Sligo Rovers

**TheBoss** · 16/03/2009, 12:04 AM

TEAM:
Sligo Rovers FC

FORMED:
1928

OTHER TEAMS:
[2008-2011]: Sligo Rovers FC 'A'

GROUND(S):
[1928-1940]: The Showgrounds
[1940-1948]: NOT IN LOI
[1948-1962]: The Showgrounds
[1962-1963]: NOT IN LOI
[1963-present]: The Showgrounds

LOI SEASONS: 73

(I)	1st Tier	63
(II)	2nd Tier	10
(III)	3rd Tier	0

1934-35 (I)	1955-56 (I)	1969-70 (I)	1982-83 (I)	1995-96 (I)	2008 (I)
1935-36 (I)	1956-57 (I)	1970-71 (I)	1983-84 (I)	1996-97 (I)	2009 (I)
1936-37 (I)	1957-58 (I)	1971-72 (I)	1984-85 (I)	1997-98 (I)	2010 (I)
1937-38 (I)	1958-59 (I)	1972-73 (I)	1985-86 (II)	1998-99 (I)	2011 (I)
1938-39 (I)	1959-60 (I)	1973-74 (I)	1986-87 (I)	1999-00 (I)	2012 (I)
1939-40 (I)	1960-61 (I)	1974-75 (I)	1987-88 (I)	2000-01 (II)	2013 (I)
1948-49 (I)	1961-62 (I)	1975-76 (I)	1988-89 (II)	2001-02 (II)	2014 (I)
1949-50 (I)	1963-64 (I)	1976-77 (I)	1989-90 (II)	2002-03 (II)	2015 (I)
1950-51 (I)	1964-65 (I)	1977-78 (I)	1990-91 (I)	2003 (II)
1951-52 (I)	1965-66 (I)	1978-79 (I)	1991-92 (I)	2004 (II)
1952-53 (I)	1966-67 (I)	1979-80 (I)	1992-93 (I)	2005 (II)
1953-54 (I)	1967-68 (I)	1980-81 (I)	1993-94 (II)	2006 (I)
1954-55 (I)	1968-69 (I)	1981-82 (I)	1994-95 (I)	2007 (I)

SUCCESS IN LEAGUE OF IRELAND:
FAI Cup: 5
LOI Champions: 3
LOI Cup: 2
LOI Shield: 1
LOI First Division Champions: 1
LOI First Division Shield: 1
Dublin City Cup: 1

RECORDS (League Only):
Biggest HOME Win: (9-0) v Dolphin (20/12/1936)
Biggest AWAY Win: (8-0) v Galway United (15/07/2011)

Biggest HOME Defeat: (2-9) v Cork Celtic (04/12/1960), (1-8) v Dundalk (11/01/1987)
Biggest AWAY Defeat: (0-9) v Waterford (25/02/1968)

Most Goals: Johnny Armstrong (83)
Most Appearances: Tony Fagan (431)

OVERALL LEAGUE RECORD: (1934-2015)

	PLD	W	D	L	F	A	W%	D%	L%	F p/g	A p/g

TOTAL	1971	704	484	783	2826	3096	36%	25%	40%	1.43	1.57

HOME	986	428	247	311	1634	1355	43%	25%	32%	1.66	1.37
AWAY	985	276	237	472	1192	1741	28%	24%	48%	1.21	1.77

**Bluebeard** · 16/03/2009, 9:47 AM

Great idea there Boss, will there be First Division and former clubs to follow?

**TheBoss** · 16/03/2009, 2:22 PM

Yep, just starting it off.

**red bellied** · 16/03/2009, 2:57 PM

Rovers dropped out of the League in 1940 due to the war and re-entered in 1948. Also during the sixties Rovers and Transport were thrown out due to the league being reduced by 2 teams. They were re-elected the next season.

