Sligo Rovers midfielder Niall Morahan emerged as a bright spot in the opening night of the season match with Finn Harps and is looking to help the Bit O’ Red respond this Friday night in The Showgrounds.

Rovers were beaten 1-0 in difficult conditions in Ballybofey and were denied a draw late on by a good save from Harps goalkeeper Mark McGinley.

The Bit O’ Red play the first home match of the season against St Patrick’s Athletic from 7:45pm on Friday.

Morahan, speaking to www.sligorovers.com today, said Rovers have to take some of the fallout from the game into the match in Sligo on Friday.

“We were looking to kick off with a win and we knew that it was a tough place to go and it was going to be a battle. We didn’t come out on the right side of it and it was bitterly disappointing for us all.

“It was hard to take, but we know it has to be better from us and there is a lot more to come from the players we have. We’ll move on from it but probably have to take a lot from the game too.

“It’s the first game and you have to pick yourself up. We also lost a very tight game in tough conditions and there’ll be a lot more games like that so we have to quickly learn how to get points from them.”

Morahan did well in the game in which it was hard to keep the ball for long period, particulary in the second period as the pitch deteriorated.

Asked about his own outing, he said: “In a way I was happy with my own performance but I wanted the win more than anything else. The boys and I have to kick on Friday and put in the shift to get it.

“You have no time to sulk. You have to pick yourself up and not feel sorry for yourself. Pat’s lost as well last week so it’s a big game. This can be a game for us to hopefully get our first three points.

“There were some positives and you can take them into the Pat’s game and we should also take the way we felt after the game. We all want to change it for Friday in The Showgrounds.”

Morahan had been hoping for a more positive feeling following the conclusion of pre-season so the Harps defeat was a blow – but the Republic of Ireland Under-19 international is looking for a response for Friday and to put their hard work to better use.

“Pre-season went well. It was tough but everyone came back looking fresh and sharp. Liam and John had us doing all the right work and we are ready to go last Friday in terms of fitness. That wasn’t the issue in terms of the game last week. Our fitness levels will stand to us this season.

“The home support here is always phenomenal and hopefully there will be a big crowd behind us. We’d like to have the 12th man or whatever you call it because while we are going to lift ourselves all week, we need their backing too.

“We want to be straight into Pat’s from the start, we’re the home team and we should be setting the pace. We’ll be looking to play to the best of our ability.”

Sligo Rovers begin their home season this Friday night in The Showgrounds against St Patrick’s Athletic.

Rovers take on the Saints at 7:45pm, with tickets available at turnstiles. Both sides were defeated 1-0 last week in close matches.

Tickets are also available at www.sligorovers.com/match-tickets

The Bit O’ Red Wall will also be launched on the night.

Finn Harps started their league campaign in ideal fashion as they overcame neighbours Sligo Rovers in a north west derby at Finn Park.

Karl O’Sullivan poked home what was to be the winner in the 56th minute against a Sligo outfit who ran out of ideas early on. 

With five debutants in their starting side, it was Harps who threatened first during an opening half that lacked in terms of much excitement. 

O’Sullivan, who netted two memorable goals for Limerick at the Showgrounds last year, flashed an effort across the face of the Sligo goal after five minutes. Sam Todd wasn’t far off Raff Cretaro’s chipped set piece which sneaked past Ed McGinty’s far post. 

Liam Buckley gave four Rovers players their first outing in the Bit O’Red and two of those men combined for the visitors’ first sight at goal on 21.

Teemu Penninkangas steering Darragh Noone’s cross into the path of David Cawley. The Sligo skipper crowded out however before he could apply a telling touch.

Harps’ reigning player of the year Mark McGinley was called into action soon after. 

Ronan Coughlan’s quick free set another Sligo new boy, Garry Buckley down the right side but goalkeeper McGinley was observant in rushing off his line before Buckley could steady himself. The Cork man’s attempted lob easily caught mid-air.

This league fixture has never produced a scoreless draw in Ballybofey and that record was guaranteed to run on 11 minutes into the second half when Ollie Horgan’s men hit the lead.

From a corner, Dave Webster nodded Mark Colye’s cross into the mixer where O’Sullivan held off a group of Rovers players to prod the ball past a sprawling McGinty, 

Rovers remained wanting in the final third and Coughlan fired over the Harps crossbar on 65 after a punt forward from his back-line opened up space for the striker. 

The home side were then somewhat fortunate to end the game with their full compliment when Coyle smashed into and sent Danny Kane sprawling in front of the travelling support. Harps hearts were in their in mouths as referee Damien McGraith took his time to only show Coyle yellow. 

Coming away from this game with anything would have been kind on Sligo and McGinley effectively ensured the points for the Donegal side in added time. The Ards man rushing out to meet Ronan Murray’s driven effort from the angle after Cawley had sent his fellow county man through on goal.

