Sligo Rovers Women’s Senior team manager Steve Feeney is looking forward to the trip to Tolka Park today for a joust with defending Champions Shelbourne and his counterpart Noel King.

Only four games into the new season and the Bit O’ Red already have a win to their credit and three goals in the bank after encouraging displays against Peamount, DLR Waves and Bohemian FC and that all-important victory away to Cork City.

“Shelbourne will be a big test for us this weekend at Tolka Park, we are under no illusions on that front,” commented Feeney.

“Playing the likes of Shelbourne and good teams like that will improve us in the long-term, we will be totally focused on that challenge now for Saturday

“If we can find a little bit of improvement in our own performance every week then we will be okay over the season and that starts again at Tolka Park next Saturday,” he added.

Feeney was a little bit disappointed with the result against Bohemians last Saturday although he was full of praise for the character of his team.

“I couldn’t fault the commitment against Bohemians, but the decision-making and the final pass let us down a lot of the time.

“We gave away a couple of softish type of goals and that was disappointing also.

“On a more positive note, it was only our fourth game at this level and we are only getting used to the demands, the intensity of the games and even the size of the pitch is something new for a lot of the players.

“We have to take that into consideration and we are working really hard in trying to build up the fitness levels.

“To get our players to a position where they will be comfortable at this level for 90 minutes, that’s the first target.

“Four games into the season and we have a win on the board, we have scored home and away, we are making progress.

“The players have to get used to each other, to get used to different formations, the players are developing all the time

“The attitude was excellent against Bohemians, it was the type of game where the bounce of the ball wasn’t in our favour.

“The previous week in Cork we got the breaks, but the players never gave up, they gave it 100 per cent for the 90 minutes and we will do the same at Tolka Park on Saturday,” he concluded.

The game takes place at 2pm and will be shown live on LOI TV.

Friday night saw Shelbourne visit The Showgrounds for the first time this season and they made it a succesful journey by defeating Rovers 1-0 thanks to a Dan Carr penalty in the first half.

Liam Buckley made four changes to his side from the game against Shamrock Rovers last time out with David Cawley, Robbie McCourt, Shane Blaney and Colm Horgan all coming in for Niall Morahan, Paddy Kirk, Nando Pijnaker and Lewis Banks.

Greg Bolger returned from injury to the bench as Pijnaker was rested following his busy international window.

The game started slowly with neither side creating much in terms of goalscoring upportunity. Shelbourne forced a couple of early corners and The Bit O’ Red huffed and puffed but couldn’t create much in front of goal.

In the 33rd minute, the visitors broke and Shane Farrell’s cross from the right went all the way to Conor Kane on the left hand side. Kane went into the penalty area and Karl O’ Sullivan brought him down with referee Ray Matthews pointing to the spot. Carr stepped up and scored, putting McGinty the wrong way.

This sparked the hosts into life and Robbie McCourt went closest with a header following Colm Horgan’s cross from the right.

Rovers then had a free kick around 25 yards from goal with Shane Blaney shooting straight at Brendan Clarke.

The half ended on a disappointing note however as recently named Player of The Month Aidan Keena limped off with a leg injury, and was replaced by Max Mata.

The second half started with Rovers maintaining possession and looking to create chances to get themselves back into the game. David Cawley broke into the area but his shot was cleared by Aaron O’ Driscoll.

Liam Buckley made three changes before the hour mark as Seamas Keogh, Greg Bolger and Paddy Kirk all replaced Robbie McCourt, Will Fitzgerald and Karl O’ Sullivan.

Rovers had the majority of the possession from there on in, however created little in terms of real clear chances.

Mark Byrne was introduced for Jordan Hamilton on 78 minutes before hald chances fell to Adam McDonnell, Cawley and Paddy Kirk who’s shot looked to be heading toward goal but was deflected away for a corner.

Six minutes of added time saw Rovers throw everything at Shelbourne but they stood firm and saw the game out to pick up their second win of the season and inflict a first defeat on Liam Buckley and his team.

