KARL O’SULLIVAN TOLD CONALL COLLIER ABOUT HIS  JOURNEY FROM LIMERICK TO SLIGO VIA BALLYBOFEY, HOW HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF TURNING HIS BACK ON THE LEAGUE OF IRELAND AND HOW HE IS ADJUSTING TO RECOVERING FROM THE INJURY HE SUSTAINED AGAINST DERRY CITY ON ST PATRICK’S DAY. THIS INTERVIEW WAS IN THE MATCH PROGRAMME FOR LAST SATURDAY NIGHT’S GAME.

Karl O’Sullivan took the long road from Limerick to get to Sligo as he travelled via Ballybofey.

Once the Donegal town is mentioned in relation to the League of Ireland, it’s safe to suggest that a certain individual by the name of Ollie Horgan can’t be too far removed from the equation.

And Karl certainly credits the legendary figure that is Ollie Horgan with rescuing his, what could only be described as fledgling, League of Ireland career.

That career in the League of Ireland began with the now defunct Limerick FC and it was there that Karl relished the opportunities handed to him by manager Tommy Barrett before the demise of what then was the latest incarnation of the club.

“When I started with Limerick FC, I made my debut in 2017, I was only 17 and the manager at the time, Neil McDonald, had just left, but that was of no real concern to me, I just wanted to play football and what was going on sort of worked in my favour in as much as I got to play,” said Karl.

“The cracks just started to appear, Tommy Barrett took over as manager and it was probably a blessing in disguise for me in one sense, I got the opportunity to play in the League of Ireland.

“Tommy had been the manager of the u-19 team I had played on for Limerick, so he knew me, he was always willing to give young players a chance and he gave myself and Will (Fitzgerald) a chance – we both made it into the first team at the same time,

“I didn’t mind too much playing with a ‘Townie’ like Will as he wasn’t a bad footballer, I suppose I have to say that anyway, but he wasn’t as good as me,” added Karl.

Taking him back to his early days in Glin, his home town, Karl has great appreciation for the efforts his parents made to get him involved in sport.

“My parents, Joe and Jackie, gave me tremendous support when I was growing up in Glin,” said Karl.

 “I can certainly say that I wouldn’t have achieved as much as I have so far without that backing.

“Glin is a small town on the border of west Limerick and north Kerry, my family would have been steeped in the GAA for starters, Glin GAA club and Limerick GAA as well.

“My uncles would have played football and hurling for Limerick over the years, my mother also played football for Limerick.

“She is a real sports enthusiast and also played some camogie, she was a very good player and she’ll probably ‘kill me’ for mentioning that,” suggested Karl as he tried to adjust to the current circumstances where he is supposed to use the crutches for the injury he picked up in Derry two weeks ago.

“I have two brothers and two sisters, Gerardine is the eldest, then there is David, Shane and Jane, I’m the second youngest in the family.

“I suppose it was a typical family in relation to sport, the GAA with the local club and soccer with the local club (Glin Rovers) in the Limerick Desmond League.

“We would have been regarded as the ‘culchies’ by the more ‘refined’ players in the Limerick & District League, at least that’s what Will Fitzgerald tells me, he claims that he is a real Limerick man, but I won’t say too much more about that,” he added.

Getting back to the turmoil in Limerick and how he was resigned to giving up League of Ireland football.

“It was a bit all over the place in the club (Limerick), no one knew what was going to happen, but at least now there is a team (Treaty Utd) and it seems to be going well.

“It’s also great to see a team now from Kerry, that’s good for the League of Ireland in the long-term.

“However, to get back to your question,  my time at Limerick, the way things worked out in 2019, it wasn’t very encouraging,  I was kind of fed up with football by the end of that season and was ready to pack it in, not bother anymore with the League of Ireland.

“I was after dropping out of college also and wasn’t getting paid at Limerick either.

“I was doing business and sports management in LIT (Limerick), but after a year or so I realised that it wasn’t really for me, I had just picked it as an option after the Leaving Certificate, I really hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do at the time.

“I found out that it wasn’t what I wanted so I can take a positive of some sort out of that, what I really wanted was to play football and that’s what I’ve done now for a few years and I want to continue that for the moment anyway.

