Tales of Europe - Sligo Rovers

Won one, drawn three, lost eight and no stranger to the odd hammering along the way. The European record of Sligo Rovers (or SV Sligovnick of Rubbers) is one which was fairly consistent with that of the other League of Ireland sides until more recent times, but while the Bit O'Red haven't held AC Milan scoreless at home or received a ten-goal thumping at the hands of Manchester United, the Rovers fans still have the right to tell tales of European nights involving their beloved side.

Sligo Rovers first taste of European competition came way back in September 1977., when a star-studded Red Star Belgrade came to town. Their league winning side easily dispatched of Sligo Rovers 3-0, both home and away, as they dumped the Bit O'Red from the European Cup. Yugoslav internationals such as Petkovic, Djzaic, Acumovic, Bogicevic, and Savic all played for Red Star at the time and made the Rovers side consisting of local heroes like Tony Fagan and Paul “Skee” McGee look like schoolboys, as Yugoslav flair tore apart the Rovers' defence.

It was six years before European football returned to the Showgrounds, with Haka Valkeakoski the opponents in 1983. The Finns again beat Sligo both at home and away, as the 1-0 loss that the Bit O'Red sustained at home was compounded by a 3-0 loss in Valkeakoski. It appeared that the Cup Winners Cup wasn't to Rovers' liking either.

This was followed by a relative European spurt, which saw Rovers spread their wings twice in the space of three years in 1994 and 1996. The conquests of the First Division, the League of Ireland Shield, and the FAI Cup were topped off by Rovers solitary victory to date in Europe against Roddy Collins' new Maltese side Floriana Valletta in the preliminary round of the Cup Winners Cup. A 2-2 draw in Malta, where Padraig Moran and Mark Reid bagged the club's first European goals, was followed by a 1-0 win in Sligo courtesy of John Brennan's 72nd minute goal. The team that achieved that landmark first win in Europe was as follows: Mark McLean, David Reid, Martin McDonnell, Declan Boyle, Gavin Dykes, Johnny Kenny, Will Hastie, Gerry Carr, John Brennan, Mark Reid and Padraig Moran. Sub: Aidan Rooney for Kenny.

This was enough to give Rovers' fans dreams of European glory, and Irish manager Jack Charlton was in attendance when FC Brugge were next to visit, as a side packed with Belgian internationals were fortunate to come away with a 2-1 victory after Johnny Kenny had equalised before a 3-1 away loss, after levelling again thanks to Aidan Rooney's goal, meant elimination for Sligo.

Sligo's last flurry into Europe saw the side in the Intertoto Cup, and it's league format. The Dutch side Heerenveen were held to a 0-0 draw at The Showgrounds, in the main thanks to the excellence of Nicky Broujos in goals, on the 22nd of July 1996. Lillestrom from Norway then gave Sligo their customary hammering, as they trounced the Bit O'Red 4-0.

Sligo then held Nantes, a side that were knocked out of the European Cup a year previously by AC Milan, to a 3-3 draw in The Showgrounds. This seems less remarkable than the fact the Sligo were 2-0 up after twenty minutes, with Johnny Kenny and Dale Hawtin getting the goals. By early in the second half, however, the French side had hit back with three goals to go 3-2 up. Lee Thew was the man who rescued a draw with Sligo's third that evening, and the club's last ever goal in Europe, until this evening hopefully. Sligo then bowed out of European competition, with a 1-0 loss to FC Kaunas of Lithuania.

So, what does the future hold for Rovers? Will we see a progression to accompany that of the one in 1994? Or will we fall at the first hurdle a la 1977? One thing you can be sure of, however, is the fact that tonight in The Showgrounds, the seventh game of European football will take place in Sligo, and it'll certainly go down in the history books.