Sligo Rovers will look to return to winning ways next weekend as the Bit O’Red look to recover from successive defeats on the road against Shamrock Rovers and St Pat’s, Rovers taking on both Dundalk and Galway United at the Showgrounds on Friday and Monday respectively.

A well hit finish from Graham Burke, followed by an Aaron Greene double saw Rovers beaten at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night.

John Russell’s side started this game on the front foot, with Will Fitzgerald capitalising on a Roberto Lopes error. The winger supplying the roaming Reece Hutchinson who forced a decent stop from Shams goalkeeper Leon Pohls.

Ed McGinty first denied Burke at the opposite end, then Markus Poom before another Burke effort flew past the Rovers post. 

McGinty pulled off the save of the game before the Hoops went ahead. The loanee reaching high into the top corner of the frame of his goal to bat away Gary O’Neill’s goalward header.

The hosts’ pressure told nine minutes from the break when Burke unleashed an unstoppable drive into the corner of the net.

The Dubliners’ had their second five minutes after half-time.

Greene’s effort took a wicked deflection off Ollie Denham, leaving McGinty with little option. 
Shams decided the game late on when Greene had his second, running on to a quick counter ball courtesy of Poom.

Rovers are back in action this Friday night against Dundalk at the Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm. While Galway are the visitors the following Monday for our re-arranged league fixture, kick-off also 7.45pm. Tickets for both games can be purchased below.

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

Shamrock Rovers: Leon Pohls; Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes, Josh Honohan (Cian Barrett 79); Dylan Watts (Conan Noonan 70), Gary O’Neill (Trevor Clarke 67); Darragh Burns, Graham Burke (Richie Towell 67), Darragh Nugent (Johnny Kenny 67), Markus Poom; Aaron Greene.

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; John Ross Wilson, Oliver Denham, Charlie Wiggett, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan, Connor Malley; Fabrice Hartmann (Owen Elding 75), Ellis Chapman (Kailin Barlow 75), Will Fitzgerald (Rein Smit 75); Max Mata (Wilson Waweru 75).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork).

SLIGO FOOTBALL AND SPORT DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY LTD

(Sligo Rovers Football Club)

Sligo Rovers will hold their AGM on Tuesday, April 23rd at 7.30pm at the Clayton Hotel, Sligo.

The AGM will see the election of the 2024 Management Committee, a presentation of 12 months of club finances from the club’s Treasurer and the Chairman and Secretary’s report.

Please note only full paid up members or those enjoying the privileges of membership in accordance with the society rules are eligible to attend the AGM

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s Address

2. Minutes of Previous 2023 AGM

3. Matters Arising

4. Secretary’s Report

5. CEO Report

6. Treasure’s Report, Adoption of Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet.

7. Appointment of Auditors

8. Election of Committee of Management

9. Any Other Business

The Management Committee Nomination form is available for those interested in joining the committee by emailing administrator@sligorovers.com.

A zoom link will be available for members looking to attend the meeting virtually. Members who wish to avail of this option are asked to email shane@sligorovers.com at the earliest opportunity, and a link will be returned to access via Zoom.

Sligo Rovers make a return to league action following last weekend’s international break this Friday, with a trip to the RSC to face Waterford, kick-off 7.45pm.

The Bit O’Red will again be without John Mahon. While full back JR Wilson will be assessed on the day having picked up a hamstring strain, but is doubtful to recover in time.

Rovers face into a busy Easter weekend, with the almost 600km round trip to Waterford coming first. While we are back on the road three days later to face St Patrick’s Athletic in Dublin on Monday evening. 

Friday’s game against Keith Long’s charges will be Rovers’ first against the Blues since their promotion last season and a first journey to the RSC for Rovers in three years. 

With two wins in our last three, Rovers are in good form heading into what manager John Russell expects will be a stern encounter.  

“Waterford have had a good start to the season”, the Rovers boss says. “They have some really good players so we know it will be a tough test on Friday night. 

“We come into the game looking to build on our performances so far. We have a new group so it’s important we continue to improve our connections on the pitch while still picking up points.”

The club have today unveiled a major fundraiser towards the Showgrounds redevelopment.

Donations are now open for the fundraiser – Benny’s Bull Run – which will culminate in the 24 hours prior to our next men’s home game v Galway United on Saturday 6th April.

Over Friday 5^th and Saturday 6^th of April, Benny will be making the 1,928 metre journey from Queen Maeve’s Square to the Showgrounds. Every euro donated will help Benny move along on his journey from Queen Maeve’s Square to the gates of the Showgrounds. For every €20 donated, Benny will move one metre closer home.

Full details of the important fundraiser can be found on the dedicated website below, where donations can now be made:

https://bennysbullrun.com

Rovers captain for 2024, Niall Morahan, chatted to Leo Gray at the start of the season, about his rise through the Showgrounds academy, his pride at leading out the Bit O’Red and his hopes for the 2024 campaign.

