Sligo Rovers travel to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Tuesday evening as the busy Easter period continues for the Bit O’Red. Rovers make the journey to Derry for this rearranged fixture in good spirits following a superb overall showing against Waterford at the RSC last Friday evening. 

Ahead by two with just eleven minutes played thanks to early goals from Gareth McElory, his first for the club and an eleventh minute strike from the in-form Owen Elding, Rovers controlled the pace of this contest throughout the 90 minutes. Cian Kavanagh secured the victory against his old club just past the hour with the lively Francely Lomboto sprang from the bench to add gloss to the win with a well taken finish two minutes from time. 

The win lifted Rovers from the foot of the Premier Division table by virtue of a superior goal difference over Cork City, who visit Sligo this Saturday. The evening also ended with Rovers becoming the top scoring team in the division alongside St Patrick’s Athletic. 

Rovers go to Derry without the services of Connor Malley who is suspended having been issued his fifth yellow card of the season shortly after his introduction from the bench at the RSC. While Ollie Denham and Wilson Waweru miss out with injury. Full back Harvey Lintott faces a late fitness test.

Speaking to sligorovers.com, manager John Russell says everyone at the club is hugely enthused by a win in Waterford, the performance which he says was always close to surfacing following a frustrating few weeks in the lead up. He is expecting a tenacious test against the Candystripes on Tuesday.

“We performed really well down in Waterford. I thought we controlled the narrative of the game right from kick-off. But it was a performance that was coming and one that we know the players have had in them from the opening day. 

“From front to back it was the type of performance we wanted and needed to see from the players and I felt the few changes we made really freshened things up for us. But Waterford is done now and from Saturday morning, the focus is on Derry and the Brandywell. It’s going to be a big week for us, with Cork also coming here on Saturday. 

“Derry are a hugely experienced side, littered with talent all over. They have title ambitions and they will be in good form following a win in Galway last week. Not many teams have or will be able to do that this season so it shows the type of challenge we face on Tuesday. 

“But I really do feel that if we play with the same attitude that we did last Friday, it will bring us a long way towards achieving what we want to at the Brandywell.”

David Goulden 

By Conall Collier

Emma Doherty’s early strike was crucial as Galway Utd took the Women’s Premier Division points at the expense of Sligo Rovers in a fiercely contested Easter Saturday Connacht derby at the Showgrounds.

Separate second-half injuries to Katie Melly and Jessica Casey held up the game as Galway added two late goals, but a battling Sligo Rovers side was rewarded with a fine 95th-minute strike from substitute Rachel McGoldrick.

Steve Feeney made three changes from the previous week, with Paula McGrory (injured), Alice Lillie and Kate Nugent making way in favour of Sarah Kiernan, Katie Melly and Mairead McIntyre.

Galway boss Phil Trill made five changes from seven days earlier, with Jayne Merren starting between the posts in place of Nicole Nix, while the quartet of Kate Thompson, Rola Olusola, Ava Mullins and Emily Fitzgerald also came into the side in place of Therese Kinevey, Abbie Callanan, Amanda Smith and Ceola Bergin.

However, this was a costly outing for the Bit O’Red, as both Melly and Casey sustained injuries that saw them carried from the pitch a couple of minutes either side of the hour mark.

Those enforced changes didn’t help the fluency of the side, and Galway capitalised to add those late goals from a Doherty header on 80 minutes and Emily Fitzgerald soon after.

Former Rovers striker Doherty had her side in front after only two minutes, but the hosts responded positively and settled into the game.

Solid defending was required to repel wave after wave of Galway pressure, with Katie Melly particularly effective in closing down the opposition.

Doherty was a constant threat, but she was well marshalled by Keeva Flynn, and on two occasions she was also denied by Bonnie McKiernan.

Rovers worked hard for limited chances but kept the Galway rearguard on its toes, with Cara King forcing a save from Jayne Merren in the 40th minute as the visitors enjoyed a 1-0 interval lead.

