Gibson reveals Doyle’s influence in joining Rovers

New Sligo Rovers signing Jordan Gibson has revealed that former Bit O’ Red star Eoin Doyle was an influence in his the move to The Showgrounds.

Gibson and Doyle were in the same Bradford team in 2018, with the new Rovers signing speaking fondly of the 2010 and 20111 FAI Cup winner.

When Liam Buckley made his move for Gibson, the 22-year-old made contact with Doyle.

He revealed: “I spoke with Eoin Doyle as I played with him at Bradford and he couldn’t have spoken highly enough of the club. He said it was a great club and it would be a great move for me.

“Eoin Doyle is a top man, I played with him a few times at Bradford. He is an all-round good person.

“He was the first person who came to mind when Sligo were interested as I knew he played with Sligo and in Ireland. I thought even thought it was a while ago now, his experience and guidance and advice would aid me to make my decision.

“At Bradford the club had just played the League 1 play-off final and lost it.

“They were aiming to try to go one better the next season so trying to get into the team was challenging. I made my debut in January in 2018 and then the manager was sacked a couple of days after that. I had five or six managers in three seasons at Bradford.

“As you can imagine it was hard to break in when a new manager kept coming in. I racked up a few appearances in League 1 and League 2. I scored a couple of goals too. I was delighted with that and being so young getting that experience was great.

“The gaffer here was very eager to sign me so I thought it would be a good opportunity to sign with a club like Sligo Rovers. With the club being in Europe, I’m excited to be playing against players on that stage.”