Niall Morahan carries the responsibility of leadership lightly.

Being one of the youngest captains in the attritional arena of the League of Ireland is a daunting challenge but the Leitrim man embraces the task enthusiastically, inspired rather than inhibited by the role.

At 23 years, he’s one of the youngest players to skipper Sligo Rovers. If that sets him apart in the pantheon of great warriors who have worn the prestigious armband, there’s something else that distinguishes him. He’s the first man from his county to captain the Bit O’Red.

“It’s a huge privilege to captain this great club,” he insists. “As a proud Leitrim man, it’s an honour for my county too. I’m aware Rovers have always had a solid base of supporters in the Carrick-on-Shannon area and throughout North Leitrim and if my involvement with the club, especially in the role of captain, gets a few more people from my native county following Rovers that would be a nice bonus.”

Articulate, engaging and displaying maturity beyond his years, Morahan’s progress through the club’s under-age ranks to first-team regular and on to the coveted role as skipper reflects the impressive development of Rovers as a modern, self-sustaining club devoted to nurturing home-grown talent and utilising regional resources.

When he joined the Showgrounds academy as a raw teenager, the whole concept of under-age football within the League of Ireland was in its infancy and nobody was quite sure if the fledgling project would stand the test of time.

But Morahan, talented and ambitious, was delighted to be among the early recruits to the revolution, signing on with Rovers under 17s.

“Lads like Ed McGinty, Jack Keaney and John Mahon were a year ahead of me in the academy and there were plenty of really good players in my own age group,” he recalls. “Liam Kerrigan and Mark Byrne were there too. Niall Harrison, Colm Jinks and Danny O’Leary were our coaches, really top class guys were who were a major influence.

“The first priority was to go in every day, learn and improve as much as possible. But of course the ultimate objective was to make it all the way to the first team. Once Ed, Jack and John got the breakthrough, it was a great boost for everybody in the academy. It showed there was a genuine pathway, a real chance to become a professional footballer which was the dream we all shared at that stage of our development.”

A native of Leitrim village, Niall and his sisters, Dara and Niamh, were actively encouraged by their parents, Michael and Orla, both teachers, to engage in sporting pursuits from a very young age.

Niall played soccer with the under-age teams at Carrick Town in Carrick on Shannon and Gaelic football with Allen Gaels in Drumshanbo. His Dad, a coach with the youth set-up at Carrick Town, offered inspiration and guidance, not to mention invaluable schooling in the art of football know-how, and soon the tigerish young midfielder caught the attention of the Sligo/Leitrim squad.

He played with the League’s under 14s in the prestigious Kennedy Cup before linking up with Strand Celtic, another club dedicated to nurturing talented young footballers. Trials with Rovers under 17s followed, eventually leading to a place in the Showgrounds academy.

“It was all a big change from what I was used to, “ he explains. “There were lads from Mayo and Donegal and Sligo and it was a huge step up in terms of the standard of football. I would have been playing as a full-back or in midfield at the time and, thankfully, I settled in very quickly.”

Rapidly establishing himself as a young player with immense potential, Morahan was offered  his first professional contract in the summer of 2018, just after finishing his Leaving Cert at  Carrick on Shannon Community School.

Thanks to the highly successful partnership between Sligo ATU and Sligo Rovers, he was able to combine academic and sporting paths, studying business at College while continuing his football development at the Showgrounds.

Within weeks of signing his first professional deal, Morahan made his first team debut, coming on as a late substitute against Limerick at the Market’s Field in August 2018.

He recalls: “I was only on for a couple of minutes but it was a great thrill. It was what I had aimed for from the moment I joined the club so to make my senior debut was a very special occasion, not just for myself but for my family too. And once I got a taste of it, I wanted more. I remember I was quite nervous coming on but the senior lads were great. David Cawley and Raff Cretaro looked after me and helped me settle into the game. I think that experience, brief though it was, made me even more determined to work harder and try to become a regular. I was determined to grasp whatever opportunity came my way and make the most of it.”

As is the case with a lot of up and coming youngsters, Morahan was in and out of the team for a couple of seasons before nailing down a permanent place in 2020.

“The season was disrupted by Covid so it was all a bit strange,” he remembers. “We had a poor start to the year but we came back after the enforced break and everything seemed to click. We ended up qualifying for Europe and I won the player-of-the-year award. Liam Buckley really put his trust in me that season. He believed in me and gave me the opportunity to prove that I could play at this level of football. I will always be grateful to him for that.”

Rovers unforgettable adventure in European football in 2022 further enhanced Morahan’s reputation as one of the most accomplished midfielders in the League and nobody could have predicted the sudden decline which dragged the team into a relegation battle last season.

