Sligo Rovers defeated Bala Town on Thursday evening in a warm and sunny Park Hall Stadium at Oswestry, England.

Since the draw was made on June 14th, Bit O Red supporters have been plotting and planning their journeys and they travelled in large numbers to ensure a sea of red and white took over the stadium, set just outside the small village of Oswestry.

Manager John Russell made no changes to the side that defeated Shelbourne last weekend, but Garry Buckley returned to the bench in place of the injured Greg Bolger.

It wasn’t the best of start for Rovers, who fell behing on six minute. The ball broke on the edge of the box to winger Lassana Mendes who powered home a left footed strike past Edward McGinty.

This stunned Rovers and the Bit O’ Red sustained long periods of posession at the back and through midfield as we looked for an equaliser.

Max Mata hit the post following Will Fitzgerald’s cross from the left and soon later Rovers did score. Colm Horgan floated a great through ball over the top and in form Aidan Keena took it down, brought it onto his left food and lobbed it over the advancing Bala goalkeeper.

Keena tried his luck again soon after but his strike went over the crossbar and the sides were level at the break.

Rovers started the second half well and Niall Morahan picked up possession inside his own half before driving forward across the half-way line and finding Max Mata in behind, the New Zealander’s effort well saved by the goalkeeper and out for Rovers’ first corner of the half.

Adam McDonnell’s delivery was a dangerous one and the ball fell nicely to Mata who swept it home to put Rovers in front.

Rovers continued to keep large amounds of possession throughout the half and Keena tried his luck on a few occasions.

Bala were given a lifeline on 79 minutes. Defender Nando Pijnaker was dispossessed around 25 yards out from goal by Bala midfielder Dave Edwards. Edwards looked to be running through on goal but Pijnaker pulled him down and the referee gave him a straight red card.

Bala put on some pressure from there on in however McGinty was never seriously troubled and Sligo Rovers take a 2-1 lead into next week’s return leg at The Showgrounds.

Tickets are selling well and supporters are advised to buy in advance online via the link below:

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

Our Academy teams are all in action this coming weekend. The business ends of the seasons are fast approaching so results at this stage could be important for each sides progression.

Our Under 14 side host Treaty United at 2pm in Ballisodare Astro. The lads were beaten 4-2 by Kildare last weekend and will be looking to get their first win of the season proper.

Our Under 15’s host Shelbourne at 3pm on Sunday at Sean Fallon Centre. Admission to the game is free and all support is appreciated.

Our Under 17 Mens team host Athlone Town at 7.30pm on Tuesday at Sean Fallon Centre and have a friendly on Saturday against Fermanagh.

Our Under 17 Womens team host Treaty United at 4.30pm on Saturday, also on Sean Fallon Centre Astro. The girls had a big 2-1 win away to Athlone Town last weekend.

Our Under 19 Mens team face a long journey to play Dundalk on Sunday afternoon. They will look to recover after last week’s second half loss to Shamrock Rovers, having been 2-0 up, the visitors scored three without return to seal the win.

Our Under 19 Womens team play Athlone Town at 2pm on Sunday afternoon at Sean Fallon Centre. The squad had no game last weekend and return with a home game which is free to attend.

Thanks to all our team sponsors for their continued support:

Under 19 Men: EJ Menswear

Under 19 Women: Overstock

Under 17 Men: Ivor Parke

Under 15 Men: O’ Connor Cabins

Under 14: Paul Gallagher (Alzheimers Society Ireland)

Sligo Rovers take on Bala Town tomorrow in the First Round (First Leg) Qualifying Round of The UEFA Europa Conference League. The game takes place in Oswestry, which is a small town on the England and Wales border and home of The New Saints FC.

Rovers qualified for the competition after a third place finish in 2021, the second consecutive season the club have reached this stage. There was disappointment last year with defeat to FH Hafnarfjordur of Iceland, losing 3-1 on aggregate.

Rovers come into the game undefeated since Manager John Russell took interim charge of the club with a victory over Derry City and a draw away to UCD before being appointed Manager a week later. Since then Rovers have beaten Finn Harps and Shelbourne with a draw away to Drogheda United in between.

On Saturday The Bit O’ Red won 3-1 at home to Shelbourne, showing a great reaction to falling a goal behind early in the game to come back and score three goals with two from Aidan Keena and one from strike partner Max Mata.

John Russell looks ahead to tomorrow’s game:

‘’We are expecting a difficult game tomorrow night against Bala Town. They have competed in Europe of the past few seasons and have an experienced group of players. We know the threat they bring so we need to be ready.

European nights are always special occasions and the players are fully focused and ready for the challenge ahead. We’re in good form so it’s important to bring that into the game tomorrow night. I believe our supporters will travel in big numbers so hopefully we can put on a performance they can be proud of’’.

