Striker Emma Doherty has been selected as Wehrly Bros/Sligo Rovers Young Womens Player of The Year for 2022.
The Donegal striker has been one of the standout strikers in the league this season and finished the year as Sligo Rovers’ top scorer with 11 goals so far, before this afternoon’s game with DLR Waves in which she will be looking to add to her tally.
Emma has also secured a scholarship at ATU Sligo this year which sees her extend her Bit O’ Red stay for three seasons.
Congrats, Emma.
Midfielder Lauren Boles has been named Wehrly Bros / Sligo Rovers Womens Player of The Year for 2022.
Boles has been an ever present in the Bit O’ Red team this season, with many top performances throughout.
She topped the polls in an online fans vote this week which sees her take home the award.
Boles will be presented with the award this afternoon ahead of our final game of the 2022 season.
Congrats, Lauren.
Manager Steve Feeney assesses the 2022 Women’s National League season for Sligo Rovers
Steve Feeney was handed the manager’s bib for the debut season of Sligo Rovers in the Women’s National League only a week before Christmas Day 2021.
The first manager of the Sligo Rovers Women’s team was tasked with assembling a panel some 80 days before the scheduled kick-off against high-flying Dublin club Peamount Utd in early March.
Some eight months and 27 games later (26 in the WNL and one FAI Cup), Feeney will send his players out for the final game of the season against DLR Waves on home turf at the Showgrounds this Saturday.
There were lots of highlights and lowlights in a campaign that brought the team to venues in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Athlone and Wexford as the WNL expanded to 10 teams with the inclusion, for the first time, of Sligo Rovers.
At all times, Feeney adopted a positive demeanour on the sideline and was always looking for areas where the team could improve.
“There were some heavy defeats, some games where we could have won and didn’t and some games that we were given no chance in and we won,” he commented.
“It’s easy to say that the wins at home against Shelbourne and Wexford were the highlights, and they were important.
“At the start of the season no one involved in the WNL would have given us any chance at all against either of those clubs and against most of the other clubs as well.
“However, the biggest highlight for me was the fact that towards the end of this season, this month, we were going to places like Shelbourne and Wexford with the expectation that we might get results.
“The girls have given a good account of themselves throughout the season and at this stage, the last game of 2022, everyone is now aware that they won’t get it easy against Sligo Rovers,” he added.
The commitment that was, and is, required from everyone involved, but especially the younger players, is not lost on the manager either.
“It was a huge commitment for the players, almost 30 competitive games, training started back in January and we are now at the end of October, realistically that’s 10 months of training and playing,” he pointed out.
“Obviously, for the players there is the two nights a week with us, but they also have to do their own training and recovery sessions, watching diet and all that sort of thing.
“That would have been new to a lot of the girls, they would have been in good condition anyway, but it’s a serious step up to play week-in, week-out in the WNL
“The players are a credit to themselves, they took on what was a big challenge, a big commitment, and you can see that they took it on as they showed gradual improvement throughout the season, that speaks volumes about them as individuals.
“It’s also great to see players like Emma Doherty, Kerri O’Hara and Alice Lillie getting recognised for international selection, that’s not just this season, but over the last few years, they’re three very good players.
“What stands out about that trio, and it’s also true across the squad, is the attitude and the willingness to keep going in a game, even when it’s not going your way,” he added.
Looking to the future, and more immediately to next season, Feeney is well aware that the task is not going to get any easier simply because the team has enjoyed a reasonable debut campaign in the WNL.
“Hopefully, we can push on and build for next season, but it doesn’t follow that we will automatically improve just because we have the first season behind us,” he stressed.
“We will have to work harder if we want to improve our position, finishing eighth this season, but it won’t be easy, that’s for certain.
“This year we were an unknown quantity, the new team in the WNL, next season we will be just one of the teams trying to improve our position, all the other teams will have the same goal.
“One positive will be the fact that we have a decent panel of players, we also have a good idea now of what to expect.
“We have the chance now to get organised in the off-season and get a proper pre-season into most of the players.
