St Catherine's contingent meet their 'classy' hero Seamus Coleman on Rovers return

Seamus Coleman certainly didn't forget his roots as he made a return to the north-west on Friday night.

The Everton captain led out the Premier League team for a friendly against Sligo Rovers, the club he left 15 years ago to make the transfer to Merseyside.

The match itself was played in front of a sold-out Showgrounds, finished in a 3-3 draw, with 18-year-old Kevin Muldoon from Donegal Town netting for Sligo and Colin Mooney, who, like Coleman, is a native of Killybegs, coming on for the second half for the home team. Shane Malone, who is a native of Glenties, also came on at the break. 

Afterwards, the Everton team completed a lap to thank the fans of both teams for the occasion. Coleman then spent an hour signing autographs and posing for photos with fans, many of whom were in the colours of his old club, St Catherine's of Killybegs. The Liverpool Echo described his actions as 'classy'.

Coleman, aged just 17 in 2006, left St Catherine's for Sligo Rovers and the rest, as they say, is history. He would go on to play 62 times for Sligo before his move to Everton, the club the now 35-year-old has now represented more than 400 times.

"A lovely occasion, celebrating all that is good about our community and club," Leo Gray, the former sports editor of The Sligo Champion, posted. "Seamus Coleman's humility and generosity, the interaction between fans, and the fearless display of our young team added to the magic of a joyous day".