The early part of the second half was held up for the injuries to Melly and Casey, and the delay resulted in an extra 11 minutes of added time.

Doherty headed Galway’s second goal on 80 minutes, and Emily Fitzgerald rifled to the net in a crowded penalty area soon after while Rovers defender Keeva Flynn was down and waiting for attention.

Undaunted, the hosts continued to press forward, and Leah Kelly forced Merren into a fingertip save; from the resultant corner, Kate Nugent’s effort flashed past the post.

Determination played a big part in the Sligo Rovers goal, with McGoldrick racing down the wing and gaining possession before firing to the net from an acute angle.

While the quest continues for that elusive first win of the season, Steve Feeney will switch his attention to the All-Island Cup next weekend with the visit of Bohemian FC to the Showgrounds on Sunday (27th April).

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Sarah Kiernan, Keeva Flynn, Jessica Casey, Emma Hansberry, Muireann Devaney, Cara King, Katie Melly, Eimear Lafferty, Mairead McIntyre, Anna McDaniel.

Subs – Kate Nugent for Melly 57 mins, Leah Kelly for Casey 65 mins, Kya McKenna for McIntyre and Rachel McGoldrick for King, both 85 mins.

Galway Utd – Jayne Merren; Aoibheann Costello, Lucy Grant, Isobel Beletic, Kate Thompson, Jodie Griffin, Ava Mullins, Eve Dossen, Emily Fitzgerald, Rola Olusola, Emma Doherty.

Subs – Rachel Kearns for Griffin (75 mins), Abbie Callanan for Fitzgerald and Emma Duffy for Beletic (both 90 mins), and Therese Kinevey for Mullins and Heather Loomes for Olusola (both 94 mins).

Referee – Michael Connolly.

Assistant referees: Ciaran O’Reilly, Keenan Deering.

Fourth official – Arnold Hunter.

The second set of Premier Division fixtures get underway this Friday evening with Sligo Rovers facing the lengthy trip to the RSC to take on Waterford, kick-off 7.45pm.

Over 300 kilometres separate the clubs geographically, but there are just five points between the sides in terms of points on the table, ahead of what is another huge game for the Bit O’Red.

This is the second time Rovers will come up against the Munster men this season. Waterford narrowly overcame Sligo on the opening night of the season, claiming the spoils with victory courtesy of a dramatic 3-2 win at the Showgrounds back in mid-February. 

Ahead at the break through Rowan McDonald and Tommy Lonergan, Keith Long’s side were pegged back courtesy of Owen Elding’s first senior goal for Rovers. John Russell’s side dominated for a spell and were extremely unfortunate not to have come away with at least a share of the points. A missed penalty was quickly followed by a Conan Noonan strike for the Blues and despite a debut goal from Jad Hakiki, the visitors held out for the win. 

Both sides have found league points difficult to come by recently with Rovers having picked up just one point in their last five, while Waterford have lost all of their recent five. 

In team news, Rovers will welcome both striker Cian Kavanagh and midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes back to the fold following suspension. Harvey Lintott and Ollie Denham are set to miss out again as they continue to recover from knocks. Wilson Waweru also remains sidelined.

Speaking to sligorovers.com ahead of Friday’s contest, Russell says he is pleased with how his squad have prepared having recovered well from a loss to Galway United at the Showgrounds last Saturday evening. 

“The only way we can really recover from past defeats is to go out and win matches and that’s what we will try to do in the next few weeks, starting Friday”, he said. 

“We were disappointed after the Galway game but we asked the players to dust themselves down and re-focus and they have certainly done that during the week in training. 

“We are fully aware of the importance of this game and what getting a result down there would mean for us. The players are all working hard and both my staff and I have tremendous belief in this squad, as I have said previously. 

“Waterford are again going to be tough to break down and they have a lot of attacking talent in their squad. We’re going to have to be at our best and at it from kick-off, but I’m happy that we’re prepared. We won’t have Ollie or Harvey and that’s a blow but it’s great to have Jake and Cian back as they are two big players for us and are both very important to the way we play. 

