BORN TO PLAY FOR SLIGO ROVERS

That would be an apt description for 17-year-old Owen Elding, writes Conall Collier.

The talented teenager made his senior first team debut for the Bit O’Red against Shelbourne here at the Showgrounds on Saturday 13th May.

That was as an 88th minute replacement for Frank LiIvak, but at that stage the outcome of the Premier League encounter was already determined with Shelbourne leading by 3-0.

The next opportunity for the young Sligo Rovers player came during the last home game at the beginning of June when manager John Russell sent Owen into the fray with 81 minutes on the clock against Shamrock Rovers.

“To make my senior debut for Sligo Rovers at the age of 17, that was a dream come true for me, it’s what I always wanted and it was a very proud moment for me and for my parents also,” said Owen when I spoke to him earlier this week.

“My dad was there and so was my mum (Laura), I also have an older sister (Chelsea) and a younger brother (Conor), they were both delighted for me as well.

“I’ve been working towards making my debut on the first team for the last few years and it was fantastic that I got the chance.

“My Dad is always giving me good advice about how to deal with certain situations as they arise in games, all that is very helpful,” he added.

And Dad is the legendary Anthony Elding.

That Owen Elding would be keen to pursue a career in football was never in doubt.

Owen is the eldest son of a player who achieved legendary status with Sligo Rovers in 2013 with the sensational winning goal in the FAI Cup final of that year at the Aviva Stadium as the Bit O’Red edged out Drogheda Utd 3-2 in a thriller.

Owen was at the game, he was seven, with his mum and sister Chelsea who was a little older (without giving her age away) while younger brother Conor would have been about two-years-old.

“I don’t remember too much about the actual game, but I do remember the celebrations after my dad scored the winning goal,” said Owen.

“I remember the celebrations in the stadium, I think I might have tried to get on to the pitch.

“That goal was really important for the club and it was great at school the next day, Ardkeeran Primary School in Riverstown, Johnny Kenny was a pupil in the school as well,” added Owen referring to his good friend as he recalled winning some GAA medals.

“I actually won some GAA medals when I was in primary school, there was the Cumann na mBunScol competition and also the Mini-Sevens,” he said.

“Ardkeeran won finals in both competitions and I was playing, but while I enjoyed the Gaelic football, it wasn’t really what I wanted and I didn’t join any club or anything like that,” he added.

Displaying lots of maturity when questioned about those games against Shelbourne, where he made his debut, and against Shamrock Rovers a few weeks later, and also about last Friday night’s defeat at the Belfield Bowl, Owen highlighted the hard work and determination of the current panel in training.

“John (Russell) is putting in so much work with the players, we aren’t just getting the results that we deserve, that we should be getting, at the moment,” he suggested.

“I was on the bench last weekend and I thought we were okay in the first-half against UCD, we got the lead, but it was a bit bizarre after that.

“It means the game tonight is huge, I hope we can make a statement with our performance, that would be the best response,” he added.

Between school and Sligo Rovers commitments, Owen has a busy schedule at the moment and he outlined the background to his joining Sligo Rovers a few years ago.

“Next year I will be doing the Leaving Certificate and once I get that completed, I’d be hopeful that I can pursue football on a full-time basis,” he said.

“There is a great interest around the school (Coola PPS) in Sligo Rovers, the teachers all congratulated me after I made my debut on the senior team and the students are all big supporters of the club.

“At the moment I train on a Tuesday and Thursday evening with the 19s and then also whenever I get called in to train with the first team.

“I want to be a professional footballer and Sligo Rovers has one of the best Academy structures in the League of Ireland, Conor O’Grady is great at progressing players through the various age groups.

“When we first moved to Ireland, after md Dad signed for Sligo Rovers, I played under-age with Arrow Harps, that was my first club I suppose and then I went to play in Mayo with Maunulla FC, I got to play for the Mayo League representative team while I was there,

“I came back to Arrow Harps and got a chance with the Sligo / Leitrim League team and then I got the chance to go into Sligo Rovers for trials, it was for the u-13 squad and I was lucky enough to get selected.

“I signed, that was in 2019, my dad was the manager at the time with Alan Farry.

“I played for two years with Sligo Rovers and then got the chance to move to Longford Town for two seasons.

“My dad got a role with the Longford club and it meant it was actually a bit difficult to get into Sligo from Riverstown, but he was going to Longford and it was a matter of convenience I suppose.