In team news, Greg Bolger will have a late fitness test tomorrow after an injury picked up against Shelbourne on Saturday night. Garry Buckley returns to the squad having missed our previous two games with injury.

Our opponents finished second in The Welsh Premier Division in their 2021/22 season and come into the game after a series of pre-season friendlies, most notably against Welsh Rivals TNS and Northern Irish team Cliftonville.

The club have made some new additions and will prove a tough test for Rovers who will be followed by around 450 supporters at Park Hall Stadium on Thursday night.

Supporters have travelled to Oswestry by bus, plane, trains, cars and ferrys and it is sure to be a wonderful occasion as we look forward to the return of supporters on a European away night for the first time since 2014.

The game will be streamed live at the following link https://www.247.tv/gaa/247/video/1199342-bala-town-v-sligo-rovers-thursday-7th-jul-2022-7-00pm

Ocean FM will provide commentary from Park Hall on the night and there will be viewings in many of our local bars in Sligo.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the signing of Alana Doherty on a short term deal.

Doherty, from near Buncrana in County Donegal is a former Illies Celtic player where she played in her early career before making her first appearance for their senior Womens team.

The versatile midfielder was also part of The Inishowen Academy from Under 12 through to Under 16 and progressed through to the Under 18 side before joining Derry City in 2021.

Doherty is currently attending Oakland University on a Soccer Scholarship where she will return to at the end of the current summer for her third season in The US.

Doherty plays as a central midfielder but can operate at either left or right back, which manager Steve Feeney will be able to use to his advantage in our upcoming games.

New signing Doherty expressed her delight at joining The Bit O’ Red:

‘’I’m excited to sign for Sligo Rovers Women and get the opportunity to play in the Womens League of Ireland.

We have a great bunch of players, and the management team are great too and I’ve no doubt we can go really far together’’.

Doherty is expected to at least be part of Saturday FAI Womens Cup Matchday squad when Rovers host Douglas Hall at 3pm at The Showgrounds.

Manager Steve Feeney:

‘’We’re thrilled to welcome Alana to the club. She will prove to be an important part of the squad over the next few weeks and she will bring some good experience and quality into the group.

She has played at a high level both at home and abroad and we’re looking forward to working with her’’.

Doherty brings to two the number of Summer signings so far after last weekend’s addition of midfielder Aife Haran.

Welcome to The Showgrounds, Alana.

The Bit O’ Red are in European action this Thursday evening as we begin our Europa Conference League Qualifying campaign against Bala Town at Park Hall Stadium.

The stadium is owned by Bala’s welsh rivals The New Saints and it’s located in Oswesty, on the border of Wales and England. The ground holds just over 1,000 seats and Bit O’ Red fans were quick to snatch the first allocation of 300 tickets which went on sale around ten days ago meaning the club looked for a larger allocation of tickets which was secured a few days ago. This means Rovers will have around 400 supporters at the game in what promises to be a big occasion for both clubs.

Bala finished their season back in May and qualified for this stage thanks to a second placed league finish behind TNS who were crowned league champions.

For those who cannot attend Thursday’s game there will be live commentary from our friends at Ocean FM and the game will also be live streamed via the link below:

https://www.247.tv/gaa/247/video/1199342-bala-town-v-sligo-rovers-thursday-7th-jul-2022-7-00pm

The stream costs £7.

The second leg takes place on Thursday week, July 14th at 7pm at The Showgrounds. There will also be a live stream available for this game however we ask all Bit O’ Red supporters to come out and support the lads as we look to qualify for the next round.

Tickets are on sale at The Showgrounds or online via the link below:

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

Almost 2,000 tickets are sold so far and we expect a large crowd in attendance as we attempt to make it four home wins in a row.

Keep an eye on the club’s social media platforms for updates through the next couple of weeks.

Our Academy had yet another busy weekend with five games taking place on Saturday and Sunday.

Our Under 14 season got underway after the delayed start to the season and a trip to Klub Kildare awaited Alan Farry’s team who have spent the months since January preparing with a host of training sessions and pre-season friendlies.

It wasn’t to be on the day as the lads fell to a 4-2 defeat with Ashton Conlon and Adam Feeney finding the net.

Our Under 15’s had a long journey to take on Bray Wanderers away from home on Sunday, losing narrowly on a 3-2 scoreline. The goals came from James Lavin and Darragh McKeon on the day.

Our Under 17 Men’s side were beaten 4-3 by Cavan/Monaghan in Cootehill on Saturday afternoon. Luke Mavrak got his seventh goal of the season and goals from Daire Patton and Lee Conway weren’t enough to secure any points.

Our Under 17 Womens team had a succesful journey to Athlone, beating the Midlanders 2-1 thanks to goals from Rachel McGoldrick and Lara Swann.

