SHAMROCK ROVERS 0, SLIGO ROVERS 0

By Conall Collier

Bonnie McKiernan produced a superb display between the posts at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday evening as Sligo Rovers earned a valuable Women’s Premier Division point and made it three games unbeaten with a third clean sheet of the season.

The players have addressed the early-season problem of leaking goals and while few scoring chances were created at the Dublin venue, the first requirement was to make it difficult for the opposition, and that goal has been achieved.

Steve Feeney made one change from the previous week’s win over Peamount, with Keeva Flynn coming into the starting 11 at the expense of Kate Nugent, while his opposite number, Collie O’Neill, also made one change as Republic of Ireland player Ruesha Littlejohn returned to the side in favour of Jaime Thompson.

With Women’s National Team manager Carla Ward watching the action, the hosts were intent on making an impact, but the Bit O’Red produced another battling rearguard action during the opening 45 minutes and went in scoreless at the interval.

They repeated the performance after the resumption and were well worth the point, as solid defending was the hallmark, with Keeva Flynn, Sarah Kierna and Alice Lillie holding the line with tremendous backup from ‘keeper Bonnie McKiernan, who produced a string of smart saves.

Twice she denied Áine O’Gorman with fingertip saves, and she also thwarted Joy Ralph and Katie O’Reilly as the hosts enjoyed plenty of possession but were unable to make any impact on the scoreboard.

The pattern was similar in the second half, where the tireless efforts of Eimear Lafferty, Emma Hansberry and Alanah Doherty limited chances for the hosts, who went close on two occasions through Aoife Brophy, denied by the crossbar, and Ella Kelly.

Substitutes Muireann Devaney and Kate Nugent were crucial additions in the closing stages, and Devaney almost scored with her first touch as the Bit O’Red launched a late attack.

Overall, this was yet another encouraging display from a Sligo Rovers team that is showing consistent improvement each week.

Shamrock Rovers – Katie Keane; Scarlett Herron, Maria Reynolds, Katie O’Reilly, Melissa O’Kane, Joy Ralph, Emily Corbett, Áine O’Gorman, Aoife Brophy, Keelin Comiskey, Ruesha Littlejohn. Subs – Ella Kelly for Corbett 57 mins, Jaime Thompson for O’Gorman, Fiona Owens for Brophy and Anna Butler for O’Reilly all 75m.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Keeva Flynn, Alice Lillie, Emma Hansberry, Eimear Lafferty, Alanah Doherty, Mairead McIntyre, Cara King, Anna McDaniel. Subs – Muireann Devaney for McIntyre 71 mins, Kate Nugent for Doherty 85 mins.

Referee – Glen Geraghty.

Assistant referees – Simon Drislane, Dylan Redmond.

Fourth official – John Sconnie-Walsh.

Sligo Rovers will travel to Tallaght Stadium on Saturday for a Women’s Premier Division (WPD) showdown against a Shamrock Rovers side that currently sits in sixth place, some eight points adrift of leaders Athlone Town.

The Bit O’Red will go into the first of two big games on the back of an impressive victory last Saturday against four-time champions Peamount Utd, with Athlone Town set to visit the Showgrounds the following weekend.

Anna McDaniel’s 19th-minute goal was the platform for a thoroughly deserved win last Saturday as the Bit O’Red delivered a tremendous display with 90 minutes of non-stop pressure.

Bonnie McKiernan will start between the posts again as Amber Hardy continues her recovery along with the injured trio of Katie Melly, Jessica Casey and Rachel McGoldrick.

Against that background, injuries to four regular starters, Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney has been rewarded with some swashbuckling performances from the players who have deputised and who will now be looking for regular starting positions.

“The fact that we had players of the quality of Muireann (Devaney) and Keeva (Flynn) on the bench last Saturday was a reflection of the actual strength in depth of our panel, and it was a real boost to bring them on in the second half,” stated Steve.

“We got a performance over the whole game against Peamount, and that was something we were aiming for; getting the 1-0 win along with that was a bonus.

“Obviously, it’s a major setback that Katie Melly, Amber Hardy, Rachel McGoldrick and Jessica Casey are still on the injured list, but Paula McGrory and Kya McKenna could be available for selection.

“We are starting to look more solid throughout the pitch at this stage, and I think that was evident after we took the lead against Peamount. We will have to bring that type of performance to Tallaght Stadium on Saturday.

