfortable 4 - 0 win helped to ease
the memory of Longford the previous season and Rovers were now in the semi
finals. The semi final against Cork Hibs required a replay after the first
game finished 0 - 0. In the replay Rovers raced into two goal lead after only
twenty minutes. The first was a lob from Brooks and when Gerry Mitchell
put the side two up after Ken Turner set him up a place in the final
looked to be secure. In the end Rovers had to survive a late rally which saw
the Corkmen pull a goal back with a penalty six minutes from time.
Rovers stepped out for their first cup final, since the defeat to Shamrock
Rovers in 1940, on April 19th 1970. Rovers opponents were Bohemians
who would be playing on their home ground, Dalymount Park, in the final. The
game itself had little incident and it was no surprise when the game finished
0 - 0. The replay was fixed for the following wednesday at Dalymount and provided
a much more entertaining game. Both sides had their chances with the best
of Rovers efforts falling to Brooks, Mitchell, Mc Cluskey and Stenson. Once
again the game ended 0 - 0 and a second replay was required on Sunday May
3rd. In the second replay Rovers had no luck. They lost Tony
Stenson with a twisted ankle after only twelve minutes. In spite of this
Rovers took the lead two minutes later with a goal from Johnny Cooke
and held this lead to half time. But the misfortune continued. Bohs equalised
soon after the break and then Ken Turner was left dazed after a collision
with a Bohs player. After 62 minutes Tony O'Connell put Bohs in front. Shortly
afterwards David Pugh collided with Kevin Fallon and was concussed
for the remainder of the game. Rovers walking wounded could not retrieve the
game and the cup went to Bohs.
Qualification for the semi-final of the cup meant that Rovers would also qualify
to play in the Blaxnit cup. This was a competition which featured the cup
semi-finalists from north and south of the border. Rovers faced Ballymeana
United in the first round and a hat-trick from Gerry Mitchell saw off
the Irish league team. A goal from Joey Wilson was enough to see off
Derry City at the Brandeywell and Rovers were in the final. The final, against
Coleraine, was to be played over two legs with the first game played at Windsor
Park in Belfast. Rovers won the game at Windsor Park 1 - 0 with a goal from
Johnny Cooke. In the second leg, at Dalymount Park, Coleraine proved
to be too strong and won 4 - 1 with Rovers goal scored by Tony Fagen.
Once again Rovers had narrowly missed out on a trophy.
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