Ryan O’Kane says Sligo is a “home away from home” as he closes in on a year at The Showgrounds. The Dundalk native made the move from Shelbourne to the northwest on July 1 last year, initially on-loan until the end of the season. After 14 appearances and two goals, he was happy to make the switch permanent when he signed a two-year contract during the close-season. Sharing club accommodation with teammates Sean McHale, Ciaron Harkin and Sean Stewart, O’Kane says similarities between his hometown
and Sligo have helped him settle in. “I’m loving it,” he said. “The club, the players, the place in general to live, it’s a really good spot. I really like it here. “I’ve settled in really well and I’m just enjoying my football since I’ve been back (from injury). “It’s very similar to back at home, a real community-based town. Everybody knows everybody. “You walk through the town. You walk through the town and you are nearly stopped two or three times by supporters. They
all know you on a first-name basis, and you start to learn their names. “The club itself, you know everyone behind the scenes is working really hard, all the volunteers. It’s like a home away from home. “Then the players and stuff, we have a really good dressing room. Everyone integrates very well there as well.” Not only is he teammates with McHale, Harkin and Stewart, but he is housemates too with his three pals. The chores are divvied out, although according to O’Kane: “Some
boys do more than others, but I won’t name names!” He was one of the more prolific chefs until he suffered a double fracture to his arm against his old club Dundalk , and moved back home for a few weeks. “I came back and Sean McHale took the reins and he is very good, to be fair. He can cook a good meal,” said the 22-year-old. “I stayed at home for a month because I couldn’t really do much with my arm. When I
was away he took the reins and when I came back he was the main man there. “I didn’t want to take the chef hat off him, so I let him be. “I make him a wee cup of tea after he does a nice meal. I look after him.” Despite his age, O’Kane has clocked up almost 150 first-team games from spells with Warrenpoint and Cliftonville in the NIFL Premiership, and Dundalk, Shelbourne and Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland . It’s an
impressive tally for someone so young, and it explains why he feels he needs to step up and help some of the younger members of John Russell’s squad. “All the clubs I’ve been at have been run very well, but this has been the youngest squad that I’ve been a part of,” he said. “Obviously there are a few senior players as well. There is a really good mix, boys learning off other boys and stuff, so it’s a really good place to be and
I’m really enjoying it. “Age-wise, I’m probably in the middle, which is mad to say at 22. But that just shows how young a group it is. “I’m getting to that stage now where I’m trying to be a voice in the dressing room. “I’ve been in the league for five years now, so I can use the small bit of experience I have gathered now to help some of the younger lads, but still learn off some of the senior boys as well. So
I’m in a good spot here. “I’m well over 100 games now, I’ve been around a bit. That’s all I want to do, keep playing games, keep racking up appearances and help the club get to where it wants to be.” Where is that? “Definitely European spots. We definitely have the potential to be up around there,” he replied. “I’ve played in Europe twice now (in 2021 and 2023 with Dundalk) and it’s brilliant, it’s where you want to be. “I’ve seen what it takes
to get there. We definitely have the quality and the age profile to get there, and we know if we can keep winning games and keep the consistency we showed in the second round, we can definitely get there.” Sligo Rovers might be second from bottom, but they are only three points off sixth and 10 points off his old club Dundalk in fourth. During the second round of matches they notched up some impressive wins, most notably away to champions and leaders Shamrock Rovers,
away to Bohemians, and at home to Waterford and Dundalk. There were also draws against Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic. “I think with Sligo it’s always the second-half of the season where we really kick on,” said O’Kane. “I feel like we have done decently in the first-half of the season and we know coming into the second-half that if we kick on like we did last season, we are more than capable of finishing higher than where we finished (last year in seventh).” Tonight
they face Waterford, currently the only club below them, and a win would open up an 11-point gap between the two sides. “If we can keep that momentum going and get three points (against Waterford), I think it’ll be massive,” O’Kane said. “That’s what we need to do – just look up at the teams above us and try to catch them. But we know we are more than capable of doing that.” Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the
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Ryan O’Kane, Sligo Rovers, Showgrounds, Waterford, European spots, League of Ireland, Shelbourne, Dundalk, Sean McHale, Ciaron Harkin, Sean Stewart, John Russell, Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians