Chris Rutherford, one of the most respected ever Sligo Rovers defenders, is to feature on the Bit O’ Red Wall in the Showgrounds.

His daughter, Gemma, has ordered a tile that will feature on phase two of the wall.

Already 160 tiles have been booked for new section that will be erected by Feelystone at The Showgrounds. Click here to buy a tile on the Bit O’ Red Wall.

Chris was 20 when he and Graham Fox came as former Cardiff City players to have a look at The Showgrounds in 1975.

He made Sligo his home, later marrying Bernadette Verdon from Knappagh Road and rearing their three children, Nina, Gemma and Stuart. Forty six year later, Chris is still here.

Under manager Billy Sinclair a young Chris Rutherford quickly became part of what developed into one the finest defensive units in the League of Ireland.

He formed a partnership with Tony Stenson and once more the centre of the Rovers defence became as reliable as during the golden years of David Pugh.

Alan Paterson, later Declan Mc Intyre and Colin Oakley were reliable goalkeepers; the full-backs included Paul Fielding, (Sinclair as player manager for a time), Padraig Mc Manus, Mick Ferry, Graham Fox, Charlie Mc Geever, Enda Scanlon, Padraig Mc Manus and Mick Ferry.

But Chris Rutherford and Tony Stensons were the rock solid heart of the defence.

Chris was delighted to be part of Sinclair’s title-winning side in 1977, two years into his Showgrounds career.

He played at the famous Red Star Belgrade stadium behind the Iron Curtain when Rovers travelled behind the Iron Curtain to what was then Yugoslavia for the first leg of their European Cup clash.

He battled through a serious knee injury and added to his legendary status in 1983 when his two second-half goals at a packed Showgrounds finally eliminated Cobh Ramblers after one of the most famous series of semi-final draws in FÁI Cup history.

Weeks later goals by Tony Stenson and Harry Mc Laughlin in the mud at Dalymount Park brought Rovers a 2-1 victory over Bohemians. The side managed by Rutherford’s pal, Paul Fielding, brought the trophy over the Shannon and thousands filled Sligo’s streets to greet them.

Injury forced Chris to retire far too early at the age of 28. But by that stage he was already a trusted member of the Sligo Glass company, run by the Carty family, who are passionate Sligo Rovers supporters.

Rather than spend Monday, a day off after each Sunday game, in a pool hall or elsewhere, Chris went searching for a part-time job. Frankie Carty gave him a start and they became lifelong friends as well as fellow workers. Three years ago Chris retired from the firm.

A tile, celebrating the towering centre half who made Sligo his home, will now be part of the Showgrounds landscape.

Father and son, Noel and Gary Cawley, will also share their love of the Rovers on the wall. From a well-known Sligo family, the Cawleys have been loyal supporters of the club for decades. Noel, who lives at Breeogue, in a Gold Season Ticket member.

The Hargadons are another family who will have a place in the new phase. Eamon (Boo) was a handy player in his day. Their tile with read

Up The Bit O Red

Emer,Kayleigh,Reon

Eamon(Boo) Hargadon

Martin Bracken was reared in Cornageeha in one of the line of semi-detached houses on the Dublin Road, beyond Markievicz Park. After leaving Summerhill College, he joined the bank and a career that brought him on to several regional addresses.

He is one of the group of Sligo exiles who formed their own Rovers supporters club, ‘The Red Necks’, using O’Briens pub at Sussex Street as their Dublin meeting place. Throughout their working lives and now in retirement the group has consistently backed the different fund-raising schemes that keep the club afloat.

Colin became a prominent member of the Dublin Supporters Club in the 2000s before moving to Donegal.

The Bracken tile will state

Jack Bracken

Colin Bracken

Martin Bracken

Jamie Lacken turned 20 on Christmas Eve. His very special birthday present from his auntie Lorraine is a tile on the Showgrounds wall. Jamie has three brothers, Cian, Ryan and Dylan.

Provided they are not committed to activities with their local GAA club, Saint Pats, Dromard, some if not all of the four Showgrounds on match nights throughout the season.

Their father, Brendan, is one of Sligo Rovers’ “essential workers”.

