It was a beautiful, sunny weekend in Sligo and we were treated to some entertaining football at The Sean Fallon Centre and IT Sligo over the weekend.

On Friday night, our Under 15 team were narrowly defeated by Finn Harps. Callum Lynch and Darragh McKeon scored for Rovers in a 3-2 defeat. It was the sides first defeat of the season having won their opening two games.

Saturday afternoon saw the same clubs facing off again, this time at Under 14 level. Much like the Under 15 game there was five goals in the game with Rovers winning 3-2 thanks to goals from Adam Feeney, Jamie O’ Malley and Dean Casey. This was a highly entertaining game and Rovers have started the season well and have seven points from the opening four games.

Our Women’s Under 19 team hosted Shamrock Rovers on Sunday afternoon at The Sean Fallon Centre.

The team went into the game unbeaten having picked up two wins and a draw from the opening three games. Goals from Jessica Casey, Eimear McIntyre, Nadine Hargadon and an own goal ensured Rovers remained unbeaten under manager Darragh Healy and ran out 4-0 winners.

There were no fixtures at Under 17 level this weekend and our Under 19 game against Shelbourne was postponed following the passing of Stephen Walsh, brother of goalkeeper Conor.

We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to The Walsh Family at this difficult time.

Ar Dheis De Go Raibh a Anam

Our programme team have once against produced a souvenir Match Programme for tomorrow’s Women’s National League game with Bohemians at The Showgrounds (2pm).

We hear from team Manager Steve Feeney as well as club Chairman Tommy Higgins. Feeney discusses the season so far and what lies ahead.

We look back on our last home game when Yeats United were our guests from the Sligo/Leitrim Youths league and we have a piece from Conall Collier called ‘Bus It’ which focuses on the Belarus Women’s National Team.

There is a match report from our last outings against DLR Waves and Cork City and we get the insight into both squads with player profiles and photos.

There is our usual squad and fixtures pages as well as a Rack Your Brains Quiz and 2022 Fixtures and Results.

You can get your Souvenir programme for just €4 inside the turnstiles from 1pm.

We host Bohemian FC on Saturday at 2pm at The Showgrounds in our fourth SSE Airtricity Women’s National League game.

The Bit O’ Red are looking to make it two wins from two after last weekend’s historic win over Cork City in Turners Cross. Goals from Gemma McGuinness and Emma Doherty helped Steve Feeney’s side to a 2-1 win.

Bohemians were defeated 3-0 at home to Wexford Youths at Dalymount Park and have picked up a point in their first three games this season, drawing 1-1 at home to Athlone Town and narrowly losing out 1-0 to current title holders Shelbourne.

Manager Steve Feeney:

‘’It was great to get a win in Turners Cross last week, it felt like a reward for a group of players who have shown a fantastic attitude since their first day with the squad. We hope it will strengthen their belief that they can play and win at this level. It was far from the perfect performance, but the players again showed a real togetherness to dig in and get the win. There is real quality in this league, and I think anyone who seen our two goals will see that we too bring plenty of quality to the league. It was a historic day with it being the first win in the national league and it was great to get a win, but we need to refocus now and be ready for the next challenge.

We take on a strong Bohemians team in The Showgrounds Saturday, Bohemians have faced 2 of the top 3 from last season in their opening fixtures and posed plenty of problems for those sides so we know we face another big challenge this Saturday. We look forward to the game and hope to see a great turn out again for the Rovers’ fans. In our first home game it was fantastic to see so many in attendance and it would give the players such a lift to have another big turn out this Saturday. The players have spoken on a few occasions since the DLR Waves game about how the noise or the roar from the crowd gave them such a lift so hopefully they can experience that again this Saturday as we try to get our first points at home.

In team news, Keela Scanlon and Yasmin Connolly are ruled out due to injury and there will be late checks over Kristen Sample, Orna O’ Dowd, Leah Kelly and Kerri O’ Hara.