Finn Harps: Mark McGinley; Kosavar Sadiki, Shane McEleney, Sam Todd; David Webster, Mark Russell; Gareth Harkin, Mark Coyle (Ruairi Harkin 85), Ryan Connolly; Raff Cretaro (Barry McNamee 71); Karl O’Sullivan. 

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Danny Kane, Will Seymour, Kyle Callan-McFadden; Darragh Noone, Teemu Penninkangas; Niall Morahan, David Cawley; Garry Buckley (Jesse Devers 77); Ronan Murray, Ronan Coughlan. 

Referee: Damien MacGraith. 

Attendance: 2,237

Four academy players have been added to the Sligo Rovers first-team squad this season.

Scott Lynch and Mark Byrne have put pen to paper today.

James Robinson and Darren Collins have also been registered.

Collins (striker) and Lynch (winger) have already featured for the first-team.

Byrne is also a midfielder while Robinson is the Under-19 goalkeeper.

Three of the players are IT Sligo students and part of our scholarship programme.

Assistant-manager John Russell said: “The lads have done well in pre-season and are progressing all the time.

“They have been working under great coaches in our underage system and showing their potential.

“The club has a policy of giving young players a chance. It shows if you keep working hard there is the opportunity to get to senior football. We will continue to give those chances.

“We are pleased to welcome them into the fold and they are making their mark.

“Some will feature in the Under-19s too at times. Their development is ongoing and it’s a very good step for them today.”

Images from Michael Melly on the final day of pre-season for Sligo Rovers

Sligo Rovers begin the new SSE Airtricity Premier Division season away to Finn Harps on Friday.

The Bit O’ Red begin their second season under Liam Buckley with new signings Teemu Penninkangas, Darragh Noone, Garry Buckley, Jesse Devers and Will Seymore all in the squad.

In team news, John Mahon (broken leg) and Regan Donelon (shoulder) are out.

Lewis Banks has responded well to treatment to a thigh problem and could feature – he will have a late fitness test.

Liam Buckley said: “The lads are looking forward to it. We really want to start well and it’s a game to be excited about.

“We’ve had those couple of injuries – they were unfortunate impact ones- but we have to believe that one door opens for somebody else.

“We’ve brought the new players in to add to what we retained from 2019 and I think they will.

“They’re all here with a point to prove, be it coming into a new league or moving clubs or whatever else.

“We expect the conditions to be difficult and some inclement weather and all of that.

“I’ve no doubt Ollie will be playing down Harps and we are whatever else but you can see by the signings with the likes of Barry McNamee that there is a greater strength and backing there this year so that is the challenge for any team that goes up there.

“That said, all that concerns us is our group. We’ve got to work extremely hard, it’ll be a dog rough league again and even harder in each game this season so if we have got aspirations of improving on last year, we’ve got to go into every game and show that we are good enough do so.

“I think we can do that. I know there’ll be a big following up there in terms of support from Sligo, it’ll be a partisan crowd for sure and we want to go up there and put in a serious shift and start on the right foot.”

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce a new transport partner, Martin Reilly Mazda which will see the club issued with two 2020 Mazda vehicles for first team manager Liam Buckley and assistant manager John Russell.

The management duo will have the use of the stunning Mazda 3 Hatch and the all new Mazda CX-30 compact SUV.

Both vehicles are available in Petrol, Mild-Hybrid and Diesel.

The agreement will see Martin Reilly Mazda partner with the club for the 2020 season.

Speaking at a launch event this morning, manager Liam Buckley spoke about the deal:

“It’s a great deal for the club. We are really thankful to the guys at Martin Reilly Mazda, a really successful, local car dealership and we are delighted to have them involved with us.

“The cars are top of the range and they will certainly help us with our day to day work.”

Speaking on behalf of Martin Reilly Mazda, Brian Reilly says they are thrilled to be involved:

“Rovers have always been a strong part of the community here in Sligo and the Northwest. We are happy to help them and be involved with such a community driven club.

“We will be at all the games this season supporting the lads and we’re all hoping for a great season ahead.”

Martin Reilly Mazda is located in Carraroe in Sligo. They are also the local Hyundai and BMW Service centre.

Visit their website on www.martinreillymotors.com or visit their showroom today.

Tommy Higgins has been elected as the new chairman of Sligo Rovers following the first meeting of the 2020 Management Committee last night.

Higgins was one of three new members elected to the committee last night.

Away from football, he is known for establishing Ireland’s first nationwide  computerised ticketing company, Ticketshop.

As part of a joint venture with Ticketmaster, Ticketshop was rebranded Ticketmaster Ireland.

He previously served as Executive Vice-President of Ticketmaster Europe.

He also served on Ticketmaster’s Global Executive Management team, based in Los Angeles.

Tommy is currently chairman of Accent Media – a UK-based company in the internet domain industry.

He takes up the role of Rovers chairman as Martin Heraghty stands down after four years.