“It’s a long trip for us and our supporters but they travelled in big numbers this time last year so hopefully our fans will follow us to Waterford again this weekend.”

David Goulden

By Conall Collier

It’s the third home game of the season for Sligo Rovers in the Women’s Premier Division, and a visit from Connacht neighbours Galway Utd to mark the occasion with a 3pm kick-off at the Showgrounds.

Unlike Sligo Rovers, who have one clean sheet to their credit, the Galway girls have yet to achieve that feat in four outings this season.

However, Galway will arrive at the Showgrounds only three points adrift of

leaders Athlone Town, but with a game in hand due to a weather-enforced postponement against Peamount Utd during March.

Galway manager Phil Trill will be targeting three points following the disappointment of his side conceding a 91st-minute equaliser last week against Wexford at Eamonn Deacy Park only minutes after Amanda Smith had converted a penalty for the lead.

Prior to that, Galway had wins over bottom-of-the-table DLR Waves, Bohemian FC and Shamrock Rovers, with former Sligo Rovers striker Emma Doherty hitting the winner in that five-goal thriller.

Doherty, who departed the Showgrounds midway through last season, will be eager to show the type of form that earned her the player-of-the-month accolade for March, but she will find the going tough against an uncompromising Sligo Rovers rearguard that will be well-marshalled by Keeva Flynn.

And that aspect of the performance, solid defence, on Saturday will be crucial to the outcome of what will be the toughest challenge of the season so far for the Bit O’Red.

“Galway will be a big challenge for us on Saturday, but we are looking forward to it, and we will adopt a positive attitude to the game,” stated Rovers manager Steve Feeney.

“We have the ability to cause Galway problems going forward, but we also know that we will have to keep it tight at the back.

“That’s very frustrating for us at the moment, and we are working hard to address it. We are conceding goals that are preventable, and we really need to maintain our concentration.

“We have to keep working hard, and we certainly have the ability to take points off any of the teams, and the target will be to do that on Saturday against Galway,” he added.

On the player front, Paula McGrory is on the doubtful list for Saturday, but Mairead McIntyre will be available as will Amber Hardy after serving a suspension following a red card against Wexford.

The teams played a friendly at the Showgrounds ahead of the new season, and that game ended 2-2, with Galway snatching a late equaliser.

Kick-off at the Showgrounds will be at 3pm, and the game will be available on LOITV.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers continue searching for a first Women’s Premier Division win of the season following Saturday afternoon’s visit to the Markets Field, where hosts Treaty Utd carved out a 3-0 victory.

The Bit O’Red players were well in contention throughout the opening half, but a lapse in concentration paved the way for Treaty’s opener in the 42nd minute, and the Limerick side added two more goals late in the second half.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney restored Bonnie McKiernan between the posts as Amber Hardy served a suspension following her red card in the previous outing against Wexford, while Cara King and Jessica Casey came in for Katie Melly and Alanah Doherty, who started on the bench.

Treaty manager Sean Russell also made some changes from the team that defeated Cork City by 3-2 last time out. Cara Griffin, Clodagh Daly and Kate Jones started at the expense of Grace McInerney, Mara McCleary and Katie Irwin as the Munster side endeavoured to keep an unbeaten home record intact.

Both sides had early chances, with Bonnie McKiernan saving smartly from Treaty American striker Bella Flocchini, while at the other end Paula McGrory’s speculative shot from distance was finger-tipped over the bar by Lisa Tuomi.

Treaty enjoyed plenty of possession in their own half but found it difficult to make any headway against a disciplined display by the opposition.

Midway through the half, Muireann Devaney had a good chance for the Bit O’Red, but she hurried her shot, and it was comfortable for the Treaty ‘keeper.

