Sligo Rovers Women host Peamount United at The Showgrounds this Saturday in the third game of the 2023 SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division season.

Rovers come into the game having faced a difficult start to the season against Shamrock Rovers and Wexford Youths Women in the opening two games.

Manager Steve Feeney will be happy with his side’s overall performances having been level in the games for some time but eventually losing out to second half goals in both games.

Gates will open at 4pm on the day and admission is just €5.

The game kicks off at 5pm.

Conall Collier interviewed Sligo Rovers defender Garry Buckley for the matchnight programme against Cork City and discovered the frustrations that go with long-term injury and road to recovery for the former Cork City man who is planning a wedding in 2024.

THE INTERVIEW:

“My mother said I was special and that’s why I’m Garry with two R’s”

Proud Cork man Garry Buckley arrived at The Showgrounds ahead of the 2020 season and after an initial role at midfield established a great partnership in central defence with John Mahon.

However, last August Garry sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the first leg tie of the Europa Conference League Qualifier against Viking FK in Stavanger and has been sidelined since.

Long-term injuries are what all players want to avoid and Garry outlined the challenges he faced in terms of dealing with the matter.

“That was the first time in my playing career that I have had a long-term injury, usually they have only been for knocks and niggles that meant a few weeks on the sideline,” he commented.

“I’ve been in the League of Ireland since I was 18 or 19 and I’ve never had to deal with an issue like this before.

“It was a bit of a journey into the unknown, I didn’t really know what to expect, there were days when it was very dark and depressing, you’d be wondering if there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I have never experienced the type of frustration and depression, until now, that can go with a long-term injury, but you have to try and stay positive and stay focused and all I want to do is get back playing.

“I had targets that I set myself, firstly, I wanted to get back on my feet, then I wanted to get back walking and after that I wanted to get back running.

“It can all play a bit negatively on your mind, it’s a mental type of thing I suppose, but you have to try to find something positive in a situation like that.

“Solely from my own perspective I saw that we were out of Europe and we were out of the FAI Cup and I was out of football, all in the space of a week, we were as good as out of the League title race as well.

“Difficult to imagine that I was able to take anything positive out of those facts, but that’s where I was at the time and that’s the way I had to look at it.

“It was the second half of the season and that meant it was a little bit different, from my perspective, than if it had been at the start of the season,” he added.

Then there was also the challenge of dealing with the arrival of a new baby.

Garry takes up the story again:

“Well, I’m engaged to Ciara, we will be getting married next year, we have a baby boy, Alvey, who was born a few months before I picked up the injury, and putting it quite simply, Alvey doesn’t deal with sympathy.

“I had my operation and then I came home, as I said, Alvey doesn’t give me much sympathy, but it was a great reality check, he doesn’t give me much time to be feeling sorry for myself.

“The only downside was for Ciara, she then had two babies to mind there for a while, but Alvey was a complete distraction and it was a good thing for me, I had to focus on what was really important,” he added.

Looking back to his early time in the League of Ireland and his success with Cork City, Garry explains that at one stage he was of the view that he would never leave the club.

“I suppose I never saw myself leaving Cork, I played under-age football with a Cork club Leeds FC and won a few local titles, I also played for the Cork Schoolboys League before joining Cork City under-19s for the 2011/2012 season.

“We had a good team and won a double and then I joined the senior side in the build up to the 2012 season.

Garry made his senior debut against Athlone Town in the FAI Cup in May 2012 and scored on his League debut away to Derry City in September of the same year.

“I had success with Cork City, but I thought it would never happen, we were always second to Dundalk, but then we won the FAI Cup in 2016.

“That was the best moment of my career at that point, winning the FAI Cup at the Aviva Stadium with Seanie Maguire, an ex-Sligo Rovers man, scoring the winning goal.

There was another Sligo Rovers man scored in a FAI Cup final for Cork City as well, Kieran Sadlier, I suppose I’ve reversed the trend a bit, a Cork City player going to Sligo Rovers, at least it stopped the one-way traffic, a bit.

“Kalen Spillane did it as well, he’s playing with Kerry now, it’s great to see another Munster team in the League, at one stage there was only Cork and Cobh, now there’s Waterford, Kerry and Treaty as well.

