Womens striker Emma Doherty started in yesterday’s Republic of Ireland Under 19 Womens 0-0 friendly draw with Portugal.

The squad are preparing for upcoming UEFA Womens U19 Euro Qualifiers against Poland, Northern Ireland and France in Poland.

Report: https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/wu19s-impress-in-draw-with-portugal

The two sides meet again tomorrow (Thursday) in another friendly.

The Bit O’ Red took on Derry City on Tuesday night at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium as John Russell looked to make it three wins from three after recent wins over Drogheda United and Shelbourne.

Russell made just one change to the starting team from the Shelbourne game, with Max Mata dropping to the bench for Will Fitzgerald.

Derry were without the injured Ciaran Coll who was stretchered off on Friday night in their victory over Bohemians at the same venue.

The hosts started the game the brighter and created the first chance on nine minutes when Cameron McJannet got down the left wing and crossed for Ryan Graydon who headed into the ground and over from close range.

Just five minutes later and the hosts were in front. Will Patching showed some neat footwork on the edge of the area and he was fouled, with referee Rob Harvey giving a free kick in a dangerous area.

Patching picked himself up and his shot took a slight nick off the Rovers’ wall and the ball flew into the top corner. Luke McNicholas got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out.

Rovers got into the game after that and kept possession of the ball and probed forward, most notably when Paddy Kirk was put through down the left by Frank Liivak, The Dubliner’s cross was deflected and needed goalkeeper Brian Maher to divert it away from goal.

Before half-time there was a series of yellow cards, with Rovers pair Robbie Burton and Shane Blaney carded to add to Derry’s Jamie McGonigle in between them.

Michael Duffy tested Luke McNicholas just before half time but the ‘keeper gathered his effort at the second attempt and the score remained 1-0 at half time.

Rovers came out in the second half with a higher intensity and Aidan Keena won a free kick on the edge of the penalty area on 47 minutes. Shane Blaney stepped up but his effort hit the wall and was cleared by the Derry defence.

Derry went close a couple of times soon after when a well worked corner routine found Cameron Dummigan inside the box but McNicholas got down well to save. Ronan Boyce tired his look on the half volley from distance moments later but his strike flew over.

Niall Morahan and Max Mata came on in place of Greg Bolger and Adam McDonnell after an hour as John Russell tried to turn the screw in the attempt to find an equaliser.

Rovers had big claims for a penalty which were waved away by referee Harvey on 79 minutes. Frank Liivak was in on the left, his cross from the byline seemed to have hit Mark Connolly’s arm but the referee said no.

It was all Rovers by now and on 89 minutes Robbie Burton’s free kick from the left landed in the six yard box in a dangerous area but Patrick McEleney cleared before Max Mata got to it.

Four minutes of added time were shown by the fourth official and Rovers best chance of the night came on 93 minutes.

Aidan Keena’s perfect lobbed through pass found Mata in behind. He got a touch on it but the ball wouldn’t come down enough for him to be able to keep his effort on target and it went over and Derry held on for an important home win.

Rovers are not in action until October 1st when we host Shamrock Rovers at The Showgrounds at 7.45pm.

Sligo Rovers face a second away game in four days when we take on Derry City tonight in The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Both sides come into the game on the back of wins on Friday night.

Derry defeated Bohemians at home thanks to Michael Duffy’s strike from distance while John Russell’s Sligo Rovers won 2-0 away to Shelbourne thanks to goals either side of half time from Frank Liivak and Aidan Keena, the same duo who scored in a win over Drogheda United the previous weekend.

The Candystripes sit in second position in the league table, four points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers but with one game more played than the Dublin club.

Rovers are in fifth spot and another result away from home tomorrow night would continue good recent form.

John Russell:

‘’We’re now coming into the business end of the season and every point matters. I was pleased by the character shown last weekend. We grew into the game and got a good result away from home.

‘’Tonight will be another tough test. Derry are in decent form and have some good attacking players so we know we will have to be at our best.

‘’The players are ready and we’re hoping for a big performance’’.

In team news, Rovers continue to be without long term absentees Garry Buckley and Seamas Keogh. Keogh is improving every week and hopes to return soon. There are no other concerns ahead of the game.