While the Leitrim man readily concedes 2023 was hugely disappointing, he insists the experience will make the squad more determined than ever to put the record straight this year.

He says: “The frustrating thing is that we know we’re better than we showed last year. That’s why I feel there will be added motivation this time around among the lads who were here in 2023. That whole experience will make us stronger.”

He’s excited by the new-look squad assembled by manager, John Russell, and very impressed by the quality and application of the new players.

“The manager worked us really hard in pre-season. Already, there’s a great bond within the group. The lads who’ve come in have settled very quickly and there’s a real desire about the place. We’ve got a young and hungry squad and I feel quite confident that we’ll have a good season. The fact that so many people had written us off before the campaign even started is an added motivation. We’ll take that on board and use it to fuel our efforts to prove people wrong.

“On a personal level, it’s a massive honour for me to captain the side this season. I’ve been at the club since I was 12 years old so to come up through the various under-age grades and get to a stage where I lead out the team is something I’m very proud of.”

John Russell says his side are in a positive frame of mind going into Sligo Rovers’ Premier Division clash with Drogheda United this Saturday at the Showgrounds, kick off 7.45pm. 

Unbeaten in two and following clean sheets against both Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers, the Bit O’Red boss is keen to maintain that good form this weekend, heading into what will be another huge night under the Showgrounds floodlights. 

With the exception of John Mahon, Russell has a fully fit squad to choose from as we face the Drogs for the first time this year. 
The County Louth side proved a tough nut to crack last season, and the Rovers manager is well aware of the threat Kevin Doherty’s side will pose this term. 

“Drogheda played well last week against Galway United”, he said.  

“They have brought in new players this season but have kept the core group that did well last year so we know we’re in for a tough test.”

Rovers come into this game in steady form following that win in Oriel Park, followed by a really impressive showing against Shamrock Rovers last weekend. Russell now wants to see his squad produce more of the same. 

“We come into the game on the back of some good performances. It’s vital that we take confidence from those games but still keep our focus on improving and raising our levels as the weeks go by. 

“This league is so tough and you need to make sure you arrive at each matchday with the right focus and the right mindset to win the game.”

“It’s another home game for us and one where our supporters can play a huge part in helping us over the line. The atmosphere has been electric so far so we’re hoping for another big night at the Showgrounds.”

Sligo Rovers 0 – 0 Shamrock Rovers

Sligo Rovers were unfortunate not to pick up their first home win of the season as they played out an entertaining scoreless draw with Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds.

Both sides had chances to win the game with the best of them falling to Sligo’s Ellis Chapman in the second half. The former Cheltenham attacker unlucky to see his effort swept off the line. While the visitors were fortunate to end the game with the full compliment of players after goalkeeper Leon Pohls smashed into Simon Power outside his own area late with a quarter of an hour to go.

A string of fine saves in the second period from Ed McGinty brings the total number of clean sheets this year to three.

Winger Power returned to the Sligo starting eleven to face his old team, having missed the hosts’ five goal trouncing of Dundalk the Monday previous. While Stephen Bradley was able to name skipper Roberto Lopes in the Shamrock Rovers team for the first time since his escapades with Cape Verde at the African Cup of Nations, their only change from their late draw with Derry City. Gary O’Neill, due to start, was a late withdrawal due to an injury sustained in the warm-up.

Both sides created chances during a first half which was frenetic at times. Former Hoops winger Power’s early set-piece found its way to the back post. Both Max Mata and Ollie Denham close to the crucial touch that would have turned the ball home.

Another player going up against his former club, Aaron Greene had the Tallaght side’s first opportunity but McGinty got behind his low effort.

The lively Power struck the outside of Pohls’ near post 60 seconds later after a well worked one-two between the Greystones native and Mata. 
The end-to-end nature of the half continued although the crowd had to wait until the 33rd minute for the next chance. Graham Burke’s finish let him down at the far post, after Darragh Burns’ dipping cross evaded the Rovers defence.

John Russell’s charges did end the half the stronger.

Chapman stabbing Power’s free-kick toward goal where Pohls reacted in time to fumble the ball away for a corner. Fabrice Hartmann then dragged his shot from the resulting set piece narrowly wide.

McGinty easily dealt with Burke’s shot from the angle early in the second period, before Chapman’s opportunity on 51 minutes.

JR Wilson’s hard work saw him to the end line before the former Shels full-back squared for Chapman whose weak effort from seven yards was hacked off the line by birthday boy Dan Cleary with Pohls nowhere near the situation.