“It’s a bit of a cliché, I suppose, but there is no easy game in this league, and we will have to produce an even better performance this weekend.

“We know that it will be a big challenge on a big pitch, but it’s something the players will relish, and they will be aiming to extend an unbeaten sequence and add to our points tally.

“The bottom line is that we have two big games ahead of us with Athlone Town at the Showgrounds the following weekend before the trip to Belfast to play Linfield in the All-Island Cup.

“I suppose the target for Saturday is to back up our performances against Bohs and Peamount and see where that takes us.

“Shams will have a certain confidence about them and will, no doubt, be expecting to push up the table at our expense,” he added.

The Dublin women will go into Saturday’s game on the back of a 10-goal haul in the last two outings, a 6-0 win and a 4-1 win in the All-Island Cup and WPD, respectively, against bottom-of-the-table DLR Waves.

Republic of Ireland international Ruesha Littlejohn has added to the quality, although she didn’t start last weekend at the Belfield Bowl, where, in a post-match interview, manager Collie O’Neill wasn’t impressed with the condition of the pitch.

Emily Corbett (two) and Joy Ralph scored last weekend against DLR Waves, and there was also an own goal. Prior to that they lost against Galway (3-2) and Wexford (3-2), with a 1-1 draw against Peamount sandwiched between those defeats.

The Dublin side will be going for goals on Saturday and will have the benefit of last season’s joint top scorers, Joy Ralph and Áine O’Gorman, who scored eight goals apiece, to boost the prospects of a first WPD home victory since mid-March.

Kick-off at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday is at 5pm, and the game will be live on LOITV.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that our popular Summer Camps are now on general sale.

The camps had been exclusively available to Super Red members since Wednesday.

There will be eight consecutive weeks of Summer Camps, all taking place at The Showgrounds.

To book your child’s place, click here: https://www.sligorovers.com/tickets/

By Conall Collier

Anna McDaniel’s 19th-minute goal gave battling Sligo Rovers a thoroughly deserved first Women’s Premier Division (WPD) win of the season at the expense of Dublin side Peamount Utd at the Showgrounds on Saturday afternoon.

This was a tremendous display by the Bit O’Red as the players were rewarded for 90 minutes of nonstop pressure on the opposition, and that was a big factor in a second clean sheet of the season.

Rovers boss Steve Feeney made two enforced changes from the previous outing in the All-Island Cup, with both Amber Hardy and Rachel McGoldrick missing out through injury.

They were replaced by Bonnie McKiernan and Cara King, while the continued absence of Jessica Casey, Katie Melly and Paula McGrory, all on the injured list, was another factor in team selection.

Peamount boss Emma Donohoe opted to start Amanda Budden between the posts again in favour of Leona Heffernan, who had played the previous week against Cork City.

Lauryn O’Callaghan, Ciara Maher and Neala Byrne also returned to the side in place of Lucy McCartan, Sorcha Melia and Toni Ceno, who had also featured against Cork City.

From kick-off the Bit O’Red didn’t allow the opposition to settle into any type of rhythm and played mostly in the Peamount half with Alanah Doherty carving out an early chance.

However, Peamount went close from a well-struck Rebecca Watkins shot from distance in the 16th minute, but the flawless Bonnie McKiernan tipped over.

Once again, Sarah Kiernan was outstanding in defence, with both Leah Kelly and Alice Lillie providing solid backup, while Eimear Lafferty and Emma Hansberry were tireless around the middle.

The only goal arrived in the 19th minute, and while McDaniel applied the finishing touch, it was Mairead McIntyre’s drive that created the opening.

The hosts were reasonably comfortable for the remainder of the opening half and had the ability to absorb some intense second-half Peamount pressure as the Dublin women went in search of an equaliser.

Both sides had chances, with a Carla McManus shot on 81 minutes the best of what Peamount produced. At the other end, Amanda Budden made a good save to deny Rovers substitute Muireann Devaney in the 89th minute.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Alice Lillie, Alanah Doherty, Eimear Lafferty, Emma Hansberry, Kate Nugent, Mairead McIntyre, Cara King, Anna McDaniel. Subs – Muireann Devaney for King 73 mins, Natasha Kelly for McIntyre and Keeva Flynn for Doherty, both 86 mins, and Morgan Burnap for McDaniel 94 mins.