Next up is Bohemians here at The Showgrounds on Tuesday night at 7:45pm followed by another home game with UCD four days later. (Also 7:45pm).

Our programme team have once again been hard at work over the past couple of weeks as we begin the first of three home matches in eight days.

Tonight’s Official Match Programme is available for sale from inside the turnstiles from 6.30pm for just €4.

Liam Buckley and Club Chairman Tommy Higgins will have their usual slots as they look back at the games so far and on tonight’s opponents Shelbourne.

Our guests tonight are Abbey United Youths and we will get to know the club in a short information piece which includes a squad photo of their Under 12 boy’s team.

Conall Collier’s piece A Glimpse at The New Era in The League of Ireland will be an interesting read alongside Keith O’ Dwyers Loan Ranger article on Bit O’ Red keeper Luke McNicholas who is impressing for Cliftonville in The Northern Irish Premier League and was included in this week’s Republic of Ireland Under 21 squad who beat Sweden.

We have news from our academy and we congratulate Coola Post Primary school on their recent All Ireland winning glory.

James Fallon has action shots from our recent games against Finn Harps and Shamrock Rovers and Joe Molloy has his usual Where Are They Now slot looking back at ex Bit O’ Red stars.

There is a rack your brains quiz and information on our visitors Shelbourne who have a new look squad under manager Damien Duff on their first season back in The SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

Each person who purchases a programme will receive a free Sligo Rovers Postcard in a new interesting competition where the winner will be determined by whoever receives a postcard and sends us a photo and tags us on social media.

The person living furthest away from The Showgrounds will win a Sligo Rovers jersey of their choice and we’ll also give one to the sender as well.

There are also the usual You Reds photos and the 2022 fixtures and results for Liam Buckleys side as well as our Associate Sponsors for the 2022 season.

Match Sponsor: Thomas Connolly Bar Sligo

Ball Sponsor: Mastercraft Joinery

After Match Reception: Thomas Connolly Sligo

Sligo Rovers take on Shelbourne in The SSE Airtricity Premier Division on Friday night at The Showgrounds which marks the start of the first game of three home games in eight days.

There was no game last weekend due to the International break but Liam Buckley got some extra work into the group on the training ground and the squad will be eager to keep the unbeaten start to the season going on Friday night.

‘We are happy with the start of the season in terms of being unbeaten so far. We have played well at times and there is a bit of strength in depth which has helped us and the lads are all eager to take part and play and do well which is great. We know that there is room for improvement also and we have worked on a few things in the last couple of weeks to help with that.

The lads have all gelled well as a group and the new lads have settled into the town fairly well and that helps them perform on the pitch. We have an honest group who all want to do well for each other and the club and with the fans behind us Friday night we hope to get a positive result. It will be a tough week or so with three games but we’ll use the full squad and see how we go.

Shelbourne are a new team and have had some good performances so far this season. Like a lot of teams including ourselves there are a lot of new faces and no doubt they’ll be looking to bounce back from their previous game against Finn Harps so we are well aware of the threats they’ll bring. They have a good young manager in Damien Duff and they’ll have a good travelling support so it will be a decent game for the fans.”

In team news, Liam has no fresh injury concerns and Nando Pijnaker has returned to Sligo to join up with the squad. There are no suspensions. 

Turnstiles open at 6.30pm and we ask supporters to arrive early and to respect the local area when parking their cars.

Last three: Sligo Rovers:

Shamrock Rovers (Drew 2-2), Finn Harps (Won 3-1), Drogheda United (Won 3-0)

Last three: Shelbourne:

Finn Harps (Lost 3-0), Bohemians (Drew 1-1), Dundalk (Drew 1-1)  

Sligo Rovers are continuing to strengthen our ties around the region with the announcement of a new partnership with Westport United from The Mayo League.

The new agreement will see Rovers and Westport work together on player development which will include knowledge sharing and workshops between Sligo Rovers Academy staff and Westport United personnel.