He is secretary of the Sligo Rovers management committee which continues to mind and develop the club during challenging times.

If you wish to reserve a tile in phase of the The Showgrounds wall, you can click here.

You can also download the Bit O’ Red Wall tile form and post it to The Showgrounds. Leave a phone number and we will contact you.

Can’t think of what to get a loved one to celebrate this year?

We’ve a brand new special item on our online store today in advance of Valentine’s Day this Sunday.

Get a Sligo Rovers hat, scarf, the Annie West poster and a unique Valentine’s Day card for your loved one in a special bundle.

With the difficult times, we’re pricing this bundle at €30. This is an online only offer and not able for collection. It must be delivered.

Click here to purchase.

The hat, scarf and poster normally retail at €43.99, so with the special card thrown in, we’re keen to make this an affordable gift for someone special in your life in these tough days.

The scarf is the red and white scarf, while the hat is all red.

The Annie West poster has been extremely popular, portraying countless Bit O’ Red characters that created the spirit of Sligo Rovers and show the support behind the club.

Annie West is an award-winning illustrator and cartoonist, her work was recently added to the National Library of Ireland’s permanent Cartoon & Illustration Archive.

Shipping and packaging calculated once you are about to complete your purchase.

Buy now and please purchase before Thursday to ensure it arrives on Friday.

Sligo Rovers are hosting online bingo events later this month as the club moves its bingo experience to a virtual audience.

The event will be run in a similar way to our previous online fundraisers.  It is open to all players over the age of 18. A single bingo book will be €12, while a double will be €20.

The first bingo event will take place on Friday 26 February at 8pm. 

We’ll send you a link to download your books which contain your six bingo games in an email, you can then download them, and either play on your phone or print them off or even write them out yourself.

Click here to buy a single book

Click here to buy a double book

They will contain a serial number integrated with our software and bingo session

What you will need is a device to join our game (laptop, phone or tablet), it’s a free app called Zoom which you will need. All the details to play will be in the e-mail we send you.

What we play for in each session

6 Games of Bingo with a Jackpot of €500 in Game 6

Single Line, Double Line & The Full House in each session with payouts over €1300

Game 1 – Orange

Game 2 – Olive

Game 3 – Grey

Game 4 – Brown

Game 5 – Red

Game 6 – Green

All proceeds go to the club and we are looking to open up to a wide audience and connect players all over Sligo.

We want to have a bit of fun with a few games during the Bingo and also the most important thing is you can see and hear everyone so you know who you are playing with & against. 

We’ll bring you more info once you purchase.

Sign up now and play Sligo Rovers Bingo.

Colm Horgan has become the latest player to sign for Sligo Rovers this morning as the Bit O’ Red move closer to completing an exciting squad at the Showgrounds ahead of the new season.

Horgan has joined Rovers after spending the 2020 campaign at Derry City.

The 26-year-old moved to Cork City from his hometown club Galway United in 2018 where he was a very consistent performer for the Tribesmen over many years.

Horgan’s brother Daryl is a former Rovers player.

Speaking after signing this morning, he said: “I’m very excited. When I got the call, Liam didn’t have to say a lot to be honest. His name and the club’s name speak for themselves. I think the performances last year after the break also say a lot.

“I know it’s a brilliantly run-club and that the supporters here are always on hand to give the club an extra push when it’s needed. It’s football-mad here and I’m chomping at the bit to get started to be honest with you

“I enjoyed my year at Derry. There are great people in the club and while we were inconsistent I thought I did okay in my season there. I wish them well. When this opportunity came up, I jumped at it.

“The manager has a proven record of making players better and the club itself has a fantastic reputation.

“There’s European football to come and after fourth-place last season, there has to be an aim to improve on that.”

Horgan is looking forward to trying to securing a starting role on the opening day of the season.

“Fitness isn’t an issue for me. When I went to Derry last season, I missed the first few weeks of pre-season and it didn’t affect me. I keep fit and I try to be physically and mentally ready. There are over five weeks to go now which is great. I know there’ll be plenty of quality players here. I know the likes of Garry Buckley from Cork, Dave Cawley was at Galway. The league is small so I’m familiar with everyone.