Peamount Utd – Amanda Budden; Lauryn O’Callaghan, Mary Phillips, Ciara Maher, Rebecca Watkins, Carla McManus, Abby Tuthill, Jess Fitzgerald, Karen Duggan, Antea Guvo, Neala Byrne. Subs – Lucy McCartan for Byrne and Sorcha Melia for Maher, both half-time; Sadhbh Doyle for O’Callaghan 70 mins, Ruby Gallagher for Guvo 77 mins.

Referee – Arnold Hunter.

Assistant referees – Darren Corcoran, Darren Carey.

Fourth official – Michael Connolly.

Sligo Rovers get our May bank holiday weekend underway against league leaders Drogheda United this Friday evening at the Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm. Amid one of the busiest periods of the season, this will be the men’s senior team’s sixth game in four weeks and the first of two games in four days ahead of Monday’s trip to face Shamrock Rovers. 

Table-toppers Drogheda are the opposition on Friday night and the Bit O’Red are boosted by the return of striker Wilson Waweru who is available for selection for the first time since he sustained a serious achilles injury, last September. 

In further team news, manager John Russell will prepare for Drogs without centre half Ollie Denham and utility man Oskar Van Hattum, both of whom are injured. 

Rovers hold a strong record against United at the Showgrounds. You need to go back to summer 2021 to find the Louth side’s last win in Sligo. While Rovers twice beat Kevin Doherty’s charges at home in 2024. 

However, our visitors have already beaten Rovers this term. Goals from Josh Thomas, Darragh Markey and Luke Heeney saw the hosts overcome Rovers at the newly named Sullivan and Lambe Park back in February. Since then Drogheda have soared and are currently joint top of the Premier Division along with our Connacht neighbours Galway. 

Acknowledging their achievements so far this season, Rovers boss Russell says Friday’s encounter with the FAI Cup holders will be a test as tough as his team have come up against this year.

“Drogheda are on the up at the moment and will be our hardest opponent yet this season”, he says. “They’re really on form right now, despite their result against Galway last week.They have goals all over their team and we saw that up there back in February. 

“Kevin has done an amazing job and they’ll be looking to recapture that momentum they had straight away after last week. But we’ve had a very positive week in training and we’ve spoken about how we’ll deal with the game. 

“It was encouraging for us to be able to bring the likes of Stephen Mallon and Francely Lomboto from the bench last weekend and to see the impact they made. However, we don’t want to be in the position of having to chase a game and we’ve been working hard the last few days on being the team in control.”

Speaking on the impending return of goal-scorer Waweru, the Rovers boss had praise for his backroom staff given the early return of his fellow Galway native. 

“Our medical team did a great job getting Wilson back so early”, he said. “We had thought it might be a midsummer return for him but he was back running and striking a ball ahead of schedule and that’s down to both the work of the medical staff and the player.

“Wilson has all the ingredients of a top striker and we’re delighted to have him back. Of course, we won’t rush him but it does almost feel like having a new player in. He gives us something different and provides further competition with Francely, Cian Kavanagh and Owen Elding.” 

David Goulden

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will host Peamount Utd on Saturday in the Women’s Premier Division (WPD) with manager Steve Feeney almost in a position where he might only have 11 fit players following the trauma of the past fortnight.

The stretcher-bearers were kept busy tending to the walking wounded and to those who couldn’t even walk following the WPD game against Galway and the All-Island Cup draw with Bohemians FC last Sunday.

Arising from those encounters, four Bit O’Red players are sitting on the bench due to injuries that were sustained, while Paula McGrory remains on the doubtful list ahead of this Saturday’s action.

Katie Melly and Jessica Casey were sidelined after the Galway game a fortnight ago. Amber Hardy Amber Hardy had to be stretchered off in the 90th minute last week after she sustained a fractured patella, and goalscorer Rachel McGoldrick sustained an arm injury (double fracture) after she fell awkwardly.

That’s the current challenge for Steve Feeney, who can reflect on what was a hugely encouraging display last Sunday, as his target will be a first win of the season against a Peamount side that finished sixth last season.

“We have a relatively young squad; Tommy (Hewitt) gave a lot of girls opportunities last year, and that experience will be helpful this season,” stated the Bit O’Red boss.

“Players like Emma Hansberry, Leah Kelly and Muireann Devaney add experience, and the players coming through from the Academy have the talent to make a serious contribution.

“It was evident in the All-Island Cup last week; we needed a solid performance to get anything out of that contest against Bohemians, and after a slow start, I felt that we were able to control the game for long periods,” he added.

