Sligo Rovers have a number of injury concerns ahead of what is a busy May Bank Holiday weekend for the Bit O’Red. 

Rovers take on Waterford at the Showgrounds this Friday, kick off 7.45pm before St Pat’s visit Sligo three days later, on Monday. 

Simon Power will miss the meeting with the Blues, having picked up a knock against Galway recently. 

While Will Fitzgerald, Fabrice Hartmann, Max Mata and Wilson Waweru will be assesed ahead of kick-off. 

Long term absentees Nando Pijnaker and John Mahon continue their recovery from long term knocks. 

Rovers beat Keith Long’s side by a single goal to nil at the RSC back in March. Ellis Chapman’s strike from range decided the contest on the night after what was an extremely closely fought encounter. 

Rovers boss John Russell is expecting similar again on Friday. 

“Our last game with Waterford was a very tight affair and I expect no different this time around”, he said. 

“The players are fully focused on getting a positive result in front of our home supporters. We need them right behind us in what is a big weekend with two home fixtures.”

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that the Showgrounds will be a collection point for the Our Shoes campaign.
From Monday April 29th until Friday May 3rd the public are encouraged to drop off all of their pre-loved children’s sports shoes and football boots between the hours of 9.30 am and 5.30pm at the Showgrounds.
Our Shoes was set up in 2019 after Ciarán McHugh, Kevin Grant and Geoff Lockwood visited the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town in South Africa which is home to 2.4 million people.
Our Shoes initially ran two pilot appeals which saw the donation of 15,000 pairs of sports shoes which had outlived their intended use in Ireland, but which still have lots of life left in them. In 2023 children in over 300 Irish schools donated 20,000 pairs of shoes to the kids in the townships.
With the help of their partners Our Shoes ship thousands of shoes to South Africa on an annual basis where they are distributed to some of the most deserving kids in the townships. While the group is very welcoming of all donations of all sports shoes for children there is also a particular focus on pre-loved football boots that would enable the many talented players in the townships to play football safely.

Ciaran McHugh from Our Shoes said “A pair of shoes is often the difference between a hopeful or bleak future. Shoes are more than something that keep your feet safe and warm.  Like most countries, you need shoes to go to school in South Africa. Along with shoes being part of the school uniform, they also allow learners safety and provide a sense of self-esteem and dignity. and they are often the most difficult item to get in materially poor communities. We are delighted to partner with Sligo Rovers on this campaign and we are asking the public in the region to donate as many of your preloved children’s sports shoes and football boots to the Showgrounds. It has a real impact on so many lives.

Sligo Rovers FSR officer Jamie Murphy said ” It’s a privilege to team up with Ciaran and the Our Shoes campaign. As a community club we are well aware of the power that football and sport in general can have in creating meaningful change in the lives of people, in particular people from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds. From speaking with Ciaran we are well aware of the fantastic impact Our Shoes have on many thousands children and we want