The game is live on LOI TV from 7.45pm and Ocean FM will also be covering the game.

Galway took the Women’s National League points at the Showgrounds following today an exciting 5-2 victory against hosts Sligo Rovers in a seven-goal encounter that was very competitive in the opening half.

Galway won the previous encounter with a 5-2 victory at Eamonn Deacy Park last time out and they repeated that feat again.

The sides shared four first-half goals with hosts Sligo Rovers twice in the lead from some fine Paula McGrory finishing in the eighth and 15th minutes as she took her tally to five goals in the last three games.

Galway claimed the first equaliser through Jamie Erickson in the 10th minute and after 38 minutes Shauna Brennan had Galway back on level terms for a second time.

Sligo Rovers had chances in the 25th minute when Emma Doherty hit the post and the same player was denied by a smart Abbiegayle Ronayne stop in the 35th minute at the expense of a corner as the teams went into the interval at 2-2.

Five minutes into the second-half Galway forged ahead when Bryce Reynolds finished to the net from a corner as the ball bobbled around the six-yard box.

Almost immediately Sligo Rovers had a chance of an equaliser when Emma Doherty was denied by another smart save from Ronayne while at the other end Amy Mahon was kept busy by a potent-looking Galway attack.

Galway continued to press and in the 62nd minute Chloe Singleton glanced a header to the net at the far post to give Galway a 4-2 advantage.

However, the best goal of the game arrived in the 70th minute when Galway’s Jenna Slattery rifled to the net from about 35 yards to effectively finish the game as a contest.

Both teams used all their substitutes and Galway played out some added time with 10 players after goalscorer Jenna Slattery sustained an injury and had to be assisted from the pitch.

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Orna O’Dowd, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Amy Roddy, Fiona Doherty, Paula McGrory, Amy Boyle-Carr, Sarah Kiernan. 

Subs – Katie Melly for Kelly 73 mins, Kerri O’Hara for F Doherty 73m, Aoife Brennan for McGrory, Amy Hyndman for Kiernan, Lauren McLellan for E Doherty and Aife Haran for Boyle-Carr all 83m.

Galway – Abbiegayle Ronayne; Nicole McNamara, Shauna Brennan, Chloe Singleton, Jenna Slattery, Lynsey McKee, Elle Rose O’Flaherty, Aoibheann Costelloe, Bryce Reynolds, Jamie Eereikson, Kate Thompson. 

Sligo Rovers Annual Draw is now just 3 weeks away and we can confirm a total of €34,000 has been raised so far with our volunteer sellers continuing to go out and about in the community selling tickets to local supporters.

We launched this year’s draw back on July 10^th and since then, sales have been increasing online and through physical sales door to door or by our ticket sellers within the community.

The top prize of €5,000 is just one of a number of special prizes up for grabs this year when the draw takes place on October 1^st at our home game with Shamrock Rovers at The Showgrounds.

We have a €1,000 PetStop voucher with thanks to John McKeon and his team. There are two separate hotel stays up for grabs at both Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley and the 5 Star Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin City.

Music fans will be delighted to see four Westlife tickets for their Wild Dreams tour in Belfast in December available as well as 2 Rod Stewart tickets for Dublin in November.

There is a trip to Anfield to see Liverpool at a home game also there to be won not to mention €200 Kate’s Kitchen and Intersport Elverys vouchers (2 x €100).

With just 3 weeks to go until the draw, we encourage supporters who have not entered to do so now to be in with a chance of winning.

All proceeds from this year’s draw will go directly towards our Stadium development plans for The Showgrounds with the club continuously working on our Masterplan which will see The Showgrounds transformed into a modern sporting venue for the North-West region.

Our Masterplan was launched back in May 2021 and you can take a look at our Stadium Development plans via the following link:

There is also a special Business draw which allows businesses to enter a draw by purchasing a book of tickets. Each company will then be placed into a draw to win a pitch-side advertising sign at The Showgrounds for the entire 2023 season, worth over €1,200.

Buy online:

One ticket: https://srfcdirect.com/annual-draw-ticket-2022/

One book of tickets: https://srfcdirect.com/annual-draw-book-of-ten-2022/

How can you help?