On Sunday, our Under 19 Mens team hosted Shamrock Rovers at Sean Fallon Centre. The first half was a good one for Rovers who raced into a two goal lead in the first 30 minutes with a Daire McCarthy goal followed by Kailin Barlow’s penalty. The visitors regrouped at half time however and scored three goals to win 3-2 late on.

The Under 19 Womens team had a free weekend.

Hard-working Bohemian FC, with an outstanding display from Lisa Murphy, edged out Sligo Rovers at Dalymount Park on Saturday evening in the first game after the mid-season break, writes Conall Collier

Both teams failed to score last time out, but the Dublin side took a point at the Belfield Bowl while Sligo Rovers conceded five against Peamount.

The opening exchanges were fairly tentative and both teams looked a little rusty, but the sharpness soon returned.

The Bit O’Red had to rely on a smart Amy Mahon save in the 21st minute as she turned a well-struck Abbie Brophy effort around the post.

From the resultant corner, there was a bit of pinball in the Sligo penalty area before the ball was blazed over the bar.

Brophy continued to cause problems for the visitors, but the hosts were kept at bay until the 43rd minute when hesitation at the back gave Erica Burke an opening and she finished smartly to give Bohemian FC a 1-0 interval lead.

Sligo Rovers created a 55th minute opening when Emma Hansberry had a great chance, but her effort was blocked by Rachael Kelly, the ball broke to Paula McCrory, but she hit over.

Gemma McGuinness had Sligo on terms in the 70th minute when she finished well after breaking through, but Bohemian FC reacted positively and substitute Aoife Robinson restored the lead three minutes later.

That was sufficient to give the Dublin side the points as they moved up to seventh.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney was disappointed not to get something from the game and will now turn his attention to preparations for next weekend’s FAI Cup tie against Douglas Hall.

“We conceded goals that were of the soft variety, but we also needed the game after the break,” stated Feeney.

“I thought we were the best team for about half-an-hour in the second-half and we have definitely improved from our performance the first day against Bohs,” he added.


Bohemian FC – Rachael Kelly; Abbie O’Hara, Ann Marie Byrne, Lisa Murphy, Isobel Finnegan, Katie LOvely, Kira Crosbie Bates, Chloe Darby, Abbie Brophy, Bronagh Kane, Erica Burke. Subs – Aoife Robinson for Darby 68 mins,Lara Phipps for Kane 77m,Leah HUghes for Murphy 89m.
 

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Erin Coyle, Amy Roddy, Paula McCrory, Jessica Casey. Subs – Kerri O’Hara for Hansberry 61 mins, Katie Melly for Hyndman and Fiona Doherty for Casey both 81m, Lauren McClellan for McGrory 87m.

Referee -Sarah Dyas.

The Bit O’ Red made it three home wins on the spin lastnight at a rain soaked Showgrounds against Dubliners Shelbourne.

Manager John Russell made one change to his starting line up from last week’s draw against Drogheda United, with Nando Pijnaker replacing Lewis Banks at the back. Garry Buckley wasn’t risked as he continues to recover from injury, with the defender expected to play in this week’s Europa Conference League tie with Bala Town.

The visitors started the better and took an early lead when Jack Moylan ran towards the Rovers penalty area before finding JJ Lunney inside the box. Lunney teed up Brian McManus who’s shot was deflected past Ed McGinty to give his side the lead.

Rovers recovered well from this early setback and went in search of an equaliser and they got it on 23 minutes. Niall Morahan’s defensive header found Aidan Keena inside his own half. Keena flicked it into the path of Will Fitzgerald who drove forward across half way before slipping in Max Mata who beat Aaron O’ Driscoll and powered a shot low under Brendan Clarke for his fourth goal for the club.

It was all Rovers at this stage and it wasn’t long before we took the lead. Shane Blaney passed to Paddy Kirk at left back and he played a forward ball to Mata who turned it around the corner for Aidan Keena to run onto. Keena drove towards the area before teeing up Mata again who looked to be working an angle to shoot but he spotted Keena in a better position and the striker beautifully dinked the ball over Clarke and into the net for his tenth goal of the season and to put John Russell’s side in front at the break.

The second half was as action packed as the first. Both sides looked for a fourth goal with Rovers playing some nice football from back to front but it was the visitors who came closest on a couple of occasions late in the half.

First, Jack Moylan’s cross come shot deceived Ed McGinty and had to be cleared off the line by Colm Horgan.

Keena again threatened when he turned well 30 yards from goal and played a fine through ball toward debutant Frank Liivak, introduced shortly beforehand, who was upended in the box but the referee waved away Rovers’ penalty appeals.

