Sligo Rovers F.C.
The Sligo Rovers Football Club is a football club established in 1928 from the north-west Irish city of Sligo. The club plays with two breaks in the 1940s and 1960s, since 1934 in the League of Ireland.
Both the team and the stadium The Showgrounds are residents of Sligo town, the stadium was purchased by a foundation in 1968 to give the Rovers a safe home.
History
Early years ( until 1940)
Already from 1908 to 1919, there were teams with names in Sligo Rovers, the current club was, however, only on September 27, 1928 from the merger of Sligo Town Sligo with the Blues; However, graduated from a selection of both teams already on 23 September the first game as Rovers. In the first years of the Rovers played in the lower leagues, but after the championship in the league of the county Leinster 1933/34, the Rovers were included in the League of Ireland in 1934. Already the first season could finish in third place and two years later, the Irish Rovers were champions with 10 points ahead of Dundalk FC for the first time Rovers. The season as champions had little success with a sixth place. However, both in 1939 as in 1940, the club was among the three best respected and succeeded in each of the finals of the Irish Cup; However, both were lost, the first against Shelbourne FC after a 1-1 draw in the first final in a replay 0-1, 1940, lost the final 0-3 to clear the Shamrock Rovers.
1940 did the Rovers because of the early World War II, as long as this continues, no longer participate in the League of Ireland and asked for a leave of absence for the duration of the war, the remaining teams from the league denied this. As the Rovers but did not participate in the season 1940/41, they were excluded.
1940s to 1960s
After the war, rejecting applications for readmission to the league both for the season 1946/47 and for 1947/48, until 1948, the Rovers were admitted together with the transport Rovers for the league. After the runner-up in 1951 the other 1950's were marked by financial and personnel problems; often had the Rovers no right coach, 1960, the club could even be saved only by a fundraising house -to- house from financial ruin. 1961 and 1962 ended the Rovers the season twice in a row as a worst team than now decided the league of ten to be reduced to eight teams, the Rovers were the natural candidate. After the Rovers were excluded for the second time after 1940 from the league, they stepped out in protest also from the Irish Football Association. But as early as next year, the league decided to re- expansion to ten teams, so that the already Rovers 1963/64, again played in the top division. The 1960s were marked again by financial problems.
1970s to today
In the 1970s, however, it was sporty rapidly increase; 1970, was for the third time, again unsuccessfully, in the Irish Cup final. 1976 and 1977, they lost each of the League Cup final, the second lost finale, however, was covered by the second championship of the Rovers 1977. In 1978 they lost in the first round of the European Cup round- like return match with 0:3, also one stood for the fourth time in 1981 for the fifth time unsuccessfully in the Irish Cup final, a victory should be only at the sixth attempt in 1983; in the semi-final against Cobh Ramblers of the second repeat and the third game was a total opted for Rovers after two draws in added time. The Bohemians were defeated in the finals in a rain battle; in the European Cup Winners' Cup they lost however in the first round both games against the Finnish representative Haka, but that was only the beginning of one of the worst years of the club's history after two wins in their first six games, they won any of their last 23 games and lost in this case, all but three. The rest of the 1980s were not much better, the Rovers mostly played in the First Division and the newly formed 1987, the release of the clubs was discussed due to renewed financial problems. Mid -1990s it was better again until 1994 reach the second Cup victory and promotion to the Premier Division. The first round of the Cup Winners Cup for the first time could be mastered victorious, with a goalless draw in the first leg was enough for a 1-0 victory in the return match against Floriana FC from Malta; the opponents of the second round, the FC Bruges proved, however, proved to be to play hard, the Rovers lost both games. In 1996, the Rovers were Vice- League Cup winner and qualified for the Intertoto Cup, in this get into the group stage draw at home two lost two games away from home.
After a temporary decline in the summer of 2000, the Rovers play since 2006 in the Premier Division. In 2010 they decided after winning the League Cup, and the Cup Final itself, in the Sligo 2-0 sat down against the reigning champions Shamrock Rovers. In the 2012 season, the club secured already on the third game to end season with a 3-2 win against direct rivals St Patrick's Athletic after 35 years, the third championship of the club's history.
Achievements
- Irish Champion ( 3) 1937, 1977, 2012
- Irish Cup Winners ( 4) 1983, 1994, 2010, 2011
- Irish League Cup Winners ( 2) 1998 2010