“I enjoyed my time at Longford, the people involved with the club were very nice and helpful, I played two years at u-17 level but I really wanted to get back to Sligo, that’s where my friends were.

“I was delighted when I got the chance and I was put up an age group to the u-19.

“I still have another year (this year) that I could play u-17, my dad is the manager, but I’m happy once I’m playing and I’ve managed to score nine goals so far this season for the 19s, Declan Boyle and Barry Mullen are the men in charge.

“I was involved in assessments a few years ago for the international teams at various age levels and I’m hopeful that I might get back involved again, playing in the first team for Sligo Rovers will be a big help on that front anyway,” he said.

Looking ahead to the rest of this season, Owen is really looking forward to one game in particular.

“What I’d really like would be a chance to play in the FAI Cup this year against Drogheda Utd in the first round, seeing as my dad scored the winner against them in the 2013 final, that would be memorable for me, hopefully I’ll be in the squad for the game anyway.

“Senior football is a lot quicker and a lot more physical than the under-age, even the 19s, you just can’t switch off at all.

“Players like David Cawley and Greg Bolger are very helpful when I’m training with the first team and hopefully, I will continue to learn from them and get more opportunities to play as well,” he concluded.

Sligo Rovers can confirm that defender Eanna Clancy has left the club to take up a full-time football scholarship at University College Dublin.

Clancy joined Rovers’ Academy from Manorhamilton Rangers and signed his first professional contract last August, making 16 appearances, scoring once against Cork City earlier this season at The Showgrounds.

The Leitrim native has made ten appearances so far in 2023 however has missed the last month or so with a hamstring injury.

Manager John Russell said:

‘’I’d like to wish Eanna the best of luck on his move to UCD. Having spoken to Eanna last year, I knew this was an opportunity he was likely to take up.

‘’Eanna came up through our academy and broke into the first team squad last year.

‘’This season he has played a lot of games and gained a huge amount of experience.

‘’He has shown great promise for such a young player and I’m sure he will have a great career ahead of him’’.

Speaking to sligorovers.com, Eanna admits it was a tough decision but ultimately one he felt was the right move at this point in his life:

‘’I’d like to say a massive thank you to all the great people working in the Academy and the club for developing me as a player and as a person from when I joined the club as a 14-year-old.

‘’I wish the players and staff all the best for the rest of the season and I want to say a huge thank you to the supporters and all the volunteers for all the work they do at the club and for making me feel so welcome.

”I will never forget my debut last season and the experience I have had in the past few years involved with this great club and I am not excited about the challenge ahead both Academically and on the pitch’’.

Everyone at Sligo Rovers would like to wish Eanna the very best of luck in his future academy and football career and we thank him for his service to the club.

Our upcoming Sports Direct FAI Cup First Round game away to Drogheda United will take place on Friday, July 21st at 7.45pm at Weavers Park in Drogheda.

Ticket details for Sligo Rovers supporters will be announced once received from the home club.

Tickets for this Friday’s SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash away to Derry City are now available on the Candystripe’s website.

The game will be the third meeting of the sides this season with Rovers earning four points over two games so far. Will Fitzgerald’s early goal was the difference last time out at The Showgrounds while Max Mata’s first-half goal at The Brandywell on St. Patrick’s Day was cancelled out by Ciaran Coll’s late equaliser.

Supporters will be situated in the usual away section within Block A of the Southend Stand.

Tickets are available now via the link below:

There were five Academy games down for decision this weekend.

Saturday saw two games with our Under 17 Men’s team hosting Athlone Town at The Sean Fallon Centre and our Under 14’s travelling to take on Klub Kildare.

Anthony Elding’s Under 17 side recorded a 3-0 win over the Midlanders with goals from Daire Patton, Desmond Yobouet and Callum Lynch. The win means the side have now won their opening two games in Phase Two of the League.

Colm Jinks’ Under 14 team defeated Kildare 5-2 with goals from Stephen Gibbons, who scored a brace and a goal each from Patrick Nolan, Matthew Gillen and Ryan Healy. That result means the side have taken 9 points from a possible 12 in Group B of the Under 14 Eddie Wallace Cup.

On Sunday, our Men’s Under 19 side hosted Dundalk at The Sean Fallon Centre and a free-kick from Owen Elding gave Rovers an early lead. Shea Malone added a second to seal the points for Declan Boyle’s side who are now unbeaten since April 2nd and have won seven out of their last nine competitive games.