Then Moylan had the ball in the net for Shels but sub Sean Boyd was standing in front of McGinty and it was ruled out for offside.

Moylan was again narrowly offside on 86 minutes after Boyd’s flick on and Rovers escaped and battled on as the clock ticked past 90 minutes and into five minutes of added time.

Two minutes into that Rovers had a chance to seal the points. Frank Liivak burst away from the Shels defender Luke Byrne and found Fitzgerald who broke into the box and put the ball around Brendan Clarke who fouled the Rovers’ winger and referee John McLoughlin pointed to the spot.

Aidan Keena grabbed the ball and sent Clarke the wrong way and Rovers secured an important 3-1 win.

Next up is a trip to face Bala Town on Thursday evening in The First Round of The Europa Conference League Qualifiers.

Sligo Rovers’ Women’s National League manager Steve Feeney has made his first signing of the summer transfer window with Aife Haran returning to the club.

The 20-year-old was part of the club’s first ever Under-17 Women’s National League side, before moving on to play for Athlone Town.

The Ballinacarrow native started her football with Strand Celtic at the age of eight, and played up as far as Under 18 level.

Haran won seven league medals Strand, while also representing Sligo/Leitrim Emerging Talent squads, and represented Connacht at Under 15 level.

The midfielder spent two years with the Rovers Under 17s team and scored the club’s first goal in the underage Women’s National League as she scored versus Peamount, which she says she is very proud of. 

Aife then moved on to Athlone Town where she played her football for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“I learnt a lot there and gained lots of WNL experience,” Haran told sligorovers.com

Haran studies Sports Therapy in Dublin, and has been playing for the Sligo senior GAA team for the last few months, having not played any Women’s National League this season.

She explained: “Back in November 2021 I was contacted by Conor O’Grady who was in the process of forming a senior womens team at Sligo Rovers, to see if I would be interested in playing for the coming season. 

“I had decided that being in college in Dublin, it would not be possible to return to Athlone so my instinct was to return to Rovers, where I started my National League career. 

“I had at that stage committed to Sligo Senior Ladies GAA for the coming season but said I would join mid season, which I am delighted to do now.”

Growing up, for Haran there was no senior women’s football in the county, so she appreciates the importance of having a senior Rovers WNL team.

“I am so excited to get back playing for Sligo Rovers again at a higher level. It’s great to finally have a women’s senior team in the county especially for the young girls coming through in the future. 

“I help coach the Coolaney United u13 girls and I can see how much it means for them to have role models to look up to and something for them to aim towards in their future careers, so it’s great even from that aspect of things.”

Haran is familiar with a number of players within the squad from her time with the under 17s, and she’s been impressed with what she’s seen so far this season.

“The team has done unbelievably well considering it’s their first year in the WNL. It goes to show how hard working and determined each player is which is exactly what is needed to be successful in this league. 

“I’ve been to a few home games and I’ve been impressed with the quality of players in the squad. I’m excited to be involved in this squad and ready to work hard for the team. 

“From underage I’ve played with several of the current squad and I look forward to getting to know the rest of my teammates.

“I’ve been at a few training sessions so far and I have enjoyed getting back playing at this level.”

Haran is available to play today (Saturday) as Rovers travel to Dalymount Park to take on Bohemian in their first game following the mid-season break.

We wish to remind all supporters attending tonight’s game to please respect the following guidelines:

• Random searches by security upon entry. Please respect our security staff if asked
• CCTV is in operation. With thanks to our partners Power Right Fire & Security, our state of the art CCTV cameras are in operation throughout the night. This is monitored throughout the game and anyone found to be behaving in a way that goes against our ground rules will be identified and might be removed from the ground and issued a suspension or ban from attending games.
• We ask supporters not to bring alcohol to the game. Security staff have confiscated large amounts of alcohol in recent weeks and will continue to do so in all games.
• We thank supporters for not using flares at our last game. It was the first game this season the club didn’t receive a fine for the use of flares at our games. The atmosphere was fantastic and we look forward to the same this evening.
• Away fans enter via our astro turf car park.
• Away supporters buses must park in the astro turf car park in our designated area. This increases safety and security for supporters
• Please respect the local area and park responsibly. We have come to an agreement with Nazareth House which is being finalised which will add up to 200 car parking spaces on match night. This will be in place from our European game with Bala Town.
• Children aged Under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
• With a COVID strain now back among and effecting many in the community, we ask supporters to consider wearing a face covering and to act responsibly in this regard.
  

We have employed a new security team this season who liaise with our local An Garda Siochana at each game and are in communication with our CCTV operator. These are in addition to our regular, dedicated volunteers who act as stewards and security.

We thank supporters for their assistance and support in all the above matters. This will help everyone have a better experience on match night and enhance The Showgrounds experience.