SLIGO ROVERS WILL honour Raffaele Cretaro’s incredible service with a testimonial next year after the Tubbercurry Tornado signed on for a remarkable 17th season at the Showgrounds.
Cretaro, 36, made his Bit O’Red debut in 2000 and has been at the club ever since, with the exception of a season apiece with Galway United in 2006 and Bohemians in 2010.
“Obviously I have to be realistic in that I’m not going to play every game,” he said on signing his new deal for 2018.
“But I’m not here to make up numbers. I’m there to compete to start every week and I’ll be ready again.”
Cretaro is second only to Sligo legend Tony Fagan in terms of his appearances for the club, and second in the goalscoring charts to all-time record holder Johnny Armstrong.
“He still has football in those legs,” Sligo boss Gerard Lyttle said. “You watch him in training and he trains still like a teenager.”
He added: “His experience is vital, especially with the younger players coming in. His knowledge of the game, the league and this club is very important. I think it’s a no-brainer.”
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