A crowd of 945 attended the first ever WNL game at The Showgrounds against DLR Waves a fortnight ago and it’s expected another large attendance will be there tomorrow.

Kick off is at 2pm and Under 18’s are free of charge. Tickets for adults are €5 and available at the turnstile or you can buy online at https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

The SSE Airtricity League have announced that our next home fixture against Shelbourne has been brought forward to Friday April 1st with a 7.45pm kick off time.

The match had originally been scheduled for Saturday April 2nd.

The game will be the first of three home games in eight days as we host Bohemian FC on Tuesday April 5th and UCD on Saturday April 9th, both at 7.45pm.

You can buy tickets to The Shelbourne game here: https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Our 2022 Academy season is well and truly up and running after game week three is now complete in almost all age groups.

On Friday, our Under 17 men’s team took to the road to face Treaty United at University Limerick in a friendly. The game ended scoreless but both sides created plenty of chances and it proved to be a useful workout.

Saturday afternoon saw our Under 14 team host Derry City at The Sean Fallon Centre. The sides met a week previous in Derry with the Candystripes winning 2-1. This was another tight game with some nice football played by both sets of players. A first club goal for Jamie O’ Malley wasn’t enough to seal the win as the game ended 1-1.

Our Under 17 Women’s team hosted Shamrock Rovers at the same venue later in the day and ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Heather O’ Sullivan and Katie Heaney. This victory made it two wins from two for Aaron O’ Connor’s side after another win last week over Peamount United.

Our Under 19 Men’s team hosted Shamrock Rovers on Sunday at The Sean Fallon Centre. The Bit O’ Red were behind against the run of play early in the game but Kailin Barlow’s header drew Rovers level going into half time. Shamrock Rovers scored twice midway through the second half to race into a 3-1 lead. Shane Rooney’s cross come shot evaded the visiting goalkeeper on 75 minutes to make it 3-2. The Bit O’ Red threw everything into the closing stages but couldn’t find an equaliser.

At 3pm on Sunday our Under 19 Women’s team faced Athlone Town away from home after two wins from two to start the season. Lauren McLellan scored early to give Rovers the lead but this was pegged back in the second half and both sides had to make do with a point each. The girls remain unbeaten after wins over Bray/Greystones and DLR Waves on game week’s one and two.

Fixtures:

Under 14: Finn Harps (H) 2pm Saturday

Under 15: Finn Harps (H) 7.45pm Friday

Under 17 Men’s: No game

Under 17 Women’s: No game

Under 19 Men’s: Shelbourne (H) 4:30pm Sunday

Under 19 Women’s: Shamrock Rovers (H) 2pm Sunday

Gemma McGuinness wrote herself into the history books of Sligo Rovers when she grabbed a sensational first goal for the club in the Women’s National League against Cork City at Turners Cross on Saturday evening.

It got better for the under siege Bit O’Red soon after when Emma Doherty beat the offside trap and calmly finished to the net in the 70th minute.

Cork City got back into contention with 15 minutes remaining when Nadine Seward finished at the far post.

This was a third outing for Steve Feeney’s side following defeats by Peamount and DLR Waves while for hosts Cork City it was a second outing as last week’s game against Treaty Utd was postponed.

Cork lost (0-3) to Galway on the opening day and had a training game against Mayfield during the week to compensate for the postponement last Saturday.

Cork City dominated the opening exchanges and really could have had a goal or two on the scoreboard as Aoife Cronin and Shaunagh McCarthy were denied by Kristen Sample inside 15 minutes.

At the other end Fiona Doherty’s cross gave Aoife Brennan an opening, but she just failed to connect with the ball which drifted wide.

Cork remained in the ascendancy and created lots of chances, but failed to make a breakthrough. Brennan went close for the visitors from a 38th minute free and Gemma McGuinness began to make more of an impact on the wing.

Cork remained on the front foot after the resumption with Becky Cassin and Zara Foley going close as the Bit O’Red defended tenaciously with Amy Hyndham making a crucial clearnace in the 57th minute and Shaunagh McCarthy’s effort soon after flashing past the post.