“This season, most of the girls only joined up a few weeks before kick-off and indeed some of them signed a week before the start, that wasn’t ideal.
“A better preparation will help us, but that’s all, it will help us, but it doesn’t mean we will improve on that aspect alone, we will have to find improvement in all sectors.
“We probably lacked a bit of conditioning early in the season, we won’t have that issue for 2023.
“For this season, I’m grateful to everyone who was involved and the commitment and effort that everyone made, it would be nice to get a big crowd for this last game of the season and to get a result as well,” he concluded.
Striker Max Mata has been named as Wehrly Bros/Sligo Rovers Young Player of The Year for 2022.
The New Zealander has settled into life in Sligo well this year following his move here in February.
Max has scored nine times and made a good contribution throughout the season and is under contract at the club for the next two seasons.
Mata will be presented with his award before tonight’s game.
Well done, Max.
Bit O’ Red striker Aidan Keena has picked up the Wehrly Bros/Sligo Rovers Player of The Year for 2022 after a fans vote saw him top the online poll.
Keena has been in flying form throughout the season with 19 goals in all competitions, making him top scored in the league so far.
Keena has scored important goals all season, most notably perhaps with goals against Bala Town and Motherwell away from home in Europa Conference League qualifiers and an impressive hat-trick against Finn Harps back in March at The Showgrounds.
Keena will be presented with his award this evening ahead of our game with St Patrick’s Athletic.
Congratulations, Aidan
Last home game in a memorable inaugural Women’s National League (WNL) season for Sligo Rovers as they welcome DLR Waves to the Showgrounds for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday.
With home wins already secured against the top two, Wexford and Shelbourne, the Bit O’Red will be aiming to produce some of that form once more as they host a team that hit seven goals last week against Treaty Utd.
DLR Waves hit the front against Treaty after just eight minutes through Kate Mooney and they added a second on 22 minutes through Nicole Keogh while Katie Malone made it 3-0 before the break.
DLR maintained the tempo and within three minutes of the restart had a fourth, Mooney shooting home, a fifth followed after 65 minutes when Shauna Carroll finished from close range and Kerri Letmon made it seven with a brace in added time.
That should be a stark warning for Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney who will be keen to finish the season on a winning note after solid performances away from home against the aforementioned top two and title contenders in the past fortnight.
Feeney also saw his team go close to grabbing a win last time out in a five-goal thriller against DLR Waves at the Belfield Bowl as Kate Mooney claimed an 81st minute winner for the hosts.
Gemma McGuinness had Sligo Rovers in the lead after only 10 minutes when she raced through the DLR defence and finished confidently past Eve Badana.
DLR countered, but it wasn’t until the 40th minute that Sophie Watters headed the equaliser.
The second-half was only five minutes old when DLR hit the front after substitute Avril Brierley capitalised on a loose ball in the penalty area, but on the hour the Bit O’Red levelled when Emma Doherty rifled to the net.
The Rovers were denied a lead goal by the crossbar after a surging run by Kerri O’Hara and DLR countered swiftly to create an opening, but the danger was averted.
Paula McGrory then had a chance for the Rovers, but her effort skimmed the bottom of the post before Kate Mooney rocketed a header to the net in the 81st minute to seal a thrilling win for the Dublin side.
Undaunted, the visitors had one last chance in added t ime when Gemma McGuinness found space in the DLR penalty area, but her shot was saved.
Another action-packed encounter is on the cards on Saturday as both teams look to finish the season on a winning note.
LAST TIME
DLR WAVES 3, SLIGO ROVERS 2
TEAMS
DLR Waves – Eve Badana; Lynn Craven, Jess Gleeson, Fiona Donnelly, Rachael Doyle, Kerri Letmon, Katie Malone, Aoife Brophy, Sophie Watters, Oleta Griffin, Sara McKevitt. Subs – Avril Brierley for McKevitt 8 mins, Kate Mooney for Letmon and Orla Fitzpatrick for Doyle 72m, Nadine Clare for Donnelly 82m.
Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Amy Roddy, Kerri O’Hara, Fiona Doherty, Paula McGrory. Subs – Helen Monaghan for O’Hara 75 mins, Aoife Brennan for F Doherty 81m, Katie Melly for Kelly and Sarah Kiernan for Hyndman 86m.
Sligo Rovers host St. Patrick’s Athletic tomorrow night at The Showgrounds in our final home game of the 2022 season.
Rovers were last in action on Monday night at the same venue, drawing 0-0 with Derry City, three days after a 3-3 draw against Dundalk away from home.
The sides met at The Showgrounds back in May which saw the game end in a 1-1 draw, Aidan Keena on target for the Bit O’ Red.
Both sides have a win to their credit in the other two fixtures between the sides this year, with Rovers winning 2-1 back in February and Pats winning 1-0 in August, both at Richmond Park.
Sligo Rovers Manager John Russell expects another tight game on Friday night:
‘’All our games against St Pats this season have been tight encounters.
‘’We’ve been in good form and it’s important we carry that into the game tonight as we know it’ll be a tough test with St Pats chasing third spot in the table.
‘’Our supporters have been brilliant this year so the players will be eager to put on a top performance in front of them in what is our last home game of the season’’.
In team news, Rovers are without long-term absentees Garry Buckley, Mark Byrne, Luke McNicholas and David Cawley.
Niall Morahan is not expected to be fit in time and Shane Blaney, who limped off against Derry on Monday night is in a race against time to return to the side on Friday.
Friday night will see a number of presentations made before the game and at half time.
Our Academy Players of The Year will be presented with their awards and our Senior Men’s and Young Men’s Players of The Year will also receive their accolades prior to kick off.
Gates open at 6.30pm.
Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that Under 19 Men’s midfielder Sean McAteer has agreed a long-term deal at Sligo Rovers through a scholarship with Atlantic Technological University.
Each year, the University offers a limited number of Sligo Rovers players a fee-waiver scholarship which is matched by the club with support to the player throughout the seasons they are studying.
Sean is now a Sligo Rovers player for the last four years and will continue to develop with the club and University for the coming three years.
ATU is one of Ireland’s largest multi-campus universities with campuses across Sligo, Donegal, Mayo and Galway. The new university is built on the foundations of over 50 years in higher education and offers academic excellence and the opportunity to participate in sport at a national level.
Bit O’ Red Head of Academy Conor O’Grady:
‘’Sean has been a great ambassador for the club since his time here. He joined us at the start of our Under 15 campaign four years ago and has developed himself on and off the pitch and has a bright future.
‘’Sean has been an important part of our Under 19 Men’s team this season and the lads now have a Cup Semi-Final to look forward to at the start of October, one which Sean will be a key part of.
‘’The link up between the club and the University is a massive one for us all and one which will keep developing in years to come to help our young players’’.
McAteer will now be part of ATU Sligo’s Senior Men’s team who will compete in the Third Level Colleges League and Cups throughout the academic year, which starts in the coming weeks.
Dr Chris O’Malley, Vice President, Research, Innovation & Engagement at ATU Sligo commented:
“Atlantic TU is delighted to support players like Sean in achieving his goals in sport and academically. We believe in the investment and development of scholarship programmes that allow talented players to achieve a University degree while pursuing sport at an elite level. We value our partnership with Sligo Rovers in providing these opportunities for our students. We wish Sean every success with his studies and on the pitch.”
FAI football facilitator at ATU Sligo, Colm Jinks, is delighted with the new addition to the Men’s Soccer Club at the University:
‘’The partnership works for everyone – It is great to have a player of Sean’s ability here with us, not only at ATU Sligo but to continue their development at Sligo Rovers.
Sean is a local lad who has played for Sligo/Leitrim, Merville United, Summerhill College, Sligo Rovers and now joins us here at Atlantic Technological University Sligo to become part of our Senior Men’s squad ahead of the new campaign. Sean is a welcome addition to our squad’’.