“The full-backs are all very good, competition is going to be there at a club like Sligo Rovers so I’m just going to do what I can to get in the team. I play mostly on the right but I can play on either side.”

Liam Buckley said: “Colm brings fantastic experience to the group. We know all about his ability from keeping track on him in the league over the years, I’ve enquired about him before so it’s great to be able to bring him here today.  

“He comes to us at a very good age. He covers the right side but can also operate on the left and has done many times over the years. He’s a good defender and gets up and down the flank well. It really strengthens us. We’ve got Robbie McCourt, Lewis Banks, Colm and from a squad point of view it’s fantastic because there’s lots of versatility there.

“There was a point at the start of last season where we were down to one or two fit defenders because of injury. We just hope to avoid all that this year with a bit of luck. It really went against us last season. We’d love to start the season with this compliment of defenders because it would give us lots of options. Colm is a great signing for us and I think he’ll adapt very quickly. He’ll be training with us straight away this morning.”

Buckley said he may not be finished with squad additions. Mark Byrne is contracted as a professional from last year and continues to catch the eye, while fellow IT scholarship students Scott Lynch and Darren Collins will be formally added to the group shortly as they continue to progress and contribute to the first-team picture.

It is the academy players who are also giving the Rovers boss something even further to think about. Kailin Barlow, Conor Walsh, Jason Devaney, Peter Maguire, Cillian Heaney are involved in early days of training.

Buckley said: “There are one or two more signings in the mix possibly. We’ll see where that goes. The recruitment has gone quite well, I’m very happy with the group we’ve put together so far.

“The young players with us are also really adding something to training. I’m looking at them and from when they trained with us last summer to now, the ‘jump’ in development is very clear to see. It’s exciting. They’re in my mind, there’s no doubt about that. The opportunity is there for them also. Overall we’re in a good place now and if we can get through pre-season, we’ll be very pleased.”

Under contract at Sligo Rovers for 2021 so far: 

Ed McGinty, Richard Brush, Luke McNicholas (on loan at Finn Harps), Lewis Banks, Garry Buckley, John Mahon, Shane Blaney, Robbie McCourt, Colm Horgan, David Cawley, Greg Bolger, Niall Morahan, Ryan De Vries, Mark Byrne, Romeo Parkes, Walter Figueira, Johnny Kenny, Jordan Gibson,

Check out a video from one session on the opening day of pre-season in The Showgrounds.

We also catch up with Niall Morahan

The first day of pre-season began in The Showgrounds this morning.

Liam Buckley addressed the players and put them through their paces.

View a gallery of images by James Fallon and Michael Melly.

Sligo Rovers manager Liam Buckley feels the opening day fixture against Dundalk will be a challenging encounter, and the release of the list of games will focus minds ahead of the new campaign.

Rovers have an intriguing start, with the Lilywhites visiting on 20 March in our first game.

Indeed in terms of home games, it’s Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers first up for the Bit O’Red.

Away from home Rovers will be heading for Waterford and Longford early on.

Buckley said: “I’ve no doubt it will be a very hard game. We’ve had our battles with Dundalk in the last number of years, FAI Cup semi-finals and more.

“We’ve competed well in a lot of those games and we’re certainly going to have do that again if we are to get any type of result.

“Dundalk will have their sights on honours again next season as they have done for many years now.

“I think when you look at a fixture list it focuses the minds of everyone. You have something to build towards. As regards an opening fixture, it will be difficult but also one we can look forward to.

“This game is one we can build towards over the next six weeks and the rest of the season thereafter.”

The Rovers boss was adamant that last season threw up a scenario where every league game was extremely difficult to win, and it was evident in several unpredictable results, particularly towards the end of the season.

Ahead of the 2021 campaign, he expects the task to be just as hard: “We move on to Waterford away after Dundalk as just one example. Kevin Sheedy and Mike Newell are in there this season and I think you’ll see a lot of good players coming from England and Scotland to join their squad over the next few weeks.

“That will really strengthen them so it will be difficult. There was the odd goal in both matches last season. As always we’ll be doing our homework on the rest of the sides.

