For long periods of Saturday night it looked like it would be   a case of déjà vu. With a big crowd much was expected of the Bit’o Red but it wasn’t until the 2nd half that they delivered and sent the home fans delirious. Assistant manager Gareth Gorman spoke of his pride as he described an eventful night at the Showgrounds

“Tonight we showed a bit of character ,I actually thought in the first half we played alright, we had 3 or 4 half chances. It is hard in a match like that when you go 2-0 down. But there is a lot of self-belief in that dressing room, a lot of honesty and a lot courage .At the end of the day we showed it. Many teams would have settled for 2-2 with 5 minutes to go but we just wanted to go on and that is the character of the team.”

 “To be honest….that is football. In football when you do not take your chances you pay for it. That’s what happened. We could have been 2-0 up before they scored. Both teams had chances, in the first half they took theirs, in the second half we took ours.

It was Darren Manseram who was the inspiration for Rovers’ late fightback, scoring to make it level and then winning the penalty for Chris Turner to give Rovers the win. The assistant manager admitted Manseram had shone but was quick to point out it was a great team display.

“Tonight he was very good, he was excellent and he is a belief player. But I do not think you could single out one single person. The lads that played tonight played their hearts out, there are a lot of sore legs in the dressing room .It was team performance.”

Rovers had to make several changes to the side that lost to Cork City with Jamie Mc Kenzie and Matthew Judge coming into the side. Chris Turner also reverted to full back, every player impressed and contributed to a great night in the Showgrounds. Gorman had this to say about the changes.

“Well that is why you have a squad and all the lads in our squad are good enough to do a job. Jamie has come in and done very well. Chris is versatile, he can play anywhere because he is a quality player. Matthew Judge has been given a chance tonight and he has done very well too. He has been out of the side for a couple of weeks now but he hasn’t kept his headed down, he has trained hard and tonight he has got his reward”

The buzz around the Showgrounds as Rovers turned the game on its head will be remembered for a long time. Gorman acknowledged the increased level of noise at the game and stressed the importance of supporting the team through thick and thin.

“It has been a while since we heard it like that here. It is really important the crowd do get behind the team, not just when we are winning but when we are losing too - it is a very important part of it. It went very quiet for a while, the early goal got us going again though. At the end of the day it was a great crowd here and if they do get behind us it is a big help”

Next up for Rovers is the game everyone has been waiting for .The FAI cup quarter final with Killester United. Another large crowd is expected and Rovers go into the game firm favourites. However the prospect of a giant-killing could take the shine off what has been a magnificent season so far and Gorman knows booking a place in the semi-final draw will not be easy.

“It is a tricky match and we are taking nothing for granted. We will go out and try to do a professional job and at the end of the day hopefully we do it”

Sligo Rovers vs  Killester United.Saturday 30th September at the Showgrounds, kick off 7.45pm

by Rory Houston