Sligo Rovers set sights on back-to-back league titles

After a strong start to the season, Ian Baraclough is aiming for a second league title with the Bit o' Red, while the Champions League provides a welcome distraction

ANALYSIS

By Ronan Murphy



A first League of Ireland title for a quarter of a century should have marked a new dawn for Sligo Rovers, especially after they started the 2013 Airtricity Premier Division with eight straight wins. However, they came crashing down with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Drogheda United, and now find themselves looking up from third position at the mid-season break.



In fact, Sligo's strong start actually came as a bit of a surprise, especially after losing some of their stars after their 2012 title win. Manager Ian Baraclough was a revelation in his first season at the Showgrounds, while new striker Anthony Elding had the perfect start to his League of Ireland career. The 31-year-old journeyman bagged six goals in his first five games this season, winning March's Player of the Month award.



Sligo's slump was reflected even more by the form of Elding, whose temperament hindered his side's chances as red cards replaced goals, seeing Sligo slip to third. The Bit o' Red are still very much in contention, and Baraclough's title challenge should be greatly helped by the return of Danny North from injury, while captain Danny Ventre has come back from injury, and will be a huge asset in the middle of the park.



This season also sees Sligo play in the Champions League for the first time in their history - their only European Cup entry was a 6-0 aggregate defeat to Red Star Belgrade back in 1977 - and the Second Qualifying Round draw has pitted them against Norwegian champions Molde FK.



Sligo's European draw is somewhat of a double-edged sword. Like Rovers, Molde are in the middle of the season and should be fully fit by the time July's double-header rolls around. Also, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has some great players at his disposal, keeping together much of last season's title-winning side. However, the 2013 Tippeligaen season hasn't gone as well as expected, with Molde sitting second-bottom after 13 league games. They've been wasteful in front of goal, with their top scorer, Daniel Chima, having just three strikes to his name so far.



Baraclough knows Solskjaer from his time in England when they studied for their Uefa A Licences together, but will have little time for pleasantries when they meet in a few weeks' time. Molde will prove a stern test for the Bit o'Red, and a positive result from the encounter might help spur on their league campaign, seeing them record back-to-back titles for the first time in their history.