Peamount currently sit in seventh place, some nine points adrift of leaders Athlone Town, as they adjust to the post-James O’Callaghan era after the long-serving manager stepped down from his role at the end of last season.

Emma Donohoe has stepped into the ‘hot seat’ at the Dublin club that has a rich tradition in the league and the distinction of winning the inaugural title back in 2012 when the recently retired Republic of Ireland international Louise Quinn was the captain.

The Dublin club won the last of four titles in 2023 and will always have a place in the history of Sligo Rovers.

Peamount’s home ground, PRL Park in West Dublin, was the venue in March 2022 for the historic first outing for Sligo Rovers in what was then the Women’s National League.

Last time out in the WPD, Peamount found the going tough against bottom-of-the-table DLR Waves and needed a second-half Jess Fitzgerald goal for a hard-earned 3-2 victory.

Peamount enjoyed a 3-0 win away to Cork City last weekend in the All-Island Cup, with goals in the 88th and 90th minutes sealing the victory after Croatian player Antea Guvo gave them the lead in the first half.

Sligo Rovers v Peamount Utd will kick off on Saturday at 3pm and will be available on LOITV.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers produced a battling display to earn an All-Island Cup point at the Showgrounds on Sunday against Bohemian FC as manager Steve Feeney saw his injury crisis worsen with both Rachel McGoldrick and Amber Hardy forced out of the action with what looked like serious injuries.

Rovers lost goalscorer McGoldrick 10 minutes into the second-half after she fell awkwardly and sustained an arm injury. She was replaced by Cara King while on the stroke of full-time Bonnie McKiernan replaced Amber Hardy.

Hardy was stretchered-off following a collision on the edge of the six-yard box with Aoife Brennan of Bohemians as both players went for the ball. Referee Daryl Carolan awarded a free-out.

Both teams made five changes from when they met in the  first outing in the Women’s Premier Division last month.

Bonnie McKiernan, Keeva Flynn and Cara King all started on the bench while Katie Melly (injured) and Muireann Devaney (unavailable) were also absent with Amber Hardy, Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan Alice Lillie and Anna McDaniel deputising.

Absent from the Bohs starting line up were Lisa Murphy, Katie Malone, Abbie O’Hara, Orlagh Fitzpatrick and Shauna Carroll with Fiona Donnelly, Sarah Power, Emma Gaughran, Leiagh Glennon and Hannah O’Brien starting

Bohs started on the front foot in pursuit of an early goal and that gave Amber Hardy an opportunity to display her ability as a shot-stopper on her return to the starting 11 after suspension.

She was in action in the third minute with a good save, but was picking the ball out of the net soon after when a Bohs corner deflected into the net off Kate Nugent in a crowded goalmouth.

Bohs surged forward in search of a second goal and Hardy saved smartly from Hannah O’Brien who was a constant threat and was narrowly off target with a couple of chances subsequently.

However, Rovers displayed all the battling qualities that is a hallmark of the team and got back on terms on 21 minutes when Rachel McGoldrick headed the equaliser from a Emma Hansberry corner.

Bohs reacted positively, but were kept at bay for the remainder of the half as the teams went in on level terms at the interval.

While Bohs were the dominant team in the second-half, very few clearcut chances were created and Rovers battled with the usual character and determination/

Sarah Kiernan and Eimear Lafferty were solid throughout while Leah Kelly
and Alanah Doherty also contributed significantly to what was an encouraging overall team display.

Next up in the All-Island Cup for Rovers is a trip to Belfast to tackle Linfield
while Bohs will host Shelbourne on weekend 24th and 25th May.

Next Saturday Rovers will host Peamount in the Women’s Premier Division while Bohs will travel to play Cork City.

Sligo Rovers – Amber Hardy; Leah Kelly, Alice Lillie, Kate Nugent, Sarah Kiernan, Alanah Doherty, Eimear Lafferty, Emma Hansberry, Mairead McIntyre, Rachel McGoldrick, Anna McDaniel. 

Subs – Cara King for McGoldrick 56 mins, Keeva Flynn for Doherty 80m, Morgan Burnap for McIntyre 87m, Bonnie McKiernan for Hardy 90m.

Bohemian FC – Rachael Kelly; Fiona Donnelly, Sarah Power, Roisin McGovern, Emma Gaughran, Mia Dodd, Hannah Healy, Aoibhe Brennan, Katie McCarn, Leiagh Glennon, Hannah O’Brien.

