Sligo Rovers manager, Don O’Riordan, has
expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress after the
completion of the first round of fixtures in the first
division of the eircom national league.<br><br>And he has
pledged to keep faith with the side’s attacking style of
play as the campaign gathers momentum over the coming
weeks.<br><br>Rovers continue their pursuit of valuable points with a
tough away fixture against Kilkenny City at Buckley
Park on Saturday night. And O’Riordan has promised
that his young side will got to the South East
determined to collect all three points.<br><br>“Our side is
packed with creative, attacking players so it would be
foolish to try to turn them into a defensive unit”, the
manager points out.<br><br>“I’ve never believed in the
notion of trying to play for a draw. My philosophy is
that teams should endeavour to win every game they
they play. Thankfully, we have players are the club
who can bring that philosophy on to the pitch. We are
an attacking, entertaining team and I have no
intention of changing the way we play.<br><br>“We go out
with the same positive approach away from home as we
do at the Showgrounds and we will continue to do
that. We’ve got players who can get forward and score
goals and it is important that we play to our
strengths”, he adds.<br><br>Reflecting on the campaign to
date, O’Riordan concedes that the squad needs to be
strengthened but accepts that his activity in the transfer
market will be determined by the funds that become
available.<br><br>“We could do with getting a few new players in if
only to give us strength in depth but, having said
that, the young lads have been brilliant since the
start of the season and they certainly haven’t let us
down”, he stresses.<br><br>O’Riordan took over the
managerial hot seat at the Showgrounds just two weeks before
the start of the season. There was just one player on
the club’s books at the time and morale was at an
all-time low. But the former Galway manager has
revitalised the club and more and more fans are being
attracted back to the Showgrounds.<br><br>“We didn’t start
off from an ideal base but the enthusiasm from
everybody at the club has been fantastic and we are heading
in the right direction”, says O’Riordan.<br><br>“I
couldn’t have asked for more from the players and it’s
encouraging that we’ve given as good as we have got in a very
competitive league.<br><br>“Things are beginning to settle
down now after one round of fixtures and I expect the
cream will come to the top of the division over the
next few weeks.<br><br>“So far, I’ve been impressed by
Finn Harps, Dublin City, Drogheda and Athlone Town and
these are the teams we’ve got to finish
above.<br><br>“The league campaign is a marathon rather than a
sprint and there’s still a long way to go. It’s too
early to drawn any definite conclusions but I’m
satisfied with the progress we’re making. We’ve got a young
team but they don’t fear anybody and we’re looking
forward to the rest of the campaign”, he
adds.<br><br>Rovers and Kilkenny share the spoils in a 1-1 draw at
the Showgrounds in the first game of the League and
O’Riordan is anticipating another close encounter on
Saturday.<br><br>“I believe Kilkenny have improved a lot since the
start of the season so they will probably start as
favourites on Saturday. However, we’ve got a good fitness
level and the excellent pitch at Buckley Park will suit
our style of play. It’s going to be another tough
assignment for our young lads but we’ll go there with plenty
of confidence”, the manager says.