The final curtain falls on Sligo Rovers’ season this Friday night as the Bit O’Red take on Derry City at the Showgrounds for what will be our last game of the current campaign.
Kick-off at the Showgrounds is 7.45pm, with the Belfry Bar, Sligo providing match night sponsorship. While Flynn’s Bar, Carrick-on-Shannon is the match ball sponsor.
This clash with the Candystripes will be Rovers’ final outing as a Premier Division club for one year at least as we prepare to try to bounce straight back up next season.
Manager Darren Purse already has his eye on an instant return to the top-flight and wants to pay back the supporters and people of Sligo who have backed his side each week regardless of venue or form.
“There’s a few things that I’ve learned about myself and the players we have”, he tells sligorovers.com.
“I’m still so disappointed we’ve got relegated. I thought we had enough in us to keep us in the division but obviously the last ten games didn’t work out. We’ve not ended up where I expected or wanted us to be.
“I know there’s a lot of work to be done to make it my team for next year.
“I was at Cardiff two years ago when they got relegated. Everyone was really down but it brought out the best in the club in a way because they developed a lot of the younger players that were there.
“I can see that happening here too.
“We’ve got some really good young talent who probably aren’t good enough for the Premier Division at the moment. But in a year’s time, they will be and hopefully that’ll be with a promotion under their belt.
“But there’s a lot to look forward to both on and off the pitch.
“I can’t thank our supporters enough. They’ve been exceptional both home and away and we’re doing everything we can to give them something to cheer about next season.”
Derry will arrive in Sligo under interim boss Mark Connolly in buoyant form having been beaten just once in their last five league games.
The Brandywell side also have a Club Orange FAI Cup final on their horizons, but with the league’s fourth place still on offer, Purse is expecting whatever eleven they put out, will be one looking for points.
“All I’m concentrating on is the team I’ll put out”, he continues.
“But even if Derry drop a few, they’ll be very strong on paper and we need to be at our best to get a result we’re looking for. It’s our last home game and we’re looking to put in a performance and pick up a win we’ve deserved over the past few weeks.”
Striker Luke Pearce will be assessed ahead of Friday and is struggling with a back injury. Carl McHugh is likely to sit this one out as he continues his rest following a knee injury, while young midfielder Rueben Gillespie is expected to return to the squad.
The off-season will be all about graft on all fronts as Rovers look to start our first year back in the First Division in 22 years on the front foot.
Purse says he will do everything he can in the coming months to ensure Sligo’s stay in the second tier is no longer that the minimum needed.
“It’ll be all about recruitment for me”, he states.
“I won’t be having any time off. I’m going back to the UK for a while watching as many games as I can and meeting up with contacts and agents and that’ll be my next six to eight weeks.
“We’ll come back in for some strength and conditioning work the week before Christmas and straight after new year, we’re back in getting ready for the start of the new season.”
David Goulden