Page 32 - COBH WANDERERS V SLIGO ROVERS FAI CUP 3RD ROUND 2015

2012 - Champions At Last

The 2012 season will go down as one of the most famous seasons in Sligo Rovers history
as Rovers won our third ever league title ending a long 35 year wait for the prize. Despite
good recent seasons with Rovers finishing 3rd in 2010 and 2nd, the best placing since 1977,
in 2011 the success would not have been predicted by many on the eve of the season as
the manager who had guided to the club to those finishes, as well as two FAI Cups and one
League Cup, Paul Cook had just left the club to join Accrington Stanley.

His successor IanBaraclough, a 41 year-old whose only previous management experience was
with English Championship side ScunthorpeUnited, inherited a strong squad which had been
added to by Cook with experienced players like Gary Rogers, Ross Gaynor, Romuald Boco,
Danny North and Mark Quigley as well as some younger players like Pascal Millien, Lee Lynch
and David Cawley.

With only two days preparation for the first game of the season away to newly promoted
Shelbourne there was little surprise when Shels took the league with Rovers having gone
down to ten men after the sending off of Mark Quigley. However Jason McGuinness popped up
with an injury-time equalizer to earn a point and show the type of character and belief in the
squad which would be a major factor in Rovers delivering the coveted league title.

McGuinness was again the hero in similar fashion in Rovers first home game of the season
and this time his late goal brought all three points. Rovers maintained this good start with
a further four wins in a row over Bohs, Monaghan, Dundalk and Bray with the win against
Bray on Good Friday putting Rovers to the top of the table. They would hold onto that posi-
tion for the remainder of the season. Despite home draws with Derry and St. Pats there were
away wins in Cork and Drogheda to maintain Rovers flying start ahead of what was billed as
the biggest test so far with the visit of defending champions Shamrock Rovers to theShow-
grounds. The game, played on a sunny Saturday afternoon, produced one of Rovers finest
performances as the Dublin side were disposed of by a comfortable 3-0 margin and opened
up a six point lead at the top. The man who scored two of the goals that day was Danny
North who had been signed from St.Pats. He was having a sensational start to his Rovers
career scoring 13 goals in his first 12 league games making him the country’s top scorer.

Although that win was followed up with another over Shelbourne with the same scoreline
Rovers tasted defeat for this first time in the league under Baraclough away to lowly UCD who
ran out 1-0 winners over a Rovers side missing the influential duo of Gavin Peers and Joseph
Ndo in what was almost certainly the worst performance of the season. Results following
that game were mixed with Rovers drawing four of the next six and also suffering early exits
from the FAI Cup at home to Monaghan and from Europe at the hands of Slovakians Spartak
Trnava. One positive to come from one of the draws was in the 2-2 draw with Cork City with
Mark Quigley coming off the bench to score twice and save a point.

This goalscoring form would prove crucial as main marksman Danny North suffered a season-
ending injury just days later as Rovers bowed out of Europe. That European game, drawn
1-1, also seen a major addition to the title push with the opening of the new Volkswagen
Bank End at the old Railway End of the ground giving the famous venue three seated stands
and demonstrating that the club was progressing off the pitch as well as on it. Extra depth
was also added during the transfer window with Jeff Henderson, Ryan Connolly, SeamusCon-
neely and Liam Buchanan brought in.

A major test for Rovers title credentials came with the visit of second placed Drgheda United
who were looking to take top spot with a victory. However Rovers rose to the occasion again
with a dominant display producing a 4-1 victory. Mark Quigley was on the scoresheet that day
which began a run of him scoring in six successive games including in the next game against
in-form Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght with a spectacular strike earning a 1-1 draw. That was
followed up with a run of four consecutive wins which put the title within sight for Rovers
creating a great buzz of excitement around the Showgrounds.