By Conall Collier
Sligo Rovers return to action in the Women’s All-Island Cup first round with a fixture at the Showgrounds against Bohemian FC on Sunday, 1.30pm.
Last month the Dublin side visited the Showgrounds for the opening game of the Women’s Premier Division (WPD) and were held to a scoreless draw by a battling Bit O’Red performance.
Bohs will go into this encounter on the back of a heavy defeat (7-2) against Shelbourne a fortnight ago. They had no game last weekend due to a weather-enforced postponement against Waterford at the RSC.
Sligo Rovers endured a tough outing, in terms of injuries, last Saturday when they hosted Galway Utd at the Showgrounds.
While Galway recorded a hard-earned 3-1 victory, the Bit O’Red lost Katie Melly and Jessica Casey to separate second-half injuries, and both players were stretchered off.
Katie Melly sustained an ankle injury that will keep her out of the team for at least four weeks, while Jessica Casey will be sidelined for a similar timespan with a knee injury.
Rovers manager Steve Feeney accepted that both players will be a significant loss as he reflected on what was ultimately a costly outing against Galway.
“The concession of the early goal against Galway was disappointing, but the players responded positively, and we were well in the game after that,” he said.
“I suppose Galway created some chances in the first half, but we were solid, and I felt we were coming back into the game in the second half when we had the two injuries.
“Katie was a big loss, as she was doing a good job in a more defensive role, and she has great pace also, so her departure disrupted our fluency.
“Then we lost Jessica a few minutes later, and it just didn’t help us, but there was ample evidence of the character and determination of the players; they kept going, and the late goal from Rachel (McGoldrick) was deserved,” he added.
Looking ahead to a first outing in this season’s All-Island Cup, Steve stressed the importance of a winning start in what is a tough group that also includes Shelbourne and Linfield.
“I’m not expecting anything easy from Bohemians, and they will be approaching
this game with a similar attitude to ourselves; both teams will feel they can win, and to have a realistic chance of making the quarter-finals, winning the first game is vital,” stated the Bit O’Red boss.
“We will be targeting a victory to get the All-Island Cup campaign off to a good start. Both teams would have preferred a better start to the league, and both teams have conceded a good few goals, but this is an opportunity now for us to go out and get a victory.
“We will have to make changes due to injuries to Katie (Melly), Jessica (Casey) and Paula (McGrory), while Emma Hansberry is on the doubtful list at this stage. Muireann and Lauren Devaney may not be available.
“On the plus side, Leah Kelly came on for Jessica last Saturday, and she was lively and energetic. We have plenty of players who are just waiting for a chance to start, and Sunday could be an opportunity for them,” he concluded.
Bohemian FC will start with manager Alban Hysa serving a suspension following his dismissal from the sideline last time out against Shelbourne for two yellow cards.
However, that won’t seriously impact the starting 11, and the Dublin women will
Look to players like Hannah Healy and Katie McCarn to score the goals, each having hit the target this season already.
Other players who have the potential to make big contributions include Roisin McGovern, who has got amongst the goals, and Aoibhe Brennan; both have started all five WPD games this season.
Kick-off at the Showgrounds on Sunday will be at 1.30pm, and the game will be on LOITV.