“That FAI Cup in 2016 was my first trophy, my first medal, I thought it would never happen, then we had more success and everything was going well, until it wasn’t.

“There was a lot going on with Cork City in 2019, a lot of managers, a lot of changes, I can’t really explain what happened but everything just seemed to get a bit stale, for everyone, I felt that I needed to get out of the environment.

“Neale Fenn came in as manager, he was the third manager that season, but nothing worked out, the club, everyone was sort of stuck in rut.

“ I’m pleased to see the club back in the Premier Division now, I’d love to be playing this weekend, but hopefully I’ll be back for the second half of the season and will get the chance to play then,” he added.

And the move to Sligo Rovers, that move in the opposite direction that Garry mentioned earlier, how did it come about?

“I got a call from Liam Buckley at the end of the 2019 season, I had a good idea what Sligo Rovers was like as a community club and I was willing to give it a go, I have to say, at this stage, I just love the place,” he commented.

“One of the highlights for me last season was the two wins against Motherwell, a Scottish Premiership team and we beat them twice, not too far behind it would be the win in the Showgrounds against Viking, but unfortunately, I was injured for that one.

“Viking almost made it to the Group phase of the Conference League, it just shows you that there are real fine margins in football and hopefully I’ll be able to help Sligo Rovers achieve more European success in 2024.

“Those European results just show the potential there is with Sligo Rovers, I suppose we just have to get the consistency into our game, we can win games, but we need to find consistency in our performances,” he stressed.

And what about the future and a possible central defensive partnership again with John Mahon?

“We complement each other so well, myself and John, but there is huge competition for places, Nando (Pijnaker), James (Finnerty), John (Mahon), Eanna (Clancy), it’s going to be a challenge for me to get back into that team.

“You know, football is very strange, one minute you are on a high and the next minute you are on a low, it all depends on the result, it can be very quiet coming home on the team bus after a defeat and it’s the exact opposite after a win.

“I’ve experienced both sides of the game, but you just have to pick yourself up and go again.

“As regards the future, it’s something I haven’t dwelled on too much up to now, but I suppose at this stage of my career it’s a consideration, but my total focus at the moment is getting back playing and that’s what I am concentrating on.

“My parents, Michael and Teresa, gave me tremendous support when I was growing up in the North side of Cork, make sure you get that right, the North side of Cork City, or we’ll all be after you and you wouldn’t want that.

“My mother said I was special and that’s why I’m Garry with two R’s and not Gary with one R, mothers are always right,” he concluded.

Sligo Rovers have been working on a number of different improvements at The Showgrounds in recent months with the aim improving everyone’s experience at The Showgrounds.

Two key parts of these improvements were the upgrade of our Home team changing rooms and the installation of a new walk-in club merchandise store for supporters to be able to come in and browse our product range.

Before the start of pre-season, works finished on our home changing room which are now used by players and coaching staff across the club on a daily basis. It incorporates our Community spirit with photos of our supporters at The Showgrounds prominent all around it as well as some key messages from the club to our players.

The club also felt the need to improve our Merchandise store which has now become our official Sligo Rovers Megastore which allows supporters to walk in and look around and view all our club merchandise. The Megastore includes Joma training, travel and match gear as well as general club accessories such as hats, scarves and posters. Supporters are also encouraged to try before they buy with a built in changing room.
This has all been made possible by the hard work and dedication of The Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust who continue to volunteer for the club week in, week out in a number of different ways.

The Trust run our new Bit O’ Red Coffee Dock inside the ground as well as serving tea, coffee and refreshments in the Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust Clubhouse and at their Tea & Coffee Hut at the end of the Treacy Avenue Stand.

With the funds raised from all of these initiatives as well as others, they have been able to cover the cost of both of these important projects.
It goes to show the importance of supporting our Match-night shops and stalls as all of the money raised goes back into Sligo Rovers.

A real Community effort

There were four games at the weekend between Saturday and Sunday for the Bit O’ Red Academy.

Our Under 14 team were defeated 1-0 away to Athlone Town in an evenly contested game at Athlone Town Stadium.