 “But at that time, back in 2019, I was finished with football, frustrated with everything I suppose, I was determined to pack it in and then one evening I got a phone call.

“It was from a number that I didn’t recognise, I thought it might be one of those scam calls, but I answered it anyway.

“It was Ollie Horgan, he was looking for me, he had driven all the way down to Glin from Ballybofey, that’s a long journey and that got my attention straight away, he wanted to sign me for Finn Harps.

“It was what I really wanted, to play football and I didn’t mind where it was so I decided that I wouldn’t pack in the football just yet and for 2020 was on my way to Finn Park.

“Ollie did a great job at Finn Harps, he didn’t get the credit he deserves, when you go out to play for Ollie at Finn Harps you know exactly what you have to do.

“I lived in Ballybofey for two years, Covid made it difficult in 2020 but the people running the club are great people and made sure that the players were well looked after.

“One thing is certain, there were no egos in Finn Harps, it’s a fan-owned club and I can say at this stage that Ollie Horgan revived my interest in playing in the League of Ireland, if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be with Sligo Rovers now.

“I suppose my time at Harps was successful in as much as Premier Division status was secured each season and it’s a club I have great time for.

“Not unlike Sligo Rovers in a sense, great people, great supporters, great determination to keep the flag flying and it’s not easy, but it’s important that the players are aware of that,” he added.

And what about the journey back down the road from Ballybofey that was brought to a halt at the Showgrounds. How did that materialise?

“I arrived in Sligo after another random phone call at the end of the 2021 season, this time it was Liam Buckley,” said Karl.

“I was out of contract with Finn Harps and was delighted to get the chance to join Sligo Rovers, the prospects of playing in Europe in 2022 was too good of an opportunity to miss out on and as it turned out it was a brilliant experience.

“There was a downside though, I think the exertions in Europe had an impact on our finishing position last season, we just missed out on fourth place, but our goal this year is to achieve better than fourth and get back into Europe.

“Liam was a bit unlucky in the way that results panned out. For me, his man-management skills were top class.

“It was another new manager, it seems to be the way in the League of Ireland, constant change, John Russell is the boss now and I’m really enjoying my football, well I was until last week anyway.

“The injury I picked up against Derry City, it’s an ankle problem and it will keep me out for for a while.

“I had a boot and crutches, myself and Johan (Brannefalk), we looked like twins going around with the same injury.

“We could nearly pick a team of injured players at this stage, a lot of the injuries appear to be related to playing on the Astro pitches.

“My own opinion is that all games in the League of Ireland should be on grass pitches, but I’m not going to get into that debate, it’s for other people to resolve.

The immediate goal is to recover from the injury and get back playing, I love it here in Sligo, playing full-time football is what I want and when you have people like Greg Bolger around the place, it’s a great bonus.

“Greg brings a competitive edge, that’s the best way I can describe it, I’ll leave it at that, probably the safest thing to do,” concluded Karl.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce a unique opportunity for Schools or Club’s in the region to sign up and register for our 50KM Challenge for and be in with a chance of winning a brand-new football kit for their organisation, kindly sponsored by our Kit & Equipment partners Joma Sport.

The competition will see Primary Schools, Secondary Schools or local Football Clubs complete our 50KM Challenge and the club that raises the most for the Challenge will win the kit, which includes shirts, shorts and socks.

The club that wins will have the opportunity to choose the kit colour and will work with the club on it’s design in order to tailor it for their specific organisation’s colours.

To enter the competition, simply visit www.50kmchallenge.ie and click ‘Start Fundraiser’ and choose the ‘Group Fundraiser’ option.
You’ll then be able to edit your page and keep everyone else updated on how your Challenge is going.

We will be visiting some of the schools and clubs who have signed up throughout the month of April so there’s a chance for your pupils or players to meet their Bit O’ Red heroes.

When the Easter holidays are complete, the club will visit as many school’s as possible with members of the Rovers teams.

Can your school or club win? Good luck.

Our 50KM Challenge is now well underway since it’s official start on Saturday.

We have 200 people signed up and ready to take part in the Challenge with many people already well on their way to 50KM.

Supporters have came up with different ways of completing their challenges with many choosing to Walk or Run their 50KM or a combination of both.

