The former Galway United supremo took charge of a financially strapped Rovers team stripped of their top players during the summer. Many soccer pundits predicted a bleak season for the Connacht side, but remarkably, with nine games played, Sligo are sitting in third place in the first division.
"It has been great so far," admitted O'Riordan. "It is great to think that we could jump to second if we beat Finn Harps on Saturday. This is a very young side and they have done brilliantly to get us into this position.
"But we have to be realistic and say we would be doing well to stay there for the season. There is absolutely no pressure on the players or myself to get promotion. I have a very tight budget and we will do what we can on it.
"I have a three year contract with this club and my plan would be to get Rovers into the premier division by that time."
So after only a few months in the job, does O'Riordan have any regrets about taking over the unenviable task of putting Rovers back on the football map during the summer?
"It is brilliant here. The club have been great and the fans are fantastic. We are expecting our biggest crowd in three years on Saturday. Part of the reason for that is most of the players on the team are from Sligo and the fans appreciate that. I have no regrets."