At the same time our Under 17 Women’s team were beaten at home to the same opposition. Orlaith Doherty scored her third goal of the season in a 2-1 loss.

Sunday saw our Under 15 team again take on Athlone Town, losing 2-0 away from home.

Our Under 19 Women’s team were narrowly beaten away to Shamrock Rovers on a scoreline of 1-0.

There are four games next weekend across the Academy with no games taking place for our Under 14’s or 15’s.

The Bit O’ Red welcomed Cork City to The Showgrounds on Saturday night in the second home game in five days for John Russell and his squad.

The visitors came into the game on the back of an enthralling 4-4 draw against Shamrock Rovers on Monday night with Rovers beating St. Patrick’s Athletic at the same time here at home.

Manager John Russell brought in Eanna Clancy for the suspended John Mahon and Lukas Browning replaced Niall Morahan in midfield in the side’s only two changes from Monday.

The game started even with Rovers pressing forward, building play up from the back trying to piece together some opportunities which were few and far between for both sides.

The visitors got a corner on 18 minutes and they took the lead after a goal mouth scramble was eventually turned home from close range by defender Jonas Hakkinen.

Rovers had chances after that through Fabrice Hartmann and Stefan Radosavljevic but they couldn’t make their possession pay and it remained 1-0 to City at the break.

Kailin Barlow was introduced for Greg Bolger at the interval as John Russell tried to change his side to get back on level terms.

Barlow had half a chance before the hour mark when his shot went wide after being teed up by Max Mata on the edge of the area.

Former Rovers Academy graduate and first team player Ruairi Keating doubled his side’s lead on 65 minutes. The powerful striker turned on the edge of the area and struck a left footed effort past Luke McNicholas which went in off the post.

Frank Liivak and Bogdan Vastsuk replaced Will Fitzgerald and Radosavljevic for the last twenty minutes or so and it was all Rovers at this point.

The home side made pressure pay on 79 minutes when Johan Brannefalk’s corner was smashed home by Eanna Clancy for his first ever senior goal much to the delight of the home crowd.

Nando Pijnaker went close moments later from a header from another corner and Rovers piled the pressure on the visitors late on.

The fourth official showed five extra minutes on the board at the end of the game and it was enough to bring a valuable leveller for Rovers.

Kailin Barlow broke into the box before being bundled over and the referee made no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Max Mata was the coolest man in The Showgrounds as he fired his effort into the top right hand corner.

Rovers went close to winning it when Hartmann’s late free kick was saved by the City goalkeeper and the referee ended the game soon after.

Next up for Rovers is a trip to take on Derry City on Friday.

Wexford took the Women’s Premier Division points at Ferrycarrig Park on Saturday night with a confident display for a 3-1 win against a hard-working Sligo Rovers side that claimed the goal-of-the-match from Sarah Kiernan’s 49th minute equaliser, writes Conall Collier.

Wexford manager Stephen Quinn started the same 11 that won the previous week in Galway while his opposite number Steve Feeney had to plan without striker Emma Doherty who picked up a knock in a colleges’ game on Thursday with Aoife Brennan deputising.

The hosts hit the front in the 20th minute with a deserved lead goal from Michaela Lawrence after Abbie Brophy had earlier tested the woodwork.

Wexford also had chances from Lawrence and Ciara Rossiter in the opening minutes while Sligo Rovers didn’t create many clear cut chances although they worked hard throughout the half.

There was also a setback for Sligo Rovers as they had to replace Casey Howe before the break after she picked up an ankle injury.

However, the Bit O’Red got back on terms four minutes into the second-half with a superb goal from Sarah Kiernan who won possession around midfield and from halfway lobbed Wexford ‘keeper Maeve Williams and the net bulged.

Wexford countered instantly and Rossiter should have scored in the 53rd minute, but her effort went wide in a one-on-one with Amy Mahon.
 
The hosts had another good chance on the hour when Emily Corbett was denied by a finger-tip Mahon save that earned a corner.

Soon after Wexford ‘keeper Maeve Williams kept her team on level terms with a spectacular save that denied Kiernan a second goal and left the game finely balanced.