One supporter, Eileen Higgins is going to complete her 50KM along with her horse, Smokey and Niall Curneen, a Season Ticket holder is hoping to finish off his 50KM Challenge by running the Belfast City Marathon at the end of the month. Niall ran an astonishing 34KM on Sunday alone.

Members of the Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust are out in force with the likes of Gerard O’ Connor, Donal Kelly, Susan Brennan, Rion Burnside and the Oates Family among others all beginning their 50KM Challenges over the last few days.

Staff members Shane Crossan and Conor O’ Grady have began their challenges at the weekend and members of the club’s Management Committee are also beginning their journeys.

All our teams are also signed up from Men’s and Women’s First Team’s to Academy teams with all the players and staff taking part in the Challenge through training and games throughout April.

Sean Dwyer is being remembered fondly as his daughter Deirdre signed up for the Challenge in his honor this weekend, and has already raised a large amount of money on behalf of the club.

We will continue to keep an eye on all our participants and give people plenty of mentions throughout the month of April as we all get to our 50KM targets together.

SIGN UP HERE www.50kmchallenge.ie

Sligo Rovers welcomed Bohemians to The Showgrounds on Saturday night in front of a large crowd, with the official attendance announced at 3,651.

Both teams went into the game in the top four of the League, Rovers in fourth and Bohs in second after Friday night’s League of Ireland fixtures.

John Russell made just one change from the game against Derry City, with Johan Brannefalk replaced by Frank Liivak in the starting team at right back. Cillian Heaney came onto the bench for the first time this season.

The game started with a fast pace and the first chance of the night fell to Bogdan Vastsuk who was making his first Showgrounds start. Greg Bogler’s clever free kick found the Estonian inside the area and goalkeeper James Talbot was quick off his line to save his effort.

Bolger tried his luck from distance ten minutes later with Talbot off his line and the ball went wide.

Bohs started to have some good spells of possession thereafter with good play from the likes of Ali Coote and striker Jonathan Afolabi. The visitors forced some corners which were well dealt with by Luke McNicholas and his Rovers’ defence.

Frank Liivak forced a corner for Rovers moments later which saw Bogdan Vastsuk go close with a flicked effort and the rest of the half was a tight affair with both sides cancelling eachother out, and the game was scoreless at the break.

In the second half, the same pattern as the first was emerging. Both sides had spells of possession and both goalkeepers had little to do in terms of shot stopping but both were commanding with crosses and any other incidents in their penalty areas.

Bohs had a strike from distance easily saved by McNicholas and both managers made changes, with Stefan Radosavljevic replacing Niall Morahan in midfield for John Russell.

Max Mata had a half chance on 76 minutes after a lovely curled pass with the outside of his right foot from the impressive Vastsuk but Mata’s header floated over the bar.

On 84 minutes, the visitors forced a corner on the left. Ali Coote delivered and Krystian Nowak rose highest in the area to head home and give his side the lead and something to hang onto.

Rovers threw as much as they could at the Bohs’ defence for the final few minutes in search of an equaliser but the Dubliners defended well and saw the game out to pick up the three points.

We host Bohemians tonight at 7.45pm at The Showgrounds.

We outline all our Match Night information below:

Turnstiles:

Turnstiles open from 6.30pm.

All Children Under 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult. This is non-negotiable and it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure their children are accompanied arriving to The Showgrounds and throughout the night.

All Children over the age of 12 must enter via the last turnstile on the left hand side which will be sign posted. This new turnstile is for Juveniles only and here they must pay €12 for Category One fixtures and €10 for Category Two fixtures. We remind you that this is an All-Ticket game and there is no entry without a ticket.

Please have your tickets ready for scanning to ensure a smooth and quick entry process. Any duplicate tickets will be refused and may lead to stadium bans for those in possession of one. Tickets will only scan once.

Away tickets are with completely sold out. Away fans who arrive without a match ticket will be refused entry.

Seating:

Seating is first come, first served in all areas of the ground. Seats with names on them must be respected as these are Gold Season Ticket members who have paid for their seat to be reserved all season. Anyone found sitting in a seat that is not theirs will be asked to move.

