This brief article will take a look at some of the more notable players to feature for both United and Sligo. While traffic up and down the N17 between both clubs has increased a lot over the past ten years, over the first twenty-five years of League of Ireland football in Galway, relatively few former Rovers players featured for the Tribesmen. Those that did, however, certainly made an impression.

Tommy Lally probably made the most impact of any Galwegian at Sligo Rovers. By all accounts, he was an outstanding custodian for Rovers, and was the 'keeper in the 1970 FAI Cup Final side which were unlucky to loose out to Bohemians, after two replays. Returning from spells at Glasgow Celtic and Morton, Lally made his debut for the fledgling Galway Rovers outfit. He went on to manage the club to our first FAI Cup Final, against Shamrock Rovers in 1985. Another Sligo man to play in Dalymount Park that day was Martin McDonnell. McDonnell already had a winners medal as a member of the Rovers side that won the FAI Cup at a wet and windy Dalymount in 1983. Martin subsequently made 180 appearances in two spells at Terryland Park, before finishing his career at Sligo Rovers.

McDonnell was one of the star players in the 1986 Galway United side pipped to the title that season by Jim McLoughlins four-in-a-row team.

Of course, another outstanding contributor was the legendary Paul "Ski" McGee. Ski made his debut for at the Showgrounds in 1970 and went to win a League of Ireland medal with his home town club under the management of Billy Sinclair in 1977. After returning from the UK, Ski made 166 appearances for Galway United in two spells at Terryland Park. He remains the clubs top goalscorer, with 74 league goals, from his total of 143, scored for the Tribesmen.

As Ski was bowing out of League of Ireland football, another Sligo man made his way to Galway to become a complete cult hero in his one season with the club. The man from Riverstown with the headband, Johnny Kenny, only played for one season with United, but was outstanding as United won the First Division in 1992-1993. He then returned to Sligo, cutting his hair and played in the FAI Cup Final at Landsdowne Road in 1995. In the other direction, another man with an esoteric haircut at the time, Galwegian John "Jumbo" Brennan, scored in the Cup Winners Cup for Rovers against Floriana of Malta, before being sent off. He is still banned from European competition!

As I pointed out at the start of the article, from then on the transfer rate between both clubs increased exponentially. Half of Galway played for Rovers during the Don O'Riordan regime here, and Sligo natives like Ian Rossister, Sean Flannery, Aubrey Dolan and Raffaele Cretaro also had spells at Terryland Park. Of course, United manager, Sean Connor has managed both clubs, with his assistant Gareth Gorman also playing for United and Rovers. Of the present squads, Jamie McKenzie, Ciaran Foley, Gary Curran, Derek O'Brien, John Russell, Iarflaith Davoren, Alan Keane, Ciaran Kelly have worn the red, white and maroon.

Ronan Coleman,
Galway United Supporters Trust.