Our Under 19 Women had an 8-2 victory over Athlone Town in Ballisodare. Keri O’ Hara scored twice with a goal each from Alice Lillie, Lara Swann and Anna McDaniel but the hero of the day way Rebecca Doddy who scored a magnificent four goals in a brilliant attacking display.

Our Under 15 side took on Bray Wanderers away from home and lost out narrowly on a scoreline of 3-2. A double from Darragh Reynolds wasn’t enough to take any points in an entertaining, end to end game.

Finally, Casey Ruane and Kya McKenna from our Under 17 Womens team were in Dublin yesterday at Republic of Ireland Under 16 assessments. Both players acquited themselves well and did the club proud.

Tickets to our upcoming Friendly with Celtic B on Tuesday, July 11th at The Showgrounds are selling fast throughout the last few days.

Tickets have been purchased both domestically and abroad with plenty of the Glasgow Giant’s supporters making the trip to Sligo.

For those interested in making the short trip across the Water, flights into Ireland West Airport, Knock arrive from Edinburgh on Tuesday at 12.30pm and supporters could choose to return to the Scottish Capital on Thursday afternoon, July 13th, giving them plenty of opportunity to see the rest of the county.

There are buses from the airport direct to Sligo Town at 13:35 on Tuesday, returning at 10am or 12pm on Thursday which gives you plenty of time to get your flight.

Knock Airport is 45-50 minutes from Sligo, depending on if you bypass or go through Tubbercurry.

Tickets for Adults are €15, Seniors/Students access is €10 and Under 12’s are a fiver.

You can purchase your tickets now online via the link below:

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Supporters can also pay on the gate on the night, with turnstiles opening at The Showgrounds from 6pm.

We hope to see you all there on what should be a good occasion for both clubs.

Sligo Rovers produced a battling display in Belfast to earn a 1-1 draw against Cliftonville at Solitude this evening in the final Group C game in the Avenir Sports Women’s All-Island Cup, writes Conall Collier.

“Cliftonville had a lot of possession, but the girls showed great battling qualities, as they have all season, and it was great for them to get something out of the game,” commented Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney.

“It’s also a great boost for everyone going into the mid-season break and we can be positive ahead of our return to action in the Women’s Premier Division on Saturday 19^th August with a trip to tackle Athlone Town.

“There is still plenty to play for and we also have the FAI Cup game the following weekend at the Showgrounds against Bonagee Utd.

“We have been a bit unlucky in some of our games so far this season and hopefully now we can build on this result against a top team and start picking up some points in the League when the action resumes,” he added.

The Belfast women have qualified for the semi-finals after recording wins over Sion Swifts in the first round and Bohemian FC last weekend in Dublin while Sligo Rovers lost to both those teams and went into this game pointless.

However, two goals in the space of a first-half minute settled this encounter as Cliftonville took a 24^th minute lead through Danielle Maxwell, but Sligo Rovers equalised inside 60 seconds when Emma Doherty finished well after Casey Howe made the opening.

Both sides created chances subsequently and there was also a Sligo Rovers debut for 15-year-old Keeva Flynn who replaced Helen Monaghan in the 77^th minute.

Cliftonville – Lauren Welsh; Kelsie Burrows, Hannah Doherty, Toni-Leigh Finnegan, Orleigha McGuinness, Abbie Magee, Vicky Carleton, Louise McDaniel, Danielle Maxwell, Caitlin McGuinness, Claire Shaw. Subs – Tara Reilly for Magee, Chelsea Irvine for C McGuinness, Bernadette Ferreira for McDaniel.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Helen Monaghan, Amy Roddy, Lauren Boles, Katie Melly, Keri Loughrey, Ciara Henry, Casey Howe, Emma Doherty. Subs – Jodie Loughrey for Henry 14 mins, Keeva Flynn for Monaghan 77m.

Our Academy teams are in action today and tomorrow as we continue competitive action in the 2023 season.

First up, at The Sean Fallon Centre, our Under 17 Men’s team host Athlone Town at 1pm later today. The lads come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Bray Wanderers last Saturday at The Showgrounds.

Our Under 14 side, fresh from a 3-2 Cup win over Derry City last weekend, take on Klub Kildare at 3:30pm away from home.

Tomorrow, our Under 19 Men’s team host Dundalk at 1pm at The Sean Fallon Centre. Last week, a Conor Campbell goal in Bray saw Rovers take the spoils against the Seasiders.

