Sligo Rovers went down to a 3-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers last Friday in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division
Goals from Dan Carr, Ronan Finn and Jack Byrne secured the win for the home side.
Rovers are back in action on Friday week away to Derry City
Sligo Rovers visit Shamrock Rovers on Friday night in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.
The Bit O’ Red go into the game on the back of two wins – against Finn Harps and UCD – and a first clean sheet of the season in that game against the Students.
In team news, Regan Donelon, Kyle Callan-McFadden and Dante Leverock have returned to training throughout this week.
Ed McGinty is out with a finger problem.
Liam Buckley said: “It is good to get some of the injured lads back in training at least. We’ll have to make a call on whether they are ready to start. It’s not straight-forward in one or two cases.
“We’d like to improve on these two wins and get our performances better, which is happening in moments and has helped us get those victories.
“It’ll take time to get it to where we’d like over the course of a game. That’s what we’re working towards.
“The opposition are the team top of the table with aspirations to stay there all year so it’s a challenge.
“I’ve had some wins in Tallaght previously and it’s a great place to pick up a result if you can do so.
“It’s certainly what we’re targeting and something we are looking forward to trying to do. We’ll give it a good go.”
Sligo Rovers’ home league game with Waterford on Saturday 23 March has been postponed due to international call-ups.
Two Waterford players, Aaron Drinan and Zach Elbouzedi, have been called up by Republic of Ireland. Waterford have requested a postponement which comes under league rules.
A new date will be set shortly.
Sligo Rovers teenager Niall Morahan has been called up the Republic of Ireland Under-19 squad for Elite Qualifying games.
Morahan will be part of Tom Mohan’s squad that travel to Russia to play matches against Romania, Azerbaijan and the host nation.
Those games take place on 20, 23 and 26 March.
The club would like to congratulate Niall on his call-up after some brilliant performances for Rovers this season.
It is the second call-up for Rovers for the international window with Dante Leverock set to captain Bermuda against Dominican Republic in Gold Cup qualification on 24 March.
The match with Waterford has been postponed at their request following call-ups for two Under-21 internationals.
Meanwhile Adam Lynch has been called up to the Ireland Under-18s schools game with Cabinteely Under-19s on Monday.
Sligo Rovers will face Finn Harps in the second round of the EA Sports Cup.
The match will be played in Finn Park on Monday 1 April at 8pm.
Sligo Rovers held a bingo event last Sunday in the Knocknarea Arena in IT Sligo.
Almost 1,000 people attended the event which was organised by Vincent Nally, Shane Crossan and many volunteers with the club.
It was an afternoon of great fun with over €10,000 in prize money won by the players.
The money generated will go towards the project to install new seating in the Treacy Avenue Stand.
If you would like to contribute to their project, email administrator@sligorovers.com.
A cheque for €1,000 will be donated to a Cystic Fibrosis charity in memory of the late Gary Dillon from Calry – a person with great involvement in Sligo sport and more – and who’s legacy lives on to this day as we saw on Sunday.
Vincent and Shane confirmed that the next bingo event will take place on the first Sunday in December.
The club would like to place on record our thanks to Vincent, Shane, all of the outlets that stocked bingo books, the event team, IT Sligo and all those associated with a great day.
Liam Buckley was pleased to pick up his first three points in The Showgrounds and feels his team should look up when thinking about the table.
Romeo Parkes scored the game’s only goal as Sligo Rovers squeezed past UCD at the Showgrounds.
The win was manager Liam Buckley’s first home win, as the Bit O’Red saw off an impressive effort from the Students.
The probing Richie O’Farrell brought an early stop out of Sligo goalkeeper Mitchell Beeney. While Rovers skipper Johnny Dunleavy had to block down a second O’Farrell effort moments later.
Buckley’s men took the lead with five minute elapsed.
Liam Kerrigan cutting out a loose ball in the midfield, before slotting the ball into the path of Parkes who coolly placed his effort beyond Conor Kearns.
Collie O’Neill’s charges continued to worry the Sligo back line, with chances for Kevin Coffey and Richie O’Farrell who couldn’t direct his free header inside Beeney’s post.
The ex-Chelsea net minder stood between UCD and a deserved equaliser just short of the half hour.
Beeney bringing a strong hand to Gary O’Neill’s driven shot from the edge of the area.
As fortunate as Rovers may have been to lead at the break, they should have doubled their advantage ten minutes from the interval.
Ronan Murray’s superb ball up the right side allowed Kris Twardek break past Mark Dignam. The Canadian winger’s subsequent searching ball from wide finding Sam Warde, who seemed to get the ball stuck between his feet at the back post with the goal at his mercy.
Parkes was presented with a chance to double his tally courtesy of a through ball from Murray on 57. But Kearns watched the Jamaican international’s tame effort all the way.
Kearns was alive to hold on to substitute David Cawley’s shot from the angle ten minutes later.
While Beeney kept out Coffey at the other end, before centre half John Mahon had to react to take the ball off the toe of Mahdy on the rebound.
A Rovers body then somehow swept the ball off the line from the resulting corner.
UCD threw everything at Sligo in the final stages, but Rovers held out for a second win on the trot.
Sligo Rovers: Mitchell Beeney; Niall Morahan, Johnny Dunleavy, John Mahon, Lewis Banks; Jack Keaney, Sam Warde (David Cawley HT); Kris Twardek (Ronan Coughlan 76), Ronan Murray, Liam Kerrigan; Romeo Parkes.
UCD: Conor Kearns; Dan Tobin, Josh Collins, Liam Scales, Mark Dignam; Kevin Coffey, Richie O’Farrell, Gary O’Neill, Jason McClelland; Timmy Molloy; Yoyo Mahdy (Sean McDonald 80).
Referee: John McLoughlin.
Sligo Rovers host UCD in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division in The Showgrounds on Saturday night.
Rovers return to Saturday night action for the first time this season on the back of Liam Buckley’s first win as manager away to Finn Harps last week.
Over 5,250 home fans attended our first two games in total, of 5,589, and another good crowd is expected as the Students visit.
In team news, Johnny Dunleavy and Ronan Coughlan return to the squad after groin and hamstring problems.
Regan Donelon (hamstring) and Ed McGinty (finger) are ruled out.
Kyle Callan-McFadden has a back problem and is doubtful. He will be tested pre-game.
Liam Buckley said: “There was a small improvement in our play in Ballybofey and we really had to dig it to get that win, which we did so very well.
“It’s going to be difficult to pick up results every ground you go to, so it was brilliant to get that first three points.
“We’d like to build on that now and we’ve worked on that because we were back at it straight away after the Harps game.
“The next few weeks are just one game a week so it gives us a chance from that end to prepare properly.
“UCD may be down the bottom right now but you look at their performances, particularly last week, it’s clear they’ll be as good as many of the teams in this league. We know what we’re up against.
“It’s going to be another hard night.
“I’ve no doubt there’ll be a big crowd behind us again and we’ll need them fired up like the two previous matches. We’d love to get that win, it’s not going to be easy and we’ll have to be at it from the start.”
This week’s match programme for the game with UCD in The Showgrounds contains a host of features in the 44 pages.
Make sure to purchase it on your way into the ground for €4.