Tony Fagan has the most appearances, over 500.
Rovers longest serving player joined the club in 1967. Records for this period are not accurate enough to give us an exact number but we know he played well over 500 times for the club. Born within a stones throw of the Showgrounds if ever there was a player who had the club etched on his heart it was Fagen. He is remembered by many as a hard tackling midfielder but this doesn't really do justice to him at all. Yes aggresion was an important part of his game but the man known to the fans simply as "Fago" could pass the ball as well as anyone of that era. He was also good for a few goals and usually picked his moments to make sure they were important goals. One of the most memorable was his free kick which knocked Shamrock Rovers out of the cup and set up the historic match against

Cobh Ramblers dealt with elsewhere on the site. In fact Fago played in many epic Rovers games from the 1970 FAI Cup marathon, the Blaxnit Cup. He was a member of the team which won the league in 1976/77 and played in two other Cup final defeats, not to mention the historic European Cup game in the Red Star stadium in Belgrade. If Tony epitomised the spirit of Sligo Rovers then history had a date with destiny set aside for him. When Rovers finally won the FAI cup in 1983 it was Fagen who had the honour of being captain and lifting the coveted silverware for the first time. He joined the coaching staff at the club after he retired and was a coach when Rovers lifted the cup for the second time in 1994.

Fagen's goal record for Rovers is:

League FAI Cup Shield City Cup Blaxnit Cup League Cup Total
28 7 1 1 1 6 44

Armstrongs total goal records

Year League Cup Shield City Cup Season total
1951/52 10 0 6 3 19
1952/53 8 0 6 1 15
1953/54 3 0 3 0 6
1954/55 14 1 4 0 19
1955/56 14 1 6 1 22
1956/57 7 0 7 0 14
1957/58 4 2 3 0 9
1958/59 5 0 2 1 8
1959/60 8 1 2 0 11
1960/61 8 0 2 0 10
1963/64 2 0 3 0 5
Total 83 5 44 6 138

http://homepage.eircom.net/~sligorov...00/Top100b.htm

**TheBoss** · 16/03/2009, 3:39 PM

Would that be 500+ apps be league appearances ?

**red bellied** · 16/03/2009, 4:11 PM

Originally Posted by TheBoss

Would that be 500+ apps be league appearances ?

Probably not but I say it was well over the 400 mark.

Dixie Dean in 1939 has the record of scoring five league goals for Rovers verus Waterford in a seven one win.

Harry Litherland scored 19 league goals in the 1936/37, the most scored by a Sligo player in the one season.

Litherlands goal scoring stATS

League FAI Cup Shield City Cup Cup Total Total
1936/37 19 2 6 2 10 29
1937/38 14 0 0 0 0 14
Total = 33 2 6 2 10 43

**red bellied** · 16/03/2009, 4:22 PM

Another interesting piece from 1967

The league campaign ended with Rovers final league game of the season being abandoned after crowd trouble. Rovers fans spilled onto the pitch after Gerry Mitchell equalised against Champions Dundalk. Fighting then broke out between the Rovers fans and the Dundalk players and the referee was left with no choice but to abandon the game. The result stood. Rovers eventually finished third which gained them entry into the top four competition. They lost 2 - 1 to Dundalk in the semi-final at Oriel Park

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~sjgarvey/History/rovhist2.htm

I have asked people about this. Apparently one of the crowd ran on to the pitch from behind the Churchill end and whacked the Dundalk goalie over the head, leading to an invasion and fighting.

**red bellied** · 16/03/2009, 4:42 PM

http://homepage.eircom.net/~sligorov...00a.htm#straka

Straka.jpg

During the 1954/55 season Rovers made one of their most colourful signings. Albert Straka was an Austrian international who was signed for Rovers in time for the FAI Cup campaign. The bit O' red were drawn against the other Rovers from south Dublin and the fans flocked to the Showgrounds to see the Austrian international. It was a game of high drama as Johnny Armstrong gave Rovers the lead only for Shams to fight back and go in front with goals from Hennessey and Liam Touhy, who went on to manage Ireland. Touhy's goal came with just four minutes left and it looked like Rovers were out of the cup. But Rovers won a penalty in the last minute which sent the crowd on to the pitch. It took about ten minutes for order to be restored and when it was Straka stepped up to take the penalty. The referee indicated that it was the last kick of the game and the Austrian international kept his nerve to slot the ball past O'Callaghan in the hoops goal to earn Rovers a replay. Rovers lost the replay but Straka's short spell with the bit o' red saw him find a place in the history books.

