The usual bubbly Cook was without any cheer which was surprising considering he had just witnessed the club's first win of the season. He immediately let his feelings be known about the press coverage last week.

'We had a difficult start to the season and some of the press reports that I read I am not too pleased with. I think it brings pressure to the players and the club. We brought seven new players. We have a difficult start to the season, we got through in the cup, and we have won tonight and have five points. We are doing ok but it doesn't seem so for some people.'

Cook was determined to get his point across, obviously frustrated by the lack of support from some section of the local press.

'Tonight we had to win didn't we? I think we have won 3-1 and scored a few goals. I don't understand people's mentality. I think nowadays in football when teams do not win or go on bad runs the first person where the buck stops is with the manager. At the minute what I am trying to do is get all the people of Sligo behind us to try and establish the club as a Premier Division team and try to go forward.

"Some of the articles this week, I am not pleased with. I do not understand it. With the best will in the world when we are not doing well I will take all the pressure going. But I do not think you should write some of the things that I have been reading lately. I think we have been too quick to look to last year. We finished sixth in the league last year. Last year is gone. We are now trying to do something this year so really we should be talking about this year.'

He assessed each game of the season so far and with five points he can be pleased with some of the promising signs his team are showing.

'It is a very difficult league. We have gone to UCD and got a point which we weren't so pleased with. We've come here tonight against Cobh and got a win. We have played Bohs the other week and I don't think we should have got beaten. We drew with Drogheda- that is a terrible result isn't it??'

Rovers were without Fahrudin Kudozovic and Sean Doherty during the week due to injury and they played no part in Saturdays' game. Alan Moore was due to start the game but the former Ireland international broke his finger in warm up.

'He (Moore) broke his finger before the game. Obviously we are disappointed. We lost Kudozovic and Doherty but we just try to do our best. Chris Butler got a kick in the face and he was all over the place. We asked him if he was alright and he said "yes". Work that one out. He has been sent to hospital.'

Cook finished his post match thoughts with one last appeal for the people of Sligo to go with him in what he is trying to do for the club. By now Cook's anger had been transformed into passion and an appeal for the events of last week not to be repeated

'We are trying to establish ourselves as a Premier Division club. We are trying to look forward and to bring the people of Sligo into The Showgrounds to say "get behind us and support us and we can grow into a strong team". We are not a strong team today; we are not the finished product. But while we have people who pull in different directions we will not get there.We are trying to pass the ball; we are trying to get back to our basics of working hard and doing our best. That is where we are trying to do and aim to finish as high as we can in the league.'

By Rory Houston