Take a book of tickets to sell to your friends, family or work colleagues. Books have ten tickets and can be got by emailing administrator@sligorovers.com or by contacting someone from the club at tonight’s match.

Sligo Rovers are thrilled to announce that our Women’s team striker, Emma Doherty has agreed a long-term deal at the club through a scholarship with Atlantic Technological University.

The newly formed university teamed up with Sligo Rovers to sign the eighteen-year-old forward.

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. Following the establishment of the Senior Women’s team at Sligo Rovers in September 2021, this is the first year the university will offer scholarships to both Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s players.

Doherty joined The Bit O’ Red last January ahead of our inaugural Senior Women’s season competing in The SSE Airtricity Women’s National League. The young striker has impressed throughout the season so far scoring nine goals in our opening 21 games.

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.

The Donegal native completed her Leaving Certificate in June and will commence studying an honours degree in Health Science and Physical Activity at ATU Sligo as part of the club’s long-standing partnership with Atlantic TU.

Bit O’ Red Women’s Team Manager Steve Feeney:

‘’Emma has been a fantastic player for us so far this season. She is a real threat for defences in the league and she has shown that so far, scoring a goal almost every other game.

‘’The partnership the club have with ATU Sligo is a real help in us attracting top level players here as they can gain a high-level qualification while also playing at a high level with us on the national stage.

‘’I know Emma is keen to do well both on the field and at university. I feel this is a perfect match and one which will grow and develop over the coming seasons’’.

Doherty will now be part of ATU Sligo’s Senior Women’s team who will compete in the Third Level Colleges League and Cups throughout the academic year.

President of Atlantic TU, Dr Orla Flynn commented

“ATU is pleased to support Sligo Rovers, as the club seeks to grow and retain talent within our region. This partnership ensures families can be confident that their sons and daughters can not only further their sporting ambitions, but also achieve academically by attending the university.

“Our Schools Liaison team work closely with sports partners, ensuring our talented students can avail of the breadth of opportunities available on their doorstep. Our communities nurture talent at a young age, and we at ATU continue to support players like Emma as they grow and progress as young adults. Sligo Rovers are also to be commended for their tangible commitment to women’s sport, and on behalf of everyone in ATU I wish Emma every success with Sligo Rovers.”

FAI football facilitator at ATU Sligo, Colm Jinks, is delighted with the new addition to the Women’s club at the university:

‘’The partnership works for everyone – It is great to have a player of Emma’s ability here with us, not only at ATU Sligo but to continue their development at Sligo Rovers.

‘’The Senior Women’s team have done so well this year in their first ever season competing in The Women’s National League and Emma has been a big part of that.

‘’This shows that young girls coming through the club’s academy system will be given an opportunity at senior level and may also enhance their skills by gaining an excellent education at the same time’’.

Emma will be part of the Bit O’ Red squad for tomorrow’s home game with Galway at The Showgrounds. The game kicks off at 2pm and supporters can pay on the gate. Gates open from 1pm.

Sligo Rovers Academy teams are in action again this weekend with four games taking place across Saturday and Sunday.

Our youngest squad, the Under 14s take on Finn Harps at 2pm in Donegal. The lads played out a 2-2 draw against Harps around a month ago and defeated them earlier in the year in a friendly so another close game is expected.

Our Under 17 teams have the weekend off with no fixtures for either Men or Womens sides at the level.

On Sunday there are three home games taking place.

At 2pm on the main pitch, our Under 15s host Waterford. Paul Masterson’s side have won two out of their last three fixtures so are in good form coming into Sunday’s clash.

Our Under 19 Men’s team host St Patrick’s Athletic at 2pm on The Sean Fallon Centre.

Our Under 19 Womens team host Carlow/Kilkenny at 4.30pm, also on Sean Fallon Centre. The girls come into the game on the back of a good win away to Bray last weekend.

“We have six games left, starting with the visit of Galway, and we have to try to start picking up some points,” stated Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney ahead of the third Connacht Derby of the season as Galway visit the Showgrounds for the Women’s National League (WNL) on Saturday, 2pm.

The WNL action resumes after a memorable international break that saw the Republic of Ireland women qualify for the 2023 World Cup play-offs with wins over Finland and Slovakia.