“That said, we’re really just focusing on our preparations over the next six weeks, getting our lads up to speed, getting patterns of play and all of that where it should be.”

One element that was somewhat deflating in the fixture announcement yesterday was what might have been.

Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Finn Harps are the first three home games for Buckley’s men and in normal times, there would be bumper and likely sell-out crowds at The Showgrounds, as well as a large visiting support from Sligo in Longford in early April.

As it stands crowds are not expected to return to games in the first series of games and likely longer.

Buckley said: “We just have to hope that please God we can have some supporters later in the year.

“We do miss them, they are a big loss to us here. We know they were watching on via stream or listening on the radio last season and it is disappointing we face into that again. We want them with us.

“You just have to hope we get the go-ahead later in the year.

“For now, starting the league on the date scheduled is the next step. If we can get the league up and running with everyone healthy and following all the protocols, that will put it in the right direction.

“I’m told we’ve sold nigh-on 600 passes for when fans can return which is just brilliant in the circumstances. We’d love to be able to welcome back the supporters with us going well and some big games so that’s what we’ll be aiming for.”

Take a virtual tour of the new Showgrounds Outdoor Museum as the Sligo Rovers Heritage Group unveil their work and bring it directly to your home.

The Showgrounds Outdoor Museum is the first facility of its kind provided by an Irish football club. 

It offers a unique, accessible overview of the fascinating history of Sligo Rovers.

The museum consists of 100 panels erected at various locations throughout the ground, featuring legendary players, managers, club volunteers and famous supporters.

Given the important role played by the club in the community, it also represents a social history of Sligo over the last 90+ years.

The club’s original proposal to promote open access to the museum in recent months had to be revisited in light of public health guidelines, but as an outdoor facility, it will represent a safe and secure setting for visitors when restrictions are eased.

The aim in developing the museum is to demonstrate the diverse and inclusive history of Sligo Rovers.

The club has a rich history of attracting managers, players and volunteers from abroad, particularly England and Scotland. Sligo Rovers has always been a welcoming club, and many who came to play made Sligo their home, including Johnny Armstrong, Chris Rutherford, Tony Stenson, Paul Fielding.

The Museum also honours the many volunteers and supporters who were at the heart of this community club – including Johnny Chadda, Packie McGowan, Nancy Callaghan, Frazer Browne, Eddie and Dermot MCullagh James and Andy Tiernan.  Many of the characters will be known to Rovers supporters, others from the early days of the club will be less well known.

The museum is the latest project of Sligo Rovers Heritage Group;  Its projects to date include two club histories, a series of exhibitions and occasional events to celebrate special anniversaries or former players. Its first venture in 2012 was to host a visit of the Dean family in 2012  to visit the display hosted in Sligo Museum to honour our most famous import.

The museum brochure includes a foreword from Editor of Liverpool  Echo David Prentice, who is married to Dixie’s Granddaughter, Melanie.

The association with the Dean family is one of the key elements in our partnership with Everton

Museum Project Team

Management: Sligo Rovers Heritage Group

Funded by: EUPeace IV Programme

Panel Design: Daragh Stuart

Panel manufacture: Ballast Signs

Video: James Dennison Studio Rove

Special thanks to: Jim Gray and Derek Sweeney

Sligo Rovers Heritage Group: Aidan Mannion, Kevin Colreavy,

Noel Scott, Michael Kelly, Anthony Kilfeather, Joe Molloy, Michael

Moran

Sligo Rovers will begin the new season at home to Dundalk FC in an exciting tie to begin the SSE Airtiricty League Premier Division season.

The match will take place on Saturday 20 March in The Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm.

Rovers then travel to Waterford the following Friday for the first away encounter, and face another away match against Longford Town on Saturday 3 April.

The fourth match of the campaign sees Shamrock Rovers visit The Showgrounds on Saturday 10 April.

Finn Harps are next up in The Showgrounds seven days later, which is followed by a midweek game against Bohemians in Dalymount Park on Tuesday 20 April.

Derry at home, Drogheda United away and a midweek game, Monday 3 May, against St Patrick’s Athletic completes the list for the first round of games.