Security:

Members of our security team will carry out on the spot checks on bags and persons entering the ground. Alcohol and Pyrotechnics are not allowed and will be confiscated on entry. We ask supporters to please help the club in this regard and refrain from attempting to get in with any prohibited items.

CCTV:

CCTV is again in operation throughout the evening using our CCTV system. The system was instrumental in the club being able to utilise footage from previous anti-social behaviour and, in turn issue this to Gardai and serve stadium bans to some supporters. Security personnel and An Garda Siochaina will be monitoring the system and anyone found to be behaving in a way which contravenes our ground rules will be removed and banned from attending future games.

Car Parking:

There are limited spaces available at The Showgrounds astro turf car park. This will be closed once full, which is expected to be early in the evening. Supporters should note the club have come to an agreement with Nazareth House for official Match Night use of their grounds which has over 200 parking spaces. There is a charge of €2, with proceeds towards the upkeep of their grounds.

Flares:

Leave your flares at home. These are not wanted and anyone found with flares will be banned from attending future matches. These cause needless fines for the club, money which is raised by our volunteers and fellow supporters.

Pitch:

It is an offence to enter the field of play at any stage. This includes children. It is parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure children do not encroach on the pitch at any time.

We thank you for your co-operation

Sligo Rovers host Bohemians on Saturday night at The Showgrounds at 7.45pm.

Before Friday’s SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division fixtures, the Gypsies are in first place in the table and it would need Derry City to defeat Shelbourne in Tolka Park in order for them to come off top spot going into the game.

The Bit O’ Red are in fourth spot which could change depending on results for Shelbourne and Drogheda United, who face Cork City away from home.

Rovers come into the game after the International break and welcome back Max Mata, Nando Pijnaker, Bogdan Vastsuk and Stefan Radosavljevic following their International call-ups and all four players have trained this week and will be involved at the weekend.

Bohemians defeated UCD last time out at Dalymount Park on St. Patrick’s Day, coming from behind to win 2-1.

Manager John Russell is excited to be back in front of another packed Showgrounds crowd:

‘’Our home support has been brilliant so far this season. I feel there is a real connection developing between the supporters and this team.

‘’We’re expecting another big turn out on Saturday night. You can’t underestimate the role the supporters play in making The Showgrounds a fortress this season’’.

We will be ready. The players are eager to get the season going again after the international break. It’s a home game for us and we’re expecting a top performance.

Tickets for the game are selling fast and supporters are advised that they should buy online in advance. Ticket link: https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Tickets for Bohemians fans are completely sold-out and no away supporters will gain entry on the night.

Russell expects a tough game against the Dubliners:

‘’Bohemians have had a good start to the season. They come into this game full of confidence so, we know we are facing a tough opponent’’.

In team news, Rovers are without five injured players who remain out long-term. Garry Buckley, Mark Byrne and Gary Boylan are all recovering from ACL injuries and Johan Brannefalk and Karl O’ Sullivan are sidelined with Ankle Ligament injuries. Youth player Sean McAteer also misses out with a leg injury.

Gates open at 6.30pm on Saturday night and this is a Category One fixture with prices as follows:

Adult €20

OAP/Students/Over 12’s: €12

Under 12’s: €5

Sligo Rovers Academy are back in action this weekend with five games taking place over a busy two days.

On Saturday, we have two home games with our Under 14 side hosting Derry City at 1pm at Ballisodare United FC and our Under 17 Men’s team at home to Galway United at The Sean Fallon Centre.

All home games for our Academy are free of charge and support is appreciated.

Sunday sees three games down for decision with one at home and two away.

At 2pm at The Sean Fallon Centre, our Under 15 host north-west neighbours Finn Harps for the first time this season.

At the same time in Dangan, Galway, our Under 19 Women take on Galway United.

Finally, our Under 19 Men’s side take on Drogheda United in Navan at 3.30pm.

Best wishes to all our players and staff this weekend.

Sligo Rovers take on Bohemians tomorrow evening at The Showgrounds and our Match Programme is jammed with Bit O’ Red content for you to read over the weekend.

Our Match is sponsored by Rogers Topline, Ballymote and our friends from Thomas Connolly Sligo are the Match Ball sponsor. Thanks to all involved for their support.

