By Conall Collier
Popular Sligo Rovers player Katie Melly can be described as a young veteran, although she only started her fourth season in the Women’s Premier Division with her hometown club in a scoreless draw against Bohemians at the Showgrounds on Saturday.
That ‘veteran’ tag can be substantiated by the facts: Katie is the only player who started on Saturday for Sligo Rovers and also started in that historic first League of Ireland game back in March 2022 against Peamount Utd.
Now in her fourth League of Ireland season, it has been a memorable journey for the Melly family, who are all avid supporters of the Bit O’Red, and for Katie, who can remember going to the Showgrounds to watch her local team from the age of four or five.
Another claim that Katie, who played under-age with Strand Celtic, can make is that she also started in the club’s historic first victory in March 2022 against Cork City at Turner’s Cross, and the Bit O’Red will travel to the Munster venue this Saturday buoyed by a positive opening to the season.
Talking after last Saturday’s encounter at the Showgrounds, Katie pointed to the experience that the team has now, compared to that first outing at PRL Park in west Dublin a little over three years ago.
“I’m not old enough to be classified as a veteran, but I know what you mean in the sense that I played in the first game, and I’m really pleased to continue playing, but it was tough going against Bohemians, and I got a bit of a knock near the end,” she commented.
“We have a bit more stability about us now, a bit more experience, even for the younger players, whereas for that first game against Peamount, it was a real journey into the unknown for us.
“At this stage most of us know what to expect, and it has been all about learning and adapting, trying to improve with each game, and now, in our fourth season, we can have a bit of confidence about ourselves,” she added.
Katie is very proud to play for her local club at the highest level, but it has taken a lot of effort, commitment, and determination on her behalf and her parents, who used to drive her to training locally and then to Castlebar when she was recruited as a 16-year-old by the Mayo side.
“It’s great to get the first game of the new season out of the way, and I’m really enjoying playing, but our squad is very competitive, and no one is guaranteed a starting position,” she stated.
“We had a preseason of seven weeks, lots of training, and games in preparation for the new campaign, and I felt we gave a good performance against Bohemians and showed what we are capable of.
“We got a point on the board and the next target is to get a victory, we go to Cork on Saturday and there is never much between us, but we have to adopt a positive approach and aim for three points,” she concluded.