From what I have been told the crowd were all lined behind the goal and followed along on the edge of the box (eighteen yard line) and right behind Straka taking the peno. Straka had to score or he faced been lynched1!

**gspain** · 18/03/2009, 2:22 PM

Originally Posted by red bellied

http://homepage.eircom.net/~sligorov...00a.htm#straka

Straka.jpg

During the 1954/55 season Rovers made one of their most colourful signings. Albert Straka was an Austrian international who was signed for Rovers in time for the FAI Cup campaign. The bit O' red were drawn against the other Rovers from south Dublin and the fans flocked to the Showgrounds to see the Austrian international. It was a game of high drama as Johnny Armstrong gave Rovers the lead only for Shams to fight back and go in front with goals from Hennessey and Liam Touhy, who went on to manage Ireland. Touhy's goal came with just four minutes left and it looked like Rovers were out of the cup. But Rovers won a penalty in the last minute which sent the crowd on to the pitch. It took about ten minutes for order to be restored and when it was Straka stepped up to take the penalty. The referee indicated that it was the last kick of the game and the Austrian international kept his nerve to slot the ball past O'Callaghan in the hoops goal to earn Rovers a replay. Rovers lost the replay but Straka's short spell with the bit o' red saw him find a place in the history books.

From what I have been told the crowd were all lined behind the goal and followed along on the edge of the box (eighteen yard line) and right behind Straka taking the peno. Straka had to score or he faced been lynched1!

Story I heard re that game was that the penalty was a terrible decision and the Shamrock Rovers players were all surrounding the referee and refusing to play on. The crowd invaded the pitch and there was total chaos.

Paddy Coad had a cool head and realised that if the game was abandoned with Shamrock rovers 2-1 up it would be replayed in the showgrounds. If Sligo took the penalty and even if they scored it would be a replay at Milltown. Coad told the players the referee was right, it was a penalty and stop complaining. Sligo scored from the penalty but lost the replay.

Afterwards he admitted it wasn't a penalty, explained his reasons and the players understood.

Shamrock Rovers were then reigning champions as a young team known as Coad's Colts had pipped Evergreen to the title.

**red bellied** · 19/03/2009, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by gspain

Story I heard re that game was that the penalty was a terrible decision and the Shamrock Rovers players were all surrounding the referee and refusing to play on. The crowd invaded the pitch and there was total chaos.

Paddy Coad had a cool head and realised that if the game was abandoned with Shamrock rovers 2-1 up it would be replayed in the showgrounds. If Sligo took the penalty and even if they scored it would be a replay at Milltown. Coad told the players the referee was right, it was a penalty and stop complaining. Sligo scored from the penalty but lost the replay.

Afterwards he admitted it wasn't a penalty, explained his reasons and the players understood.

Shamrock Rovers were then reigning champions as a young team known as Coad's Colts had pipped Evergreen to the title.

Never heard about the Shams players debating the penalty and refusing to play on. A crowd of 7,000 at it according to Rovers history on the net. Were you at the Limerick-Sligo Rovers League cup final in the seventies that was marred by crowd trouble?

**gspain** · 20/03/2009, 7:15 AM

Originally Posted by red bellied

Never heard about the Shams players debating the penalty and refusing to play on. A crowd of 7,000 at it according to Rovers history on the net. Were you at the Limerick-Sligo Rovers League cup final in the seventies that was marred by crowd trouble?

Yes was at both legs. Only trouble in Limerick - on the stand side. I was on the popularside so was watching from a distance - it was awful stuff. It was 1975 and I was very young.

My Dad drove up to the return leg but we had very few fans at it probably concerned re trouble. It was also a school/work day. I wore my blue and white scarf that used to touch the ground on both sides and still be around my neck. No trouble at all in Sligo.