There have been close links between the clubs for many years with many supporters of Sligo Rovers coming from Westport and surrounding areas as well as recent Academy graduates Cillian Heaney and Conor Walsh progressing through our academy into the First Team squad.

The club has a number of exciting players from Westport currently in our academy structure, with these players having been developed from a young age by the Mayo club which has a proud and successful tradition in the game.

The agreement was welcomed by Sligo Rovers Head of Academy Conor O’ Grady:

‘’We are delighted to partner with Westport United. We have been working together for many years now and it’s good to have something official in place that will help both parties. The talent coming from Mayo to Sligo Rovers is second to none and that goes down to Westport United and all the other clubs in the county. It has some fine facilities and fine coaches which will only develop the local players further in years to come.

Stephen Duffy, Chairman of Westport United:

“We’re delighted to enter this partnership with Sligo Rovers. We have worked closely and successfully over the past few years which has seen many of our youth players advance to the next level of football in the country with the Bit O’ Red. Sligo Rovers are a major player in Irish football. This partnership will help Westport United to further cement our place at the top of the amateur game, while our players and coaches will benefit hugely from the assistance and expertise that the Sligo Rovers academy will provide. This is an exciting partnership that we are all looking forward to in bringing even greater player development and will bring further success to both of our clubs.”

The agreement will also see the clubs play in a friendly match each season as well as the possibility of hosting Sligo Rovers led coaching camps throughout the year.

Westport United players and personnel will also be guests of the club at our Senior Men and Women’s games later this season.

A disappointing afternoon in the Women’s National League Saturday at the Showgrounds saw Bohemian FC take the three points with a merited 3-1 victory as Emma Hansbury found the net for the hosts with a superb free in the 94th minute.

Manager Steve Feeney made two changes to the starting line up from the team that won against Cork with Emma Doherty and Paula McGrory starting after featuring as substitutes in the win against  last weekend.
Emma Hansberry went close for the hosts in the eighth minute from a free which Rachael Kelly saved as the hosts made a very tentative opening and were a goal down to a Chloe Darby effort in the 11th minute following some hesitant defending.

A free from Kristen Sample soon after ended up in the Bohemian FC net, but it didn’t stand as it was an indirect free that had been awarded for an offside offence.

The game remained scrappy with Bohemian FC creating the better chances, but the Bit O’Red went close again when a Hansberry free from the edge of the penalty area skimmed the top of the crossbar.

All the Bohs pressure was rewarded again in the 35th minute when Sinead Taylor created a difficult chance, but she showed all her skill and was able to turn and finish for a two-goal advantage.

The hosts resumed smartly after the break, but were on the backfoot fairly quickly as Bohs settled into a rhythm with Erica Burke flashing a shot past the far post in the 52nd minute.

The Dublin side almost added a third goal in the 70th minute, but a relieved Sligo Rovers rearguard cleared the danger.

The best the hosts could manage was a shot from Aoife Brennan who ran on to a long clearance from Sample.

Bohemian FC added a third goal when team captain Taylor claimed her second of the afternoon when she finished from a corner in the 90th minute before Hansberry gave the home supporters something to cheer about with that late goal.

Sligo Rovers – Kristen Sample; Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Amy Roddy, Fiona Doherty, Paula McGrory. Subs – Ruth Monaghan for O’Dowd,
Aoife Brennan for McGrory both half-time, Kerri O’Hara for Hyndman, Katie Melly for F Doherty both 68 mins, Helen Monaghan for Kelly 74m,  

Bohemian FC – Rachael Kelly; Abbie Brophy, Katie Burdis, Lisa Murphy, Ciara Maher, Katie Lovely, Chloe Darby, Erica Burke, Kira Bates-Crosbie, Fiona Ryan, Sinead Taylor. Subs – Isobel Finnegan for Burdis and Ann Marie Byrne for Ryan both 60 mins, Bronagh Kae for Bates-Crosbie 83m.

Referee – Declan Toland.
Assistant-referees – Darren Corcoran, Keenan Deering.
Fourth official – Michael Connolly.

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/