ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC and Sligo Rovers have today announced the respective departures of Mikey Drennan and Romeo Parkes.
Drennan leaves St Pat’s after one season at Richmond Park, while Parkes also spent just a single campaign with the Showgrounds outfit.
Having opened up about his battle with depression, Drennan opted to take a break from professional football in 2016 while he was with Shamrock Rovers.
The 25-year-old striker, who was previously on the books at Aston Villa, returned to the game two years later by signing for Sligo Rovers, before moving on to Pat’s for the 2019 season.
He made a promising start, scoring six times in his first 10 Premier Division outings. However, the Kilkenny native was unable to find the net for the remainder of the Saints’ league campaign, which culminated in a fifth-place finish under new manager Stephen O’Donnell.
In a brief statement released on Twitter, St Pat’s wished Drennan “all the best in the future” as they announced that his contract has been cancelled by mutual consent.
Drennan tweeted: “Unfortunately things didn’t work out the way you want them but that’s football. All the best for the year. Now a massive decision to make.”
Sligo Rovers say that “personal reasons” are behind Romeo Parkes’ decision to cut short his stay with the club for whom he was a key player in 2019.
Having moved to the League of Ireland from USL Championship club Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the Jamaican international striker scored 11 goals in 30 Premier Division appearances.
In a statement, Sligo Rovers explained that Parkes will join a club in the US as he “must stay in North America for 2020″, but the Bit o’ Red have an option on the 29-year-old for 2021.
“This decision relates to an important aspect of Romeo’s life, his long-term future, and while he is under contract, we have to look at it from a human level,” said Sligo Rovers manager Liam Buckley.
“He was looking forward to building on his fine first season and we’ve been in contact throughout the off-season in relation to this matter. We had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Unfortunately it has. We hope to see him back in Sligo one day and we wish him well.
“Now our focus turns to a replacement. The staff and I have already been pursuing that. A new striker will not arrive immediately but we hope to line something up later in the month. When we can, we’ll speak about that further.”
Parkes added: “I’d like to thank the manager and the club for facilitating this. I am sad not to be returning to Sligo in 2020 because I really enjoyed my year.
“I want to give my appreciation to the fans, they were very supportive all year and I’m sorry I won’t be back next season. I have obligations to fulfil where I am.
“I want to wish all the guys good luck in the 2020 season, I’ll be supporting Sligo and hope one day to wear the jersey again.”
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