In a rare Sligo attack Gemma McGuinness pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the Cork area and her effort went in off the angle of post and crossbar in the 62nd minute.

Emma Doherty, who arrived just in time for the game, scored the second.

Cork City – Abby McCarthy; Danielle Burke, Ciara McNamara, Zara Foley, Aoife Cronin, Shaunagh McCarthy, Becky Cassin, Eva Mangan, Kelly Leahy, Lauren Walsh, Lauren Singleton. Subs – Nadine Seward for Foley 62 mins, Aoibhin Donnelly for McCarthy 68m, Nathalie O’Brien for Walsh 84m.

Sligo Rovers – Kristen Sample; Leah Kelly, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Amy Roddy, Emma Hansberry, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Aoife Brennan, Amy Roddy, Katie Melly, Fiona Doherty. Subs – Emma Doherty for Melly, Sarah Kiernan for Hansberry and Paula McGrory for Roddy all 60 mins, Erin Coyle for Doherty 70m, Helen Monaghan for Kelly 84m

Referee – Claire Purcell.
Assistants – Chris Braganza, Paul Braganza.
Fourth official – David Keeler.

Report: Conall Collier

The Bit O’ Red travelled to Tallaght on Friday night knowing that a win may have taken us to the top of The SSE Airtricity Premier Division table. The hosts, Shamrock Rovers went into the game a point behind Rovers but with a game extra played.

It was a beautiful night for football and that showed with the attendance figure of 4,513, around 350 of those in the away end.

Shamrock Rovers started brightest in the opening few minutes with plenty of possesion in the midfield area but little in terms of goalmouth opportunities. Rory Gaffney went close with a header before Rovers created a chance of their own when Jordan Hamilton spotted Karl O’ Sullivan on the right. The Limerick man’s shot went just wide of Alan Mannus’ goal.

On 18 minutes, The Bit O’ Red took the lead. Lewis Banks found Hamilton from a throw, The Canadian turned and looked up and saw Will Fitzgerald make a run into the box from the left. The cross was perfect and the header was even better, perfectly placed into Mannus’ bottom corner.

It was an entertaining opening half and both sides created more chances but it was Rovers who struck once again on the half hour. Barry Cotter played a ball inside towards the edge of his own area. The busy Aidan Keena pounced on the wayward pass and composed himself before striking in off the post past Alan Mannus.

The away end was in full voice by now and the lads responded, defending well and hitting Shamrock Rovers on the counter attack on numerous occasions.

Ed McGinty had to be alert in goal as the home side looked to cut the deficit before the break but it remained 2-0 when Derek Tomney blew his whistle.

The second half was a different game. Jack Byrne and Neil Farrugia were introduced for the home side, and they reacted and kept possession for long periods. McGinty dealt with everything thrown at him with great confidence and Rovers continued to be a threat on the break.

Full back Andy Lyons picked up possession on the right on 62 minutes and ran toward the Rovers penalty area. As he was entering the box, he was adjudged to have been taken down by a trailing Adam McDonnell leg and Derek Tomney pointed to the spot. The Bit O’ Red players felt the challenge was outside the area but Tomney stuck to his decision and Graham Burke stepped up to score past McGinty.

Colm Horgan, David Cawley and Max Mata were introduced for Keena, Hamilton and O’ Sullivan but they couldn’t prevent the hosts from equalising. A cross into the area from the right was headed on and the ball went in off McDonnell for an unfortunate own goal on 81 minutes.

Rovers had the best chance in the closing stages as subs Horgan and Mata combined for the latter to shoot straight at Mannus on 90 minutes.

Next up for Rovers is a home game against Shelbourne followed by two more Showgrounds ties against Bohemians and UCD.

Steve Feeney takes his Women’s Senior team South to face Cork City at Turner’s Cross on Saturday. Kick off is at 5pm.

Last Saturday saw Rovers’ have our first home game at The Showgrounds in front of 945 supporters against DLR Waves. The away side took the points following a 3-0 win.