The last time the Connacht neighbours met they delivered seven goals at Eamonn Deacy Park as Galway won 5-2 after a tight first-half that saw the teams’ level at the interval after sharing four goals.

However, Galway upped the tempo sufficiently in the second-half to seal a 5-2 victory with a stand-out performance from Julie Ann Russell.

It all started well for the Bit O’Red with a goal inside four minutes from Gemma McGuinness,
but Galway were back on terms in the eighth minute from Bryce Reynolds.

The Bit O’Red forged ahead again when Gemma McGuinness picked out Emma Doherty at the far post in the 33rd minute, but once more Galway found a response and were back on terms in the 38th minute when Ellie O’Flaherty netted.

Shauna Brennan grabbed a 51st minute lead goal for Galway to and midway through half Jamie Erickson headed a fourth before Becky Walsh found the net to wrap up the 5-2 victory.

Two weeks ago, Sligo Rovers took the lead against Athlone Town, but were over-run subsequently and despite a spirited display the hosts won by 4-2 with a late fourth goal adding an extra bit of gloss.

And that’s an issue Bit O’Red manager Steve Feeney will be aiming to address as the season enters the home straight with only six games remaining.

If Feeney can get a more consistent performance from his players over 90 minutes, then they certainly have a realistic chance of taking something from the game.

“I can identify areas where we have to improve, we have conceded too many easy goals this season and if we can address that, then we will start picking up points again,” commented the Bit O’Red manager.

“We know how good we can be, it’s a matter of bringing that form into our remaining games,” he added.

The Sligo players have the ability to find that improvement and they will certainly be well-motivated for the visit of a Galway side that is comfortably in fifth position, but 15 points adrift of leaders Shelbourne.

The Galway women know all about Shelbourne as they lost (1-2) at home against the Dubliners two weeks ago after they missed the opportunity to close the gap on the top four.

Shelbourne took the lead in that game from a 36th minute penalty and added a second goal with about 25 minutes remaining.

Galway struck back in the 73rd minute from a Bryce Reynolds header, but the Dublin side held on for what was an important victory.

Galway manager Alan Murphy will be targeting a return to winning form for his side ahead of an away trip to Cork the following weekend, but he will also be aware that it won’t be easy at the Showgrounds.

Sligo Rovers are back in action tomorrow (Friday) night at Tolka Park at 7.45pm in The SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

There is a mixed record between the sides so far in 2022 with Shels winning twice back in April and May and Rovers earning a 3-1 win at The Showgrounds at the start of July.

Rovers are currently fifth in the League table with Shelbourne five points and two positions back in seventh.

Manager John Russell expects another tough encounter in Drumcondra:

‘’Shelbourne will be a tough test on Friday night.

‘’They are well organised and they have picked up some good results this year.

‘’We come into the game on the back of a win against Drogheda Utd. It’s important for us to keep improving each week and pick up as many points as possible between now and the end of the season.

‘’The players have been brilliant in training this week and everyone is eager to put in a top performance’’.

In team news, Colm Horgan returned to action last week against Drogheda after a long spell out with a hamstring injury. David Cawley returned to the squad also and is back in contention for a place tomorrow night.

Shane Blaney missed the game last weekend having limped off against Dundalk the previous week, but is expected to recover in time for one of the upcoming games this weekend against Shelbourne or Derry City on Tuesday.

Adam McDonnell also returns and is available for selection.

Garry Buckley and Seamas Keogh remain out.

The game is Live on LOI TV from 7.45pm.

Travelling supporters are advised that there will be increased traffic in the area with a concert taking place at Croke Park, which is close to Tolka Park.

We advise supporters to keep this in mind and make appropriate plans on travel.

Sligo Rovers are disappointed with the outcome of the FAI Disciplinary Control Unit hearing which results in an overturning of the recent win against Dundalk at The Showgrounds.

While we understand and admit that an error was made on the club’s behalf, the issue was contributed to by the omission of the player’s name from two weekly suspension lists issued by the FAI to all clubs, which lead to confusion.

As a club, we will move on from this while considering our options. Ambitious ground development plans which are progressing, we have had 200 new members in the past month, our community ethos remains at the forefront of the club with two fantastic Senior teams and six Academy teams which we are proud of and which will help overcome this disappointment.

The club will take further legal advice on the outcome.