in the league that year finishing nine points behind winners Shamrock Rovers making it another good season for the club. The following season once again saw the club come close to winning a trophy on two occasions. First was a 3–2 defeat to Bohs in a play-off for the shield after the two sides finished level on points. Also that year the club reached its second consecutive FAI Cup final with Shamrock Rovers providing the opposition in front of a crowd of 38,500 on 21 April. Unfortunately for Rovers, it was Shams who ran out 3–0 winners. Despite this success the club decided that because of The Emergency the club could no longer compete in the league and withdrew from football. Dixie Dean Before the cup campaign of 1939 the club's committee decided they needed a big name to fill the vacant centre-forward position. They got in touch with some contacts in England, one of whom was the manager of Everton who suggested that Dixie Dean, who was at Notts County at the time, could be available. Although coming to the end of his career Dean was still one of the biggest names in football due to his goalscoring feats during his time at Everton where he is still the club's all-time leading scorer and also holds the record for having scored the highest amount of league goals in a single season – 60 in 1927–28. Despite rejecting Rovers' initial offer the club's improved second offer was accepted by Dean and a massive coup was pulled off by the club. A huge crowd turned up at Sligo Railway Station to give Dean a hero's welcome. Dean duly scored on his debut, a game against Shelbourne in the Showgrounds on 29 January and went on to score nine more in his seven league appearances for the club, including five in a single game against Waterford. He also scored in the FAI cup final of that year in the 1–1 draw with Shelbourne though the replay would be lost 1–0. Dean's runners-up medal was stolen after the game but he did however have it returned to him seven years later when he was back in England. Dean returned to Ireland in 1978 to see Sligo Rovers play in the FAI Cup final of that year. 1948–1976: Return to football and trophyless years Following the end of the war Rovers began attempts to