Top
100
Top
100 This section of the website looks back at some of the great players to wear the bit o' red. If you would like to suggest a player we have missed send your suggestion to Sligo Town Supporters Club
Colin Oakley Johnny Cooke Louis Dykes Tony Stenson Victor Meldrum Fintan Brett Joe Logan Padraig Moran Felix Healy Gerry Westby
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Colin joined Rovers from Sheffield United in 1982 and stayed for two seasons making a total of 70 appearances for the club in all competitions. He was a fabulous shot stopper and is responsible for one of the all time great moments in the history of the club. After five Cup final defeats Rovers found themselves in front in the 1983 final with just minutes to go. With the tension mounting Bohs launched one final attack. Dave Connell and Paul Dooling created a chance for Donal Murphy on the edge of the box. He crashed a shot which was heading for the top corner. As Rovers fans hearts missed a beat Oakley sprung across his goal and got a fingertip to the |
| ball just under the crossbar. His touch was enough to direct the ball over the bar and in that moment the realisation finally dawned on the massive Rovers support that the long wait for a Cup final victory was over. Like Fintan Brett last week he is another goalkeeper who has scored for the club as he converted a penalty in his last game for the club against Home Farm | |
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Was signed by Tony Bartley in January 1969 from Manchester United. Cooke was an exciting winger who spent two seasons at the club bfore leaving in 1970. He was a creative influence for his front men but he also knew where the goals were scoring 14 goals in just under two seasons. And some of these wre important goals as well. Cooke scored the goal which eventually broke the deadlock in the 1970 cup final, third replay. Although Rovers eventually lost that marathon tie. He also scored the goal which gave Rovers a 1-0 lead in the final of the Balxnit trophy that same season against Colraine. This was in the first leg at Windsor Park, unfortunately Rovers lost the second leg 4-1 at Dalymount. |
Johnny Cooke |
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He played 56 times for Rovers and his goascoring record was:
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Local half back who joined Rovers in 1954 and played with the club for the rest of the fifties. His career with the club was interupted by injury but he still managed to make a name for himself as an excellent passer of the ball. Louis scored one goal for the club in the away match against St. Pats. in December 1957. In a recent interview with R.N.D. former Rovers physio was asked about the best player he had seen play for Rovers he described Louis as -" Louis Dykes would have to come in to the reckoning. I think Louis was a great player, underestimated as well you know. A great man to pass the ball, a great reader of the game." |
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There may have been better footballers than Tony Stenson at the club during its 75 year history but I doubt if there have been many braver or who epitomise the never say die attidude as much as Tony. Known to the fans simply as "Stenny" he was as hard as they come and when Stenny went into a tackle the whole Showgrounds shook. Stenny joined Rovers in 1969 after a spell with Sheffield Wednesday and became one of the clubs most loyal servants. Over the next 15 years Stenny was a rock at the centre of the Rovers defence. He was an old fashioned centre half, competent on the ground and very good in the air. He was an outstanding man marker. |
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| Stenny was part of the side which lost the Cup final in 1970 after three replay's, against Bohemians. In the third replay he was carried off shortly before Rovers scored. In this era he formed a central defensive partnership with David Pugh. Later in the seventies he teamed up with Chris Rutherford to form another rock solid defence for Rovers. He won a league championship medal in this side under Billy Sinclair and then went on to play in the European Cup for Rovers. There were other disappointments, though as Stenny saw two more cup final defeats. | |||||||||||||
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good things come to those who wait and Stenny eventually picked up his
cup winners medal in 1983 and as you might expect he played a pivotal
part in the game. With Chris Rutherford off injured Stenny had the job
of holding the defence together with Paul Fielding in an unfamiliar role
beside him. With the game at 1-0 to Bohs Stenny went forward for a free
kick and hammered an unstoppable shot past Dermot O'Neill. Who could forget
the image of Stenny running to celebrate with the main stand at Dalymount
with Tony Fagen on his back. Surely one of the most magical images in
the history of Sligo Rovers |
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When Rovers fans talk about their all time greatest Rovers team the name of Tony Stenson is always mentioned. One of Rovers all time greats. His goalscoring record is;
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A striker who joined Rovers at the start of the 1954/55 season and went on to have an excellent goal-scoring record for the club. Playing in a team which also included the legendary Johnny Armstrong Meldrum scored his first goal for the club against Shamrock Rovers at Milltown. His return of three goals for his first season and four for his second was not great and Meldrum left the club at the end of the '55/56 season. He returned a year later and banged in 20 goals in all competitions. In spite of his goalscoring record Rovers league form was poor and they ended up applying for re-election to the league for the first time in their history. |
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| Victor Meldrum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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He added another 11 goals the following season before leaving the club. Meldrum's goalscoring record in full for Rovers was:
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Fintan was a local born keeper who fought his way into the team in the mid-sixties, taking over from Finbarr Flood between the sticks. He was dependable on cross balls an an excellent shot stopper. Like most goalkeepers he was a bit of a character and he enjoyed the odd stint as an outfield player with the club. Indeed he can claim to have scored for the bit o' red when he notched the winner against Limerick in the last game of the 1966/67 season at the Showgrounds. He retired from football after the 1971/72 season. |
| Fintan Brett |
Joe Logan: A Donegal born winger who was brought to the club by Jim Mc Donnell at the start of the 1972/73 season. Down through their history Rovers have been blessed with a number of excellent wwingers and Logan was right up there with the best of them. His tight ball control was a nightmare for defenders as he ran at them and his outrageous dribbling skills meant he could turn most full-backs inside out. His delivery into the box was also excellent and set up many goals for the likes of Gerry Mitchell and Liam Mc Cool. He was also regularly on the scoresheet himself and in his three seasons at the club he chalked up thirteen goals, which is pretty good for a winger. Joe left Rovers for Finn Harps in 1975 in a swap deal which saw Paul Mc Gee join the bit o'red. His goalscoring record for Rovers was:
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League
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FAI Cup