Close to the interval, Treaty were awarded a free just inside their own half; it looked a debatable decision, but the Bit O’Red switched off, and an opening gave Flocchini an opportunity to chip Bonnie McKiernan for an interval lead.

Sligo Rovers went close on two occasions in the second half, both through Muireann Devaney, as Treaty continued to dominate possession without adding to the tally.

However, that changed in the 70th minute when a goal of the ‘soft’ variety was scored after Madelyn Robbins finished, almost on the goal line, following a cross that wasn’t cleared.

Soon after Robbins was denied by the post, a third treaty goal arrived six minutes from time when substitute Amy Tierney found the net.

Sligo Rovers substitute Morgan Burnap was denied a consolation goal in the 89th minute when her well-struck effort was tipped over by a relieved Treaty ‘keeper who kept her third clean sheet of the season.

Treaty Utd – Lisa Marie Tuomi; Ayaka Ikeza, Anna Rockett, Cara Griffin, Bella Flocchini, Madelyn Robbins, Madison McGuane, Katie Lawlee, Kate Jones, Clodagh Daly, Jillian O’Toole.

Subs – Amy Tierney for McGuane 55 mins, Laura O’Neill for Lawlee 74 mins, K O’Donovan for O’Toole and C Breslin for Robbis, both 85 mins.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Cara King, Alice Lillie, Keeva Flynn, Jessica Casey, Eimear Lafferty, Emma Hansberry, Muireann Devaney, Paula McGrory, Kate Nugent, Cara King, Anna McDaniel.
Subs – Rachel McGoldrick for McGrory at half-time, Kya McKenna for King at 67 mins, Morgan Burnap for Lillie, Katie Melly for Devaney and Alanah Doherty for Nugent all at 80 mins.

Referee – Kate O’Brien.
Assistant referees – Ricky Crean, Paudie Hayes.
Fourth official – Alan Franklin.

By Conall Collier

Last Saturday’s trip to Ferrycarrig Park brought another Women’s Premier Division defeat for Sligo Rovers despite a spirited display against Wexford,, although the first goal of the season was scored with an excellent Mairead McIntyre strike.

The Bit O’Red will have an idle Saturday this weekend due to the international break and will return to action on Saturday,, 12th April,, with another away game, this time against Treaty Utd in Limerick.

Manager Steve Feeney felt his team was well in contention against Wexford last Saturday despite a tentative start, but the loss of goalkeeper Amber Hardy to a red card in the second half extinguished the prospects of taking anything from the game.

“We didn’t make a good start; Wexford were on top and had a couple of earlyy chances before they scored,” commented Steve.

“Despite that, we got back into the game,, and we were creating a few chances, but then Wexford managed to get a second goal; it took a deflection,, so it was a bit fortunate,, and I thought there was an offside in the build-up.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes,, and if we got a break like that,, we’d accept it, so you just have to get on with it,” he added.

Steve also suggested that he felt a few decisions didn’t favour the Bit O’Red,, and he wasn’t pleased when the referee brandished a yellow card to Cara King about two minutes after her introduction in the second half.

“There was a yellow card for Cara (King) in the second half that I thought was a bit harsh; she was only after coming on as a substitute, and it was more of a collision between her and a Wexford player, but Cara got the card,” he said.

“We started the second half well, and Mairead (McIntyre) got the goal not long after she went on; hopefully that will be the first of many for her.

“Unfortunately, we let Wexford back into it again a minute later, and it was 3-1.

“In fairness to the players, they kept creating chances and had Wexford under a fair bit of pressure, but they held us off, and then we had Amber (Hardy) sent off, which I thought was a bit harsh, as it was a fair challenge for the ball.

“Looking at the overall performance, it was positive in many aspects; players like Kate Nugent, Emma Hansberry, Anna McDaniel and Muireann Devaney were impressive, but it was a solid team performance.

“This is a hugely competitive league, but once we keep focused and concentrate on doing the best we can, I have no doubt that we will start to pick up points,” he concluded.