Then, Wexford regained the lead in the 70th minute with a fine goal. Abbie Brophy did all the work and Rianna Jarrett powered a header to the net.

It got better for the hosts with 14 minutes remaining when Orlaith Conlon’s ball out of defence created an opening and Emily Corbet finished to the net for her first goal for the club.

Wexford substitute Ceola Bergin could have added a fourth in the 90th minute, but wasted the chance.

TEAMS
Wexford – Maeve Williams; Orlaith Conlon, Meabh Russell, Nicola Sinnott, Ciara Rossiter, Aoibheann Clancy, Michaela Lawrence, Abbie Brophy, Rianna Jarrett, Kylie Murphy,  Emily Corbet. Subs – Ceola Bergin for Jarrett 79 mins, Freya de Mange for Lawrence and Shauna Carroll for Rossiter both 82m.
Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Alice Lillie, Amy Roddy, Keela Scanlon, Sarah Kiernan, Emma Hansberry, Lauren Boles, Katie Melly, Aoife Brennan, Casey Howe, Leah Kelly. Subs – Jodie Loughrey for Howe 39 mins, Keri Loughrey for Melly 67m, Aife Haran for Brennan and Helen Monaghan for Kiernan both 77m.
 

We host Cork City tonight at 7.45pm at The Showgrounds in the Men’s Premier Division.

We outline all our Match Night information below:

Turnstiles:

Turnstiles open from 6.30pm.

All Children Under 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult. This is non-negotiable and it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure their children are accompanied arriving to The Showgrounds and throughout the night.

All Children over the age of 12 must enter via the last turnstile on the left hand side which will be sign posted ‘Over 12’s’. This new turnstile is for Juveniles only and here they must pay €10 for entry. Tickets should be bought online in advance via the following link: https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/ Only if tickets are not sold out, we will accept cash or card on the turnstiles.

Please have your tickets ready for scanning to ensure a smooth and quick entry process. Any duplicate tickets will be refused and may lead to stadium bans for those in possession of one. Tickets will only scan once per game.

Away tickets are also still available online via the link above. All away fans must buy online in advance.

Seating:

Seating is first come, first served in all areas of the ground. Seats with names on them must be respected as these are Gold Season Ticket members who have paid for their seat to be reserved all season. Anyone found sitting in a seat that is not theirs will be asked to move.

Security:

Members of our security team will carry out on the spot checks on bags and persons entering the ground. Alcohol and Pyrotechnics are not allowed and will be confiscated on entry. We ask supporters to please help the club in this regard and refrain from attempting to get in with any prohibited items.

CCTV:

CCTV is again in operation throughout the evening using our CCTV system. The system was instrumental in the club being able to utilise footage from previous anti-social behaviour and, in turn issue this to Gardai and serve stadium bans to some supporters. Security personnel and An Garda Siochaina will be monitoring the system and anyone found to be behaving in a way which contravenes our ground rules will be removed and banned from attending future games.

Car Parking:

There are limited spaces available at The Showgrounds astro turf car park. This will be closed once full, which is expected to be early in the evening. Supporters should note the club have come to an agreement with Nazareth House for official Match Night use of their grounds which has over 200 parking spaces. There is a charge of €2, with proceeds towards the upkeep of their grounds.

Flares:

Leave your flares at home. These are not wanted and anyone found with flares will be banned from attending future matches. These cause needless fines for the club, money which is raised by our volunteers and fellow supporters.

Pitch:

It is an offence to enter the field of play at any stage. This includes children. It is parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure children do not encroach on the pitch at any time.

We thank you for your co-operation

Sligo Rovers host Cork City on Saturday night at The Showgrounds (7.45pm).

The game is the second of a double-header of home games this week after Rovers defeated St. Patrick’s Athletic 2-1 on Monday night.

Fabrice Hartmann’s winner was enough to earn John Russell’s side all three points after Pat’s Midfielder Chris Forrester cancelled out Reece Hutchinson’s first half goal.

John Mahon will be suspended for the game with Cork City after he was shown a straight red card having been deemed to deny a goalscoring opportunity for Saints striker Tommy Lonergan.

Cork City had an impressive 4-4 draw away to Shamrock Rovers on Monday night in Tallaght after a convincing 4-0 win over UCD at Turners Cross last Friday.

