Goalkeeper Tomislav Arcaba was the first to answer the questions put to the new arrivals. Having player in  Serbia and Australia he  was asked about how happy he was to be joining Sligo Rovers and what his goals were for his time at the club

             “I am very excited to be joining Sligo Rovers. It has got a vast history, it is a great club. Rob is obviously a great coach and the fact the club is professional shows it is moving forward. Hopefully I go forward with it and we have a great season ahead. The goal for me is to make the team and to have as much success as we can. And that is obviously to play next year in the UEFA Cup because that is the next step. That is my goal. I didn’t know much about Ireland , the economy or anything about Sligo. But Adam Hughes is a great friend of mine and I spoke to him as he was coming back to holiday in Australia. So I got a bit of feedback and obviously I was excited about coming here”.

Kevin Julian, ex Halifax Town and Garforth Town player was next to reveal his motives for joining Sligo Rovers and his ambitions for the season ahead. A player who has the potential to operate in a number of positions he seemed excited about the prospect of wearing the Bit’ o Red

              “ I am really looking forward to it. The gaffer has a lot of coaching experience in Europe. The club going forward going full time is a big ,big plus and that’s one of the reasons I was really keen to come over . So far the squad is looking really, really good and I am looking forward to getting started. Everyone around Sligo is a fan. Everyone you talk to is a fan and that says a lot for the community and the support. I see people wearing scarves and hats , that makes me feel great because to be involved with a club with so much support….I really can’t wait to get going. Coming off the recent success finishing 5^th in the league after being promoted we have to continue that rise upwards and onwards because there is no going back. We have to go forward and that’s the goal”.

The player was then asked about how much he knew about Sligo Rovers and to elaborate on Mc Donald’s earlier statement of his huge disappointment to leave English football and determination to get back there

.“Sligo being in the top flight of Irish football ,with it getting bigger and bigger now the attraction and the knowledge grows. The signing of Harpel Singh who played for Leeds and Keith Foy who has done it in England  shows we have got potential to bring in players. You can’t be content with not making it in England the first time. You have got to keep on driving. I have got a point to prove to myself and to people who have put faith in me to bring me over from the States and Sligo will benefit from how much work I put in”

Finally physio Michael Hegarty stated his plans for his career at Rovers. A recent graduate of Coventry University and ex Limavady player, he gave his background a,what he knows about his new employers and his first experiences in the job

                  “  I am from Derry and I probably shouldn’t say this but I’m a Derry City supporter so  I’ve been to the Showgrounds a few times supporting Derry! When the offer came  up , especially with the club going full time it was too good an offer to turn down. Over the pre season so far we have been working  really hard, double sessions so we are going to pick up a few niggles. I played football this year with Limavady and I’ve been around a few dressing rooms. I am young but I have all the necessary qualifications and am keen to learn and get into it”.

Manager Rob Mc Donald revealed more at the end of the press conference, details of which will be published on sligorovers.com tomorrow [Friday]