There are 52 pages in this week’s edition of the Match Programme which starts with our usual notes from Tommy Higgins, Club Chairman and Rovers’ Manager John Russell.

We have Club Lotto news as our biggest ever Jackpot was won last week, a Jackpot of €18,800.

There are articles from Jim Gray who speaks to Head of Academy Conor O’ Grady and Conall Collier speaks about the International Break in the League of Ireland as well as his chat with Rovers’ player Karl O’ Sullivan.

With April now upon us, that means our Sligo Rovers 50KM Challenge has begun, with supporters all over the world participating in the Challenge across the month, and in turn raising some funds towards the running of the club. You can sign up now at www.50kmchallenge.ie

There is a FREE pull-out poster of Rovers’ midfielder Niall Morahan and we take a closer look at both squads ahead of the big game.

Stephen McLaughlin speaks about our opponents and the League of Ireland in general and Joe Molloy looks back at historic moments in this fixture.

Associate Sponsors of the club are listed in our Associate Sponsor section and Kailin Barlow answers 20 Questions to let supporters know a little more about him.

St. Johns FC are our special guests on the night and we have a small piece about the club who take part in the Sligo/Leitrim Youth League.

We remember Michael Mooney who dedicated so much time and effort to our club in his lifetime, a true Sligo Rovers great.

There are photos from last week’s Women’s game against Peamount and an Academy review as well as the 2023 fixtures/results and our usual Bit O’ Red Quiz.

Programmes are on sale inside the turnstiles from 6.30pm and you can buy yours online now at https://srfcdirect.com/programmes/

Our 50KM Challenge is just about to begin on Saturday and we have been thrilled with the response to date.

Over 130 Bit O’ Red Beanie’s are with participants as they gear up for the big kick-off this weekend.

With most people completing their 50KM Challenge by Walking, Running or Cycling, one supporter has joined the Challenge on horseback.

Introducing Eileen Higgins from Rosses Point with her horse, Smokey who are taking part in the Challenge together, hoping to reach 50KM by the end of April.

You can sign up now at www.50kmchallenge.ie to register yourself for the Challenge and to receive your FREE beanie hat.

You can donate to Eileen and Smokey’s donation page here:

https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/FlynnSmokey

Monday March 20^th 2023 will be remembered at 62 St. Edwards Terrace Sligo for a long time. It’s the day club volunteer, Pat Wallace, rang Martin Kennoy to say his grandnephew, Adams numbers had come up in the Sligo Rovers Lotto.

Martin picks birthdays and other significant dates for his lotto selected numbers each week.

In fact, he made a mistake and put 5,11,20,22 on his ticket. When it should have been 6,11,20,22. Martin decided not to correct the mistake, and what a decision that proved to be.

Lottery Administrator, Frank Beirne says this is the biggest jackpot since the club introduced the lottery back in 1993. Frank feels the enduring success of the club lotto is due to a number of factors. Frank stated that “people appreciate that we pay out decent prizemoney and a large proportion of our tickets are from regular players. When people but a €2 ticket, they know they have a reasonable chance of winning a prize”.

People have a range of options from the standard €2 ticket the €100 annual lotto card, both manual and online. The normal online lotto and the latest option of 3 for €5. All of these options can be availed of on www.sligorovers.com.

Tommy Higgins, Chairman of Sligo Rovers says the online option has great potential. He believes the club can make great strides in developing the online dimension of the clubs lotto. He said;

“First and foremost there is a great sense of goodwill towards the club in the wider community. People looking for a simple and easy way to make their contribution to their local club can subscribe to the weekly draw”.

Tommy also stated that he believes the online dimension to the club lotto can prove very popular, with Sligo people living abroad. There is a wide cross section of support for Sligo Rovers in every corner of the world. The online lotto allows these people to maintain their link to home.

The lotto has been a great resource for the club and he believes with a little help, the club can expand the lotto even more, to insure it will retain its status as the best and most popular of local lotteries, while gathering income to allow us continue to progress our great club.

Everyone at Sligo Rovers would like to congratulate the Kennoy family on their jackpot win and we also would like to thank everyone who continues to support the Sligo Rovers weekly lotto draw.