The Bit O’ Red took plenty of positives from the game and now face a long journey to Cork for the third game of the season.

Manager Steve Feeney was pleased with his side’s efforts last weekend:

”Last week was a special occasion for our club and all the people who have worked tirelessly in various roles for a number of years. While the result wasn’t what we hoped it would be I was so proud to be one of the many people in attendance to watch the team play their first game at home in the showgrounds against DLR Waves in the National League. A huge thank you to every single supporter who came out to support the team, we would love to see you out cheering this team on again! 

The players wanted so badly to get a result as a way of thanking all those who came out to support them on the day and all the people who have supported them individually in their football journeys. While the result didn’t come, I think anyone in attendance would agree that the players gave a performance to show just how proud they are to represent Rovers on a national level. We are at the early stages of the season and know it will be a journey that brings some big challenges but this team has shown already that they don’t fear challenges and will continue to meet each one head on. 

This week we travel to Cork for another tough game but it’s a game we look forward too as it gives the players another chance to show the league what they are capable of and what they can bring to the league this season. Cork have proven in past seasons how good they can be so we will need to be at our very best to have any chance of coming home with a positive result”. 

In team news, Gemma McGuinness is a doubt with an ankle injury while Paula McGrory and Lauren McLellan will be assessed before kick off and Keela Scanlon is unavailable.

The game is Live on LOI TV from 5pm.

Sligo Rovers travel to Tallaght Stadium tomorrow night (Friday, 8pm) to take on Shamrock Rovers in The SSE Airtricity League.

Liam Buckley’s men remain unbeaten going into the game and will hope to continue recent good form following weekend wins over Drogheda United and Finn Harps.

Shamrock Rovers had a scoreless draw away to Dundalk on Monday night following their Dublin Derby win over Bohemians last Friday.

Liam Buckley is aware of the quality of the opposition:

’We were happy with the way the two games went on Friday (Drogheda) and Monday (Harps). I felt we played well in large spells of both games, but, as ever there is room for improvement. We have a good depth to our squad with everyone playing for places and that is great for us.

”Shamrock Rovers had a great season last year and they’ve added some real talent again this season so we know how difficult the game will be. We have been playing well ourselves and go there knowing we can get a result.

I am lead to believe we will have a large away support on the night which will be great for the lads and we’re looking forward to it’’.

In team news The Bit O’Red welcome back goalkeeper Edward McGinty from illness and Greg Bolger is expected to be available again after recovering from injury.

Last three:

Sligo Rovers: Dundalk (D 0-0), Drogheda United (W 3-0), Finn Harps (W 3-1)

Shamrock Rovers: St Patrick’s Athletic (L 1-0), Bohemians (W 1-0), Dundalk (D 0-0)

The game is live on LOI TV from 8pm and away supporters are urged to buy tickets in advance online at https://tickets.shamrockrovers.ie/

The Bit O’ Red Academy teams are again in action this weekend between Friday and Sunday.

Our Under 17 Men’s team are first up with a friendly against Treaty United at 2pm on Friday afternoon at UL.

Saturday sees our Under 14 boys host Derry City at The Sean Fallon Centre at 1pm. The two sides met last weekend in Derry with The Candystripes winning 2-1.

Our Under 17 Women’s team host Shamrock Rovers at 3:30pm on Saturday, again at The Sean Fallon Centre. Aaron O’ Connor’s side got their first points of the season last weekend defeating Peamount United in Dublin.

Sunday sees Shamrock Rovers travel to The Sean Fallon Centre once more, with The Under 19 Men’s teams clashing at 2pm. A win and a loss in the first two league games see Declan Boyle’s side sit in mid table.

Darragh Healy takes his Under 19 Women’s side to Athlone on Sunday afternoon looking to make it three wins from three at the start of the season.

Our Under 15 boys were due to face The Mayo League on Sunday, however this fixture will now not take place.

Follow @sligoroversacad for updates throughout the weekend.