At a press conference held in the Radisson Hotel last Friday night Sligo Rovers were delighted to announce the return of local player Conor O’ Grady to the club and the signing of 22 year old winger Piotr Bajdziak

The former Polish under 17 international was the first to be introduced to the media. A left winger who is predominantly right footed, he signs on the back of an impressive performance last week vrs Swinford. Manager Rob Mc Donald said his speed and unpredictability will be a real asset to Rovers over the season.

                “Piotr is an exciting talent for the Eircom Premiership. He signs on a one year contract. The other players have warmed to him in the short time he has been here and he has settled in well".

Bajdziak excitement at joining Rovers was evident and he was clearly impressed by what he has seen so far

                “Every player has really big talent. Maybe not fantastic experience but they have real talent. I see this club as a club of the future and I look forward to being part of that”.

As previously stated the former Östersund player has already played for Rovers in a pre season friendly as he has been on trial.  His performance vs. Swinford played a big part in him securing a deal and he was pleased with the game

                “It was very good. Of course the opponent wasn’t the best but it doesn’t matter because we played a good match and scored a lot of goals. It was very important. Every friendly match is important to build mentality and is good for confidence”

The time had then come to introduce Conor O’ Grady as a Sligo Rovers player once again. As he took his seat he could not hide his delight as months of frustration had finally come to an end. His new manager spoke about what a boost the signing of the local man is to the club

                “We have come to an agreement with Conor. It is obviously a very important step for the club. I think it is important to say first he has been brought in as a footballer. Obviously yes there is a good spin off it and I mean that in a positive way because it will get bums on seats and it will have a good impact. But now we can look forward to admiring Conor in a different system. I have always said the controlling midfielder and the central striker are the two most important positions"

The acquisition of O Grady as a solution for the controlling midfielder could not be understated. Mc Donald revealed he had to keep the signing a secret from his players to prevent any leaked reports of the deal and admitted it was not something he liked doing. He added O’ Grady would be the only part time player at the club and the situation was unlikely to change.  

                “This is a win-win situation. We will not be signing anymore part time players however. Conor could play a huge role in the success of Sligo Rovers this season”.

The Sligo native then gave details of how the deal came about and how happy he is to be a Sligo Rovers player for the upcoming season

                “It has been a crazy 48 hours. The club got in contact with me again Wednesday and Thursday. I had been training with Longford Town last weekend and was going to sign for Longford tomorrow [Saturday]. I am delighted to be signing for Sligo today. I would like to thank my company Union Foods. Without their support I wouldn’t be able to do what I love and that is play for Sligo Rovers. They have given me the opportunity. I would also like to thank Michael Toolan and Rob for their co-operation and understanding. Finally I would like to thank the supporters of Sligo Rovers because in the last couple of weeks the support has been unbelievable.”

O’ Grady statement was short, perhaps after months of talking off the pitch there was no more to be said. Rob Mc Donald also thanked O’ Grady’s employers for their role in making the signing possible. With under 3 weeks until the transfer window closers his squad is slowing beginning to take shape. Currently Mc Donald has a squad of 19 players, although Brian Cash will not return from injury until May or June. He admits he needs a number of new players with a striker and in particular a central defender a priority.

                “They are very difficult find, quality ones. I had a trialist , John Routledge who is ex Plymouth but he was not really what I was looking for. We are getting to the stage where we see C.V’s where it says a player is 6’3 or 6’4 and I think “I’ve got him” and they come in and are good footballers….but they just don’t have the nastiness or the presence you need for the Eircom League. Someone who comes in needs to have a real presence and we have said this for a long time, we need some experience. We are working on some things. They have to be financially plausible, politically right and have real quality”

Chairman Michael Toolan took the opportunity to introduce the clubs new promotions officer Sinead Fraher at the press conference. Every Premiership club will have a promotions officer this season and Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the arrival of Sinead. She has previously worked in retail marketing and is now branching into sports marketing. She is delighted to be joining a club that in her mind “is one of the only clubs in the country with such history and following”.

Rovers are playing their second pre season friendly tonight. They take on Armagh City in Armagh with a 7.30 pm kick off.