Subs – Savannah Kane for Healy and Lisa Murphy for Dodd both 68 mins, Alannah McEvoy for Glennon and Katie Malone for McCarn both 70m.

Referee – Daryl Carolan.
Assistant-referees – Niall McLoughlin, John Hanney.
Fourth official – Richard Storey.

Sligo Rovers will play their third game in the space of eight days as Cork City are this Saturday’s visitors to the Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm.

The game will be the Bit O’Red’s first outing at home in the second round of league fixtures following games in both Waterford and Derry over the Easter period. John Russell’s side took three points from those two games and will look to move out of the Premier Division’s bottom spot with a win over the Rebels this weekend. 

This will be the second time the sides will face each other this term. Top-scorer Owen Elding gave Rovers an early lead at Turner’s Cross back in March, but the Leesiders hit back through Kitt Nelson in the second period as the points were shared. 

Russell’s hand is strengthened for this one by the return of full-back Harvey Lintott to full fitness, while midfielder Connor Malley is available again having missed Tuesday’s defeat in Derry through suspension. 

Ollie Denham will be assessed in the lead up to Saturday, while Wilson Waweru continues his recovery.

Speaking to sligorovers.com this week, Russell says his players must prove they can perform when called upon and feels Cork’s late win over Waterford on Monday will have them arriving in Sligo all guns blazing. 

“There’s not really much point in me or anyone else talking too much about the game, it’s about actions. We can analyse and talk all we want but it’s worth nothing if we don’t go out on Saturday in front of our own supporters, on our own ground and take the game to Cork. The players, every one of them, know what is expected of all of them and they know what I want from them. I need them to do their talking on the pitch now. 

“It’s all about actions now. We know how good we can be and we must show it. We’re a very young side but we also have experience and having someone like Connor back adds to that. Harvey being back also gives us a boost and hopefully we’ll have positive news on Ollie. We’re as close to full strength as we’ve been all year so we have no excuse on that front. 

“Cork scored those late goals against Waterford and that’s going to have done a lot for them. They’re a very good side and they’ll be coming up here looking for another win. 

“We will be as well prepared as we can be and the players will have all the information they need. We’re really looking forward to being back at the Showgrounds and we’re focused on putting in a good shift.”

David Goulden 

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.

Sligo Rovers travel to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Tuesday evening as the busy Easter period continues for the Bit O’Red. Rovers make the journey to Derry for this rearranged fixture in good spirits following a superb overall showing against Waterford at the RSC last Friday evening. 

Ahead by two with just eleven minutes played thanks to early goals from Gareth McElory, his first for the club and an eleventh minute strike from the in-form Owen Elding, Rovers controlled the pace of this contest throughout the 90 minutes. Cian Kavanagh secured the victory against his old club just past the hour with the lively Francely Lomboto sprang from the bench to add gloss to the win with a well taken finish two minutes from time. 

The win lifted Rovers from the foot of the Premier Division table by virtue of a superior goal difference over Cork City, who visit Sligo this Saturday. The evening also ended with Rovers becoming the top scoring team in the division alongside St Patrick’s Athletic. 

Rovers go to Derry without the services of Connor Malley who is suspended having been issued his fifth yellow card of the season shortly after his introduction from the bench at the RSC. While Ollie Denham and Wilson Waweru miss out with injury. Full back Harvey Lintott faces a late fitness test.

Speaking to sligorovers.com, manager John Russell says everyone at the club is hugely enthused by a win in Waterford, the performance which he says was always close to surfacing following a frustrating few weeks in the lead up. He is expecting a tenacious test against the Candystripes on Tuesday.

“We performed really well down in Waterford. I thought we controlled the narrative of the game right from kick-off. But it was a performance that was coming and one that we know the players have had in them from the opening day. 

“From front to back it was the type of performance we wanted and needed to see from the players and I felt the few changes we made really freshened things up for us. But Waterford is done now and from Saturday morning, the focus is on Derry and the Brandywell. It’s going to be a big week for us, with Cork also coming here on Saturday. 

“Derry are a hugely experienced side, littered with talent all over. They have title ambitions and they will be in good form following a win in Galway last week. Not many teams have or will be able to do that this season so it shows the type of challenge we face on Tuesday. 

“But I really do feel that if we play with the same attitude that we did last Friday, it will bring us a long way towards achieving what we want to at the Brandywell.”

David Goulden