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Shield
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City Cup
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LC
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Total
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1972/73
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4
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0
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0
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0
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--
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4
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1973/74
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5
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1
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0
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0
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--
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6
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| 1974/75 |
2
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0
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--
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--
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1
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3
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Total
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11
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1
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0
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0
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1
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13
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Padraig
Moran : Born in Athlone Padraig joined Rovers after a spell with Hearts
in the Scottish Premier league. He originally played as a winger before moving
to a central striker position where he built up a reputation as a goalscorer.
He was a member of the Rovers team which did the treble in 1993/94 and was also
a member of the League Cup winning team of 1998 as well as the team which lost
in the '96 final. Blessed with lightning pace Padraig was also pretty good in
the air and scored all sorts of goals. His eight year spell at the club was
interupted by a serious knee injury which meant that he missed almost two full
seasons. He left Rovers at the end of the 2000/01 season to join Derry City.
His goalscoring record for the club is:
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League
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FAI Cup
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League Cup
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FDC
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ECWC
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Total
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1992/93
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1
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4
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0
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0
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0
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5
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1993/94
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4
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1
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0
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1
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0
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6
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1994/95
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1
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1
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0
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0
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1
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3
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1995/96
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14
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0
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3
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0
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0
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17
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1996/97
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8
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0
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1
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0
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0
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9
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1197/98
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9
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3
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3
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0
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0
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15
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1999/00
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11
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0
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0
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0
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0
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11
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2000/01
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14
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0
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2
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0
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0
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14
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Total
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62
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9
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9
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1
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1
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82
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Pat "Felix" Healy: Born in Derry Felix Healy was a talented midfield player who joined Rovers in in 1974. During the 1974/75 season he made 20 league appearances scoring 1 goal for the club. He made four appearances the following season scoring 1 goal. Calm on the ball and precise with his passing Healy was the sort of creative midfield player we haven't seen at the Showgrounds for a while now. After he left Rovers he had spells with Coleraine before moving to Port Vale. While with Port Vale he was capped by Northern Ireland. He returned to Ireland to join Dery City and eventually became manager of the club.
Gerry
Westby: Gerry was a Dubliner who came to live in Sligo before the
club was elected to the league in 1934. He made his first appearance for the
club during the 1931/32 season when the club played in junior football. He had
the honour of captaining the first Rovers team to ever play in senior football
during the 1934./35 season. His form during this season brought him to the attention
of the powers that be in Dublin and he was on the verge of being capped for
Ireland when he was chosen as first reserve for the Irish team which played
Holland in December of 1935. Alas he didn't get a game. Gerry also made four
appearances for the team which became champions during the 1936/37 season.