With plenty of possesion in front of the Sligo penalty area, the Dubliners looked to turn the screw although McGinty was suitably protected by the well-marshalled rearguard in front of him. Although the loanee goalkeeper was called into play in the 72nd minute when he traveled from his goal-line to fall at the feet of Sligo native Johnny Kenny after Burke had scopped the ball into the path of the second-half substitute.  Sligo were left exasperated two minutes later when Pohls crashed into the surging Power outside the Hoops area. Referee Rob Hennessy deciding a Shamrock Rovers defender was covering, opting to flash a yellow card at the German net-minder.

Rovers defender Ollie Denham then got in front of Kenny’s goal-bound effort as the points hung in the balance, while McGinty denied Kenny again with three minutes to go, spreading his body to cover the space between himself and his near post.

Rovers’ next game is Saturday March 16th as we host Drogheda United at the Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm. Tickets can be purchased below.

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

Sligo Rovers:Ed McGinty; JR Wilson, Nando Pijnaker, Ollie Denham, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan (Kailin Barlow 89), Conor Malley; Simon Power, Ellis Chapman, Fabrice Hartmann (Will Fitzgerald 61); Max Mata (Wilson Waweru 77).

Shamrock Rovers: Leon Pohls; Lee Grace, Roberto Lopes, Dan Cleary; Darragh Burns, Josh Honohan; Dylan Watts (Darragh Nugent 88), Markus Poom; Graham Burke (Conan Noonan 88), Rory Gaffney (Johnny Kenny 63); Aaron Greene (Richie Towell 76).

Referee: Rob Hennessy.

Attendance: 3,674

Sligo Rovers are on the road for the second time this season as we travel to County Louth to take on Dundalk at Oriel Park, on Monday evening, kick-off 7.45pm.

The Bit O’Red go into this game searching for their first win of the season following last Friday’s narrow defeat to Shelbourne. Rovers will be without defender John Mahon who continues to recover from a long-term achilles injury, while there is positive news with the return of JR Wilson to the squad.

Speaking ahead of the game, manager John Russell said: “Dundalk will be a tough opponent tomorrow night. They have brought in a lot of new players and even though they were beaten by Galway United in their last game they showed a lot of quality throughout, so we will need to be at our best to get a result.

 “I’ve been very pleased with what the players have shown so far for such a new group. We have been very competitive in all the games and unlucky not to have more points on the board. We know we need to improve in the final third and I feel that will come.

“There is already a real connection between this team and the supporters. They can see the quality we possess as well as the effort and desire on display and they’ve really gotten behind us.

“We know the league is extremely competitive but we travel to Dundalk aiming for the three points on Monday night.”

Sligo Rovers 0 – 1 Shelbourne

A 12th minute John O’Sullivan goal was the difference between Sligo Rovers and Shelbourne as the Bit O’Red narrowly lost out to the Dubliners at the Showgrounds.

Damien Duff’s charges hit the lead early on when O’Sullivan deflected Sean Gannon’s effort following a short corner, beyond Ed McGinty.

There were chances at either end before this. McGinty keeping out Mark Coyle in the opening exchanges when the Shels skipper found a way past the Rovers back line. While Shels’ Paddy Barrett had to clear Simon Power’s cross off his own line from under the Shels crossbar.

Rovers looked the stronger side following the goal and applied the pressure in their search of an equaliser. Ellis Chapman twice denied by last ditch Shels defending. His shot from close range on the turn was held by Conor Kearns on 37. While the Shels net minder was caught outside his area 60 seconds later as he attempted to tidy up a long ball from the Rovers rearguard. 
Stranded, the ex-Galway stopper rescued by a recovering challenge from a Shels defender on Chapman in front of goal.  

Rovers were denied what looked like a legitimate goal when Wilson Waweru looked to have bundled the ball beyond Kearns. Referee Declan Toland signaled to give the goal, but was over-ruled by his assistant who had adjudged a Rovers player to have strayed offside, much to the dismay of the home side.  
McGinty then reminded the bumper crowd of over three thousand why he’s regarded as the league’s best shot-stopper when he pulled off a fantastic double save in the 63rd minute as Shelbourne found a second wind. McGinty keeping the hosts’ chances alive by denying both Will Jarvis and then Gavin Molloy.   

It was all Rovers late on, but Shels held out to take the points.  
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Charlie Wiggett, Ollie Denham, Nando Pijnaker; Simon Power (Will Fitzgerald 90), Reece Hutchinson; Conor Malley; Niall Morahan, Ellis Chapman (Owen Elding 90); Wilson Waweru (Fabrice Hartmann 61), Max Mata. 

Shelbourne: Conor Kearns; Sean Gannon, Gavin Molloy, Paddy Barrett, Tyreke Wilson; John O’Sullivan (Kameron Ledwidge HT), Mark Coyle, Jonathan Lunney, Will Jarvis (Shane Farrell 83); Matty Smith (John Martin 60), Liam Burt (Evan Caffrey 60). 

Referee: Declan Toland. 

Attendance: 3,087