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\n Paul Fennessy<\/p>\n
FROM A young age, Owen Elding was considered a high-potential player.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old attacker was just 12 when he joined Sligo Rovers after a successful trial, having already lined out for a Mayo League representative team.<\/p>\n
Born in England, Elding had lived most of his life in the county and was also a keen GAA player, winning medals with\u00a0Ardkeeran Primary School in Riverstown as a youngster.<\/p>\n
His father, Anthony, had a long career in the game, representing\u00a0Stockport County,\u00a0Leeds United and\u00a0Ferencv\u00e1ros at various points, before moving to Sligo in 2013.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elding Sr promptly established himself as a fan favourite at the Showgrounds, scoring 20 goals in 43 appearances for the Bit O\u2019Red, including a short second stint in 2015.<\/p>\n
In 67 appearances for Sligo, Owen would fall just shy of his father\u2019s tally, registering 16 goals in all competitions.<\/p>\n
Conor O\u2019Grady, himself a former Sligo player, is now their Head of Academy and was U15s coach at the time of Owen Elding\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d obviously heard about him [before he signed],\u201d O\u2019Grady says. \u201cI suppose in this town, it\u2019s not a big place. You\u2019d hear about a fella or a girl fairly quickly. If there\u2019s a good nine or 10-year-old, there\u2019s a good chance I\u2019ll know their name, or someone in the club will.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the refs locally are good \u2014 they\u2019d ring or text me if they\u2019ve seen someone that they think is exceptional.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re probably Rovers season ticket holders or fans. So they\u2019ll be like: \u2018You need to get a look at this fella.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elding was part of a \u201cgood group\u201d that also included Daire Patton, Kyle McDonagh and Kyle Gabbidon, who have all since graduated to the first team.<\/p>\n
From the outset, there was natural talent there, complemented by a tireless work ethic and footballing intelligence. In addition, Elding\u2019s \u201cbeautiful left foot,\u201d which has been the source of some spectacular goals, was already apparent.<\/p>\n
![\"anthony-elding-celebrates-scoring-the-winning-goal-in-injury-time\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770642379_716_.jpeg\")
\n Anthony Elding celebrates scoring the winning goal for Sligo Rovers in injury time of the 2013 FAI Cup final. Donall Farmer \/ INPHO<\/p>\n
Donall Farmer \/ INPHO \/ INPHO\n<\/p>\n
Although, of course, he was far from the finished product.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a lot of growing to do, on and off the pitch,\u201d says O\u2019Grady. \u201cBut you knew he had the mentality for it; he was so focused. And that probably came from his dad\u2019s involvement in football.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis dad would have helped him a lot along the way, in terms of coaching and advising him.\u00a0Obviously, playing in a similar position, even though I think Owen is a very different player.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a little bit slow, and that might have been due to some of the growth [to come]. I think he\u2019s got quicker over the years, but he would have been working on these things, big time. He wasn\u2019t as quick and athletic as he is now.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t as good on his right foot, just small little things. I suppose, at 12, no one is perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be more worried if they weren\u2019t technically able, and he was technically able from a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elding also spent two seasons at Longford Town, where his father coached, joining as \u201ca matter of convenience\u201d<\/a> and helping them win the Tier 3 U17 league title in 2022<\/a>, before returning to Sligo the following year.<\/p>\n O\u2019Grady adds that a calm temperament ensured Elding never got fazed by the inevitable hype owing to his exploits in the Premier Division.<\/p>\n Just over two months after turning 17, he made his debut as an 88th-minute substitute in May 2023 amid a 3-0 home loss to Shelbourne.<\/p>\n O\u2019Grady says it was not a decision they put considerable thought into. Instead, it was a case of needs must, with the squad depleted by injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have the budgets of the bigger clubs,\u201d he says. \u201cHe was obviously going well, but we had to throw him in.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first season here, from his own admission, he was only getting used to it. I would have said he did okay, but I knew from watching him underage that there was more there. And I think the year of training with the first team would have done a lot for him, and that settling-in period of playing a couple of games, he came on a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n JM Productions HD<\/a> \/ YouTube<\/p>\n The virtues of patience were especially evident in Elding\u2019s case, as he grew both psychologically and physically. Despite scoring \u201c70 or 80 goals in the academy easily,\u201d he made five senior appearances in the 2023 campaign and a further 22 in 2024, without finding the net.<\/p>\n Last year, however, proved to be his breakout campaign, with 12 goals in 35 Premier Division appearances, as well as being named\u00a0PFAI Young Player of the Year, Sligo Rovers Player of the Year and securing a place in the\u00a0PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first goal was huge,\u201d says O\u2019Grady. \u201cThat was the real stepping stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLast year in the first few games, you could see he had gone from a boy to a man, even in stature.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He continues: \u201cThe likelihood of us winning trophies in the academy is small . . . It\u2019s not important for us.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we see a player from the boys or girls, going through the pathway and making the first team debut, that\u2019s our trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n Elding also demonstrated versatility at Sligo. In addition to operating as a centre forward, he sometimes played on the right wing, having started as a left winger in his early days.<\/p>\n Primarily, though, O\u2019Grady sees him as a goalscorer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s probably the most natural finisher we\u2019ve ever had in the academy ahead of Johnny Kenny. I don\u2019t mean that as any disrespect to Johnny,\u201d he says. \u201cOwen has a wide range of goals in him.\u201d<\/p>\n His former coach also sees the move to Hibernian<\/a> as a good fit \u2014 he has already made his Scottish Premiership debut off the bench for the club against Rangers<\/a> \u2014 and regards him as a potential future Ireland international if he can maintain his current trajectory and avoid injuries.<\/p>\n