Shane Blaney has returned to Sligo Rovers on a loan deal from parent club Livingston, until June 30th 2026, subject to international transfer clearance.
The Letterkenny defender re-joins Rovers following a three-year spell in the Scottish Premiership with both Motherwell and Livingston.
The 26-year-old previously played for the Bit O’Red in 2021 and 2022 making 45 appearances before joining Motherwell in 2023.
Blaney will be best remembered for his spectacular long-range set-piece strike against the Scottish side at the Showgrounds in 2022, when Rovers famously dumped the ‘Well out of the Europa Conference League.
His performances over both legs of that tie earned him his move to Fir Park where he featured 54 times before he moved on to Almondvale Stadium and to ‘Livi’ last summer.
With the league kick-off just two weeks away, Blaney’s signature brings to 21 the number of players signed ahead of the first game of the season in Derry on February 6th.
Talking to sligorovers.com, Blaney says that the familiar surroundings of Sligo and the Showgrounds is the ideal place for him to be right now. He also hopes to bring the experience of playing at a higher level to the club, as Rovers face into a 21st consecutive season of Premier Division football.
“I found out last week that there was a possibility of coming back”, Shane explains.
“So I spoke to Livingston and obviously I’ve had a rough year in terms of injuries so it’s important that I get back playing and enjoying it. I spoke to a few clubs but John Russell was on the ball and to be honest, there’s no place better for me to be playing football so I jumped at the chance and I’m really looking forward to getting going.
“John played a huge part. We’ve stayed in contact all through the time I’ve been away. I have a great relationship with Casey, (Richard) Brush and John so it’s all very familiar to me. I loved their ideas and their enthusiasm in wanting to push the club to the next level. The squad is keen to get a good buzz going around the north-west and getting some good results and you can really feel that already.
“I’ll be bringing experience back with me. Under John and Ryan (Casey), I got a lot of confidence back and that helped me when I was heading to the UK. I’ve played a lot of big games in the Scottish Premier, so hopefully it’ll stand to me. I want to leave Rovers in a good spot when it’s my time to head off again.”
Mentioning his ambitions for his loan spell back at Rovers, the centre half says he is keen to add to what was an enduring few years he spent in Sligo.
“Playing here, we had a great changing room. It was so good”, he recalls.