Sligo Rovers boss John Russell was delighted with his sides performance on Monday:

‘’I was delighted with the performance on Monday night. It was important for us to bounce back after our defeat in Drogheda.

‘’The players showed great character to go on and win the game after we went down to 10 men.

‘’The two goals we scored were of real quality and it showed the potential we have in this group. It’s important we continue to work hard and build on this performance and result’’.

The Bit O’ Red have played two home games so far in 2023 with a point against Shamrock Rovers on the opening day in front of a sell-out crowd at The Showgrounds followed by Monday’s impressive win. The atmosphere at both games has proved vital for the team on the pitch and Russell hopes to replicate that atmosphere for the third time in a row:

‘’Tomorrow night we face a Cork City side full of confidence, and a team who have scored 8 goals in their last two games. They have good players all over the pitch so, we know it’s going to be a tough game.

‘’We want to make The Showgrounds a fortress this season. The supporters have come out in their numbers for our first two home games and the atmosphere was electric. The players really fed off that energy so we’re hoping for another big turnout, and a big performance.

In team news, Rovers are without the suspended John Mahon as well as Garry Buckley, Gary Boylan and Mark Byrne who remain injured.

Lukas Browning missed Monday’s game with illness but is back in the squad and other than that, there are no concerns for Russell.

Supporters are urged to buy tickets online in advance of the game to avoid disappointment.

You can buy your tickets now via the link below:

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

We are delighted to announce that on April 22nd at our home game with UCD, we will be inviting Ukrainian families living in the area to the game as guests of the club.

Transport will be arranged to and from The Showgrounds from host Accommodation centres and all Children will receive a free Sligo Rovers gift.

Further details will follow through accommodation centres.

Any enquiries can be sent to srfcdirect@gmail.com

Any local businesses who wish to get involved in this are also encouraged to contact the club on the email address above.

Ми раді вітати наших українських друзів на The Showgrounds 🇺🇦

Sligo Rovers make the journey to Wexford this weekend for a joust with hosts Wexford Youths Women in the second round of the Women’s Premier Division.

The Bit O’Red made an encouraging start to the new season despite a narrow defeat by a highly-regarded Shamrock Rovers side at The Showgrounds in a game that attracted the largest crowd of the opening round of action with 753 spectators enjoying the action.

A draw looked the most likely result until Republic of Ireland international Aine O’Gorman headed a 92nd minute winner to claim a 2-1 victory for the Dublin side after Shauna Fox (Shamrock Rovers) and Emma Hansberry traded goals early in each half.

Wexford made the trip to Galway for round one and claimed a 1-0 victory with Ciara Rossiter finishing to the net in the 80th minute in a tight encounter.

Wexford manager Stephen Quinn added some quality to his panel for 2023 with Emily Corbet joining from Athlone Town and Abbie Brophy recruited from Bohemian FC along with Republic of Ireland international Rianna Jarrett who her first appearance for the club since 2019 after joining from London City Lionesses.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney will be looking forward to the challenge of tackling a Wexford side that the Bit O’Red defeated at the Showgrounds last season and although disappointed with the first-round defeat, he will be able to take plenty of positives for the challenge that his players will face at Ferrycarrig Park.

TEAMS LAST WEEKEND

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Alice Lillie, Amy Roddy, Keela Scanlon, Sarah Kiernan, Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Lauren Boles, Katie Melly, Emma Doherty, Casey Howe.

Subs – Jodie Loughrey for Melly 65 mins, Keri Loughrey for Kelly 70m, Helen Monaghan for Howe 86m

Manager – Steve Feeney.

Wexford – Maeve Williams; Orlaith Conlon, Meabh Russell, Nicola Sinnott; Abbie Brophy, Aoibheann Clancy, Michaela Lawrence, Kylie Murphy, Ciara Rossiter, Emily Corbet, Rianna Jarrett.

Subs – Freya DeMange for Lawrence 70 mins, Orlaith Deasy for Corbet 85m, Ceola Bergin for Rossiter 90m.

Manager – Stephen Quinn.

Kick-off is at 6pm and the game is available on LOITV