Several reserve dates has been included in the new season, while the mid-season break has also been stayed in the calendar, beginning on 30 May.

The season will end on Friday 19 November for Rovers at home to Bohemians.  

Richard Brush has signed for Sligo Rovers this morning, 15 years on from his first spell with the club. 

The 36-year-old goalkeeper has become a Rovers player for the fourth time, coming full circle in his career in Ireland.

Brush spent four years with the club during the early years of the Paul Cook era, including the 2010 FAI Cup winning season.

He returned for the 2012 campaign as the Bit O’ Red won the league title. 

The Birmingham-born goalkeeper, who settled in Sligo since first moving over, was back for a third occasion in 2014.

Now, after a very successful spell in Northern Ireland, Brush admits signing back in Sligo means a lot to him. 

“I really could not have predicted this from when I first signed all those years ago, never. To be honest even five years ago I didn’t see this happening. I’m chuffed, that’s how it feels.

“It’s really nice. To be back now and be here to guide some of the young players as well, it’s just a good feeling.  

“In the last spell the club was going through a tough period and that golden era we had was in the past.  

“Today it feels like the club is really on the up and the good times could be coming back. So apart from being chuffed, I’m also excited to be part of that now.

“It is huge for me to win another trophy and experience more European football. I’m coming towards the end of my career and I want as many good experiences as possible. 

“To this day I get people still coming up to me in the street in Sligo talking about this game and that or whatever it is.

“You know names, some of them are just faces you see, but you know what the club means here. I feel honoured to be wanted as well and that the gaffer and the club wanted to bring me in. 

“I am here to play. You train to play and while I know Ed has done really well, I’m signing with a view to getting into the team. I’m under no illusions. Every goalkeeper knows there’s someone else wanting to get in. I worked with Ed briefly two years ago so I know what he’s about and his charisma and ability.

“Goalkeepers tend to be close to each other because they work together every day, and 95% of the experiences I’ve had that has been the case. I know there’s also one or twovery good talented young goalkeepers too who will train with us which is great.” 

Brush described his time in Northern Ireland as memorable and that he looks back on the time in the Irish League as some of the best years of his career. 

“It’s funny that we have two leagues on the island and somehow they are so different to each other. That is not taking away one from the other, they both have their good points.

“In Northern Ireland they are a few years behind the league down here in terms of going full-time. But I really can’t speak highly enough of playing in the Irish League.

“I’m not a big football fan, what brings me coming back to football is the people around it. They are the most genuine and decent you can meet and that matters most to me. 

“I had that in Ballinamallard and Cliftonville and the people at the clubs, you just want to do well for them as much as anything. I think, at this stage of my career, coming back to Sligo Rovers is just one thing I had to say yes to because of my history with the club. 

“At Cliftonville we had some big games, won the Shield and European games. It’s a fantastic club and I’ve grateful to everyone for the last couple of years.”

Brush will begin pre-season on Thursday with his new team-mates, now as the veteran of the squad, and alongside some familiar faces such as David Cawley and John Russell.

He concluded: “It’ll be nice to walk in the gate again as a Sligo Rovers player and see everyone. Now that I’ve signed, it’s about getting through pre-season and trying to start well.

“Like I said, I’m not back for sentimentality. We’ll have a squad here who can achieve things and we’re going to give it a right go from the first day.” 

Liam Buckley said: “When it was decided for Luke to go on loan, Richard was the first name that came to mind. He’s been one of the best goalkeepers in the two leagues for many years.

“We don’t sign anyone with a view to a guaranteed starting place. It’s the drive of competing against each other which will help us succeed and that is what we want. Ed and Richard will compete for the jersey. I’ve spoken about how we rate Luke, but this is a different type of pressure for Ed now because his competition is someone who has been doing it for 15 years.

“We feel they will bring the best out of each other and push each other as well. There’ll be a respect there too of course. Overall we’re very pleased to bring in Richard. He has a great affinity with the people here too and I think he’s going to be a very good addition to the group. 

“We’re aiming to finish the squad soon, it may go into pre-season because of Covid protocols, transfer windows and whatever else. It would be our intention to try to finish the squad soon but it will take as long it takes.”