Martin Heraghty was thanked by club members following the conclusion of his address at the Annual General Meeting and was praised for his sizeable role in helping rescue the FAI this year, as well as leading the Bit O’ Red at the same time.

Fellow committee members thanked Martin for his leadership over the last four years and for guiding the club to a stable footing under his stewardship. He remains on the club committee.

All other office positions remain unchanged. Andy Dodd is vice-chairman, David Rowe is treasurer, Brendan Lacken has been elected secretary and Mark Cummins vice-secretary.

In a challenging season financially last year with constant cashflow pressures and tight financial management necessary, the club recorded a break-even figure for the trading year.

The club treasurer David Rowe said this was a significant achievement given the difficult trading environment for any League of Ireland club without UEFA prize money.

Total fundraising rose to €491,839 – a record for the club. He said every cent of this was vital for getting through the year.

You can read a more detailed synopsis of the AGM last night here.  

Sligo Rovers committee for 2020:

Officers:

Tommy Higgins – Chairman

Andy Dodd – Vice-Chairman

David Rowe – Treasurer

Brendan Lacken – Secretary

Mark Cummins – Vice-Secretary

Committee members: Marie Casserly, Michael Clancy, Stephen Gilroy, Paddy Houze, Anthony Quinn, Martin Heraghty, Marcus White, Michael Toolan, Roddy Murphy, Rory Houston, Martin McDonald.

Sligo Rovers held their 2020 Annual General Meeting tonight in the Clayton Hotel, Sligo.
 
The meeting saw Martin Heraghty begin by giving the chairman’s address, detailing the year for Sligo Rovers which was viewed as a positive one overall. 
 
He praised the committee and volunteers for reaching new levels of dedication and service to the club. 
 
He remembered our former treasurer Loman Gallagher who’s passing affected us all so much, as well as Honourary President Eddie McCullough, with members observing a moment of silence for all those who have left us. 
 
He said that after some disappointing years on the pitch, 2019 showed great potential and the run to the FAI Cup semi-final was the highlight of a positive year. 
 
He commended the management team and players for their efforts. He hailed the work of the club’s academy teams and management, saying this was targeted as a key area many years ago and grows in strength each year.
 
The Rovers chairman also spoke about the year overall for Irish football, having been elected to the FAI board when their existence was under threat. 
 
Martin Heraghty was thanked following the conclusion of his address and was praised by club members for his sizeable role in helping rescue the FAI this year, as well as leading the Bit O’ Red at the same time.
 
CEO Colin Feehily addressed members having taken up the position this year and detailed the duties of the role and what he brings to it.
 
First-team manager Liam Buckley spoke about the upcoming year with the season set to begin on Friday. He thanked the Sligo Rovers committee, volunteers and supporters for making his first year in the position an enjoyable one and spoke of ambitions for 2020. He also detailed how pre-season went and said he is still active in the transfer market.
 
Brendan Lacken gave the secretary’s report, detailing day-to-day running of the club. As part of it he thanked the Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust for bringing a new dimension and fresh energy and support to the club. He also thanked the staff in The Showgrounds for all of their work in 2019. 
 
Club treasurer David Rowe then presented the financial report. 
 
He said the landscape of the league continues to change and the average budget in the Premier Division is increasing all the time because of investors and private ownership.
 
In a challenging season financially with constant cashflow pressures and tight financial management necessary, the club recorded a break-even figure for the trading year.
 
The club treasurer said this was a significant achievement given the difficult trading environment for any League of Ireland club without UEFA prize money. 
 
Total fundraising rose to €491,839 – a record for the club. He said every cent of this was vital for getting through the year. 
 
He said the end of the previous FAI regime has provided hope at last and increased focus on the League of Ireland is very welcome. 
 
He said prize money, television money and funding has to improve as soon as possible as they are either incredibly low or non-existent.
 
He presented the financial picture for 2020 and what challenges are ahead, including a further rise in insurance premiums, which is effectively now at a cost level of two first-team players, and other hurdles. 
 
He concluded by acknowledging all those that helped the club in any means financially and voluntarily and the club’s staff and auditor.
 
Following Jane Nugent not seeking re-election, it left three vacancies on the 2020 committee as two were unfilled in 2019. All other members remain on the committee.
 
Tommy Higgins, Roddy Murphy and Rory Houston were three nominations to complete the 16-person committee, there were no other candidates.
 
The appointment of officers will be announced on Wednesday.

To make the annual €100 membership donation click here

https://srfcdirect.com/fundraising/annual-voluntary-donation

The 2020 Sligo Rovers Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday at the Clayton Hotel, Sligo at 8pm.

The AGM will see the election of the 2020 management committee, a presentation of 12 months of club finances and the chairman and secretary’s report.

Notices have been posted to members, including nomination forms to join the committee, and that process has now closed.

The meeting and nominations for the committee are only open to members.

Meanwhile the Annual Voluntary Member Contribution of €100 can be made on the night if desired or here for members or non-members.

For more, email administrator@sligorovers.com