Our Under 19 Women’s team take on Athlone Town at Ballisodare United Astro at the same time. The girls had a 5-3 win away to Galway United last Sunday thanks to Rebecca Doddy’s brace and a hattrick from Katie McGuire.

Finally, our Under 15 team, who defeated UCD 3-0 last Sunday at The Showgrounds, travel to take on Bray Wanderers at 2pm.

Last night at our Senior Men’s game, our Academy players were presented with International Caps from their recent Republic of Ireland call-ups.

Congrats to Conor Walsh, Eli Rooney, Niall Holohan, Alice Lillie, Aron Heaney and also to senior players Emma Doherty, Jodie Loughrey and Keri Loughrey.

Sligo Rovers defeated Bohemians at home on Friday night at The Showgrounds after a fine display from start to finish saw Rovers race into a 3-0 lead after 57 minutes.

Rovers were without Garry Buckley, Mark Byrne, Gary Boylan, Conor Walsh, Eli Rooney, Eanna Clancy, Fabrice Hartmann, Reece Hutchinson, Karl O’ Sullivan and James Finnerty ahead of the game, with various injuries.

Greg Bolger, Frank Liivak and Kailin Barlow all came back into the team having been on the bench for the game with UCD last week, with Bolger returning fully from a minor injury.

David Cawley, Lukas Browning and Stefan Radosavljevic all dropped to the substitute’s bench.

Bohemians had former Bit O’ Red players Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell and Kris Twardek in their starting side.

Rovers started bright with lots of possession in the Bohs’ final third. Johan Brannefalk’s set-piece delivery tormented the visitors all night and it was his cross on 12 minutes that was met with a header by Kailin Barlow but James Talbot made a smart save.

Max Mata tried his luck soon after, again Brannefalk’s delivery was this time met by Mata’s head but his effort drifted wide.

On 23 minutes, Daniel Lafferty was next to have an opportunity as he pounced on an error from Talbot but his right footed effort was over the bar.

Rovers took a deserved lead in the 25th minute as Niall Morahan won possession in midfield to stop a Bohs break forward. Greg Bolger picked up possession and teed up Mata who found Barlow on the edge of the area. The former Bit O’ Red Academy player worked a yard for himself and drilled a low shot across goal and into the net via the upright to score his first senior goal.

The Showgrounds was in full voice now and Rovers’ effort was epitomised on 38 minutes when both central defenders found themselves chasing down a Bohs defender in the corner of Rovers attacking left side. Pijnaker won the ball back, drove into the penalty area and fizzed a cross across the face of the goal but goalkeeper Talbot parried it away.

Bohs didn’t keep Rovers out for much longer however as Barlow’s cross on 40 minutes looked to be easily gathered by Talbot but he let the ball slip out of his hands and the on-rushing Mata touched it into the net from a yard to double the lead going into half-time.

Frank Liivak picked up a shoulder injury in the first half and was replaced by Stefan Radosavljevic for the second period.

John Russell’s side started the second-half as they finished the first with a fast tempo and chasing everything down from back to front.

The third goal came after a brilliant team move which saw Will Fitzgerald pick up possession after good play from Greg Bolger. The tricky winger dribbled past a host of Bohs players, eventually teeing up Radosavljevic to score his first Showgrounds goal from around 25 yards with a wonderful, dipping effort.

It was all Rovers at this point, however the game changed shortly after that third goal as Kailin Barlow, booked in the first half lost possession in midfield and the scorer of tonight’s first goal pulled James McManus back and referee David Dunne brandished a second yellow card and ultimately a red.

Bohemians had more possession in the last half hour or so however didn’t really threaten the Rovers’ rear-guard and Luke McNicholas, helped by his back four and midfield all night, gathered a couple of crosses and shots as the clock ticked down.

David Cawley, Owen Elding and Lukas Browning had all come on in the second-half, replacing Mata, John Mahon and Bolger respectively.

With two minutes remaining the visitors did pull one back. A scramble on the edge of the box ended with striker Jonathan Afolabi scoring into the bottom corner with a fine effort from 18 yards.

There was five minutes added at the end of the game and Rovers saw it out and picked up a deserved three points.

Next up is Derry City next Friday night at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, which kicks off at 7.45pm.

The Bit O’ Red then host Celtic B in a mid-season friendly on Tuesday, July 11th before a League game with Cork City on Saturday, July 15th.

Tickets for both games are on sale now at the link below:

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/