The nominees for Men’s and Women’s Senior Club Player of The Year were announced on Tuesday with a public vote taking place on our social media channels.
There are six players up for the award at Senior Men’s level with striker Aidan Keena, top goalscorer in the league so far this season alongside team-mates Nando Pijnaker, Paddy Kirk, Shane Blaney, Will Fitzgerald and Max Mata.
Supporters have until Friday at Noon to cast their vote, the winner being presented with the award at Friday night’s game against St Patrick’s Athletic.
VOTE: https://vote.easypolls.net/635168127e59a7005ff08cbd
Our Women’s team Player of The Year will be between seven players.
Strikers Paul McGrory and Emma Doherty are joined by defender Orna O’ Dowd and midfielders Leah Kelly, Gemma McGuinness and Lauren Boles with goalkeeper Amy Mahon completing the list.
The Women’s Senior team are coming to the end of their first ever season at Women’s National League level and are currently in 8th position in the league ahead of our final game of the season against DLR Waves on Saturday afternoon. Again, supporters have until 12 Noon on Friday to vote.
You can vote for you Womens Player of The Year below:
Sligo Rovers hosted Derry City at The Showgrounds on Monday night in our penultimate home game of the 2022 season.
The game ended scoreless but it wasn’t short on chances and a tight game could have went either way after a pretty entertaining stalemate.
Rovers came into the game off the back of a 3-3 draw on Friday night against Dundalk whereas Derry City hosted Shelbourne at The Ryan McBride Brandywell on the same night, also picking up a point in a 1-1 draw.
Shane Blaney was brought back into John Russell’s starting team in place of Colm Horgan in the only change from Dundalk.
The opening twenty minutes or so proved to be cagey as both sides felt their way into the game, playing some neat and tidy football without creating any clear cut chances.
The tempo in the game rose after this and Rovers began to dominate. Will Fitzgerald won a free kick on the edge of the Derry penalty area and Adam McDonnell forced Brian Maher into a good save.
The ball was recycled by Rovers down the left and a cross found Lewis Banks who headed it to Aidan Keena and his effort was again brilliantly saved by Maher.
Moments later it was Keena versus Maher again. This time Rovers won possession back by pressing Derry in possession and Keena drove towards the box and fired a left footed shot toward goal but the Derry stopper was equal to it.
The visitors had a couple of half chances soon after as Mark Connolly’s header was comfortably gathered by Richard Brush from a corner and striker Cian Kavanagh had a shot from a tight angle on the left, again saved by Brush and the game remained goalless at the break.
Karl O’ Sullivan was introduced at half time for Kailin Barlow who had been booked in the first half.
The second half began much like the first half with both sides keeping possession and probing forward when they could.
Derry probably shaded the possession in the early stages of the half, knowing a win was needed to bring their title challenge to Tallaght Stadium on Sunday but Rovers stood strong at the back and looked a potent threat on the counter.
Max Mata replaced Frank Liivak on the hour and Derry also made changes with Jamie McGonigle and Michael Duffy sprung from the bench by Ruaidhri Higgins.
Mata had a chance soon after as Robbie Burton’s corner found the New Zealander in the box and his header was deflected wide by a defender.
Greg Bolger and Eanna Clancy replaced Burton and Shane Blaney inside the last twenty minutes and both sides looked to get forward in search of a winning goal.
Derry forced a couple of corners inside the last ten minutes but these were well dealt with by Brush and his Rovers team mates and the biggest chance of the half fell to Mata in stoppage time as the Bit O’ Red almost snatched all three points.
Karl O’ Sullivan carried the ball down the right wing and crossed brilliantly for Mata who cushioned a right footed effort toward goal but it fell agonisingly wide of Maher’s left post.
Neil Doyle added five minutes at the end of the game but it wasn’t enoough for either side to find the winner and the result means Shamrock Rovers were crowned Premier Division Champions for 2022.
Next up for Rovers is a home game with St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday night at 7.45pm, our final home game of the season.
