Sligo Rovers are delighted to confirm that the club has reached a deal with goalkeeper Sam Sargeant, extending his current contract at the club to the end of the 2026 season. 

The 27-year-old shot-stopper has been one of the Bit O’Red’s stand-out performers in recent months and Rovers have moved quickly to secure the Greenwich native’s services for another 12 months. 

Sargeant joined Rovers in January last, following a successful spell at fellow Premier Division side Waterford. 

He has played 21 times for the club to date and was recently rewarded for some stand out performances between the sticks when he picked up the Wehrly Brothers Men’s Player of the Month award for June. 

Sam has played an integral part in Rovers’ recent form, keeping two clean sheets in our last five games. 

News of Sargeant’s contract extension follows on from a successful appeal on Sligo Rovers’ behalf earlier this week, in relation to a red card picked up by the former Leyton Orient player against Shels last Saturday. 

An independent appeals committee over-turned referee Rob Harvey’s decision to dismiss Sargeant and therefore he will be available for Rovers’ next game which is this Sunday, against St Pat’s in Dublin. 

Speaking to sligorovers.com, Sargeant says he is thrilled to put pen to paper, crediting the coaching staff as a big influence in his decision to extend his current contract. 

“I’ve enjoyed my time at Rovers so much and having spoken to Richard Brush and the gaffer about their plans for the rest of the season and beyond, it was a simple decision.

“Brushy is a big part of my decision to stay, I love working with him every day. I’ve loved working with the manager, Brushy and Ryan Casey but not just the coaching staff, but the team as a whole. 

“I feel I’ve developed playing here and am looking forward to developing more over the next 18 months or so.”

By his own admission, Sam went through a patchy start to life at the Showgrounds. 

The current season started with defeats to Waterford, Drogheda and St Pat’s after which the imposing net-minder was dropped in favour of Conor Walsh. Sargeant spent the next six games on the bench, returning in Rovers’ first away win of the season, a four goal trouncing of Waterford at the RSC in April. 

He has been a vital mainstay ever-since and proven to be a pivotal part of Rovers’ post-summer break return to form, only missing out on those few minutes after he was sent-off against Shels. 

“It was mixed early on, to be honest”, he continues. 

“On a personal level, I feel I didn’t start the season as well as I could have but I feel as if I’m in a good place now. 

“Being taken out of the team made me realise I needed to do more and that’s what I did. I pushed myself and proved I was able to get back to the levels I previously was at. 

“It’s important to have competition for every position, it drives everyone. Conor is a great young goalkeeper and he’s a great lad off the pitch. We have a great relationship and drive each other.”

With ten league games to go, Rovers are still pushing to collect as many league points as possible in our mission to catch the likes of Galway, Waterford and St Pat’s. While the Bit O’Red are also still very much in the mix when it comes to the FAI Cup. 

“As a team, we had a slow start and found ourselves at the rear end of the table”, Sargeant says. 

“But we have proven since the break that we’re a very good team that can beat anyone. We now have to look to finish the season as strong as we can and build then for next year. We would love a cup run and that’s the aim. But we need to keep working hard, keep adding the points to the table and work our way up as high as we can go. 

“You can see we’ve gelled more as a team as the year has gone on. It has taken a while, but we are getting better and better as time has gone on. The window has been good for us as well, the likes of Paddy McClean, James McManus and Ryan O’Kane have added to the competition and that strengthens us.”  

Welcoming the news that his number one has agreed to a new deal, First Team Manager John Russell says he is delighted to tie down Sargeant’s services for another season.  

“Sam is a top-class goalkeeper who fits in perfectly with the way we play here at Rovers and he’s proved that over the last few months”, Russell says. 

“He is an excellent communicator, his passing range is exceptional and he has that great ability to make big saves when called upon. 

“He’s become an essential part of what we’ve built here so far and over the course of this season, he’s become a real leader. Even at 27, he’s one of the older heads in the group and he has been a big voice and big influencer in the dressing room and I only see that influence growing over time. The extension of his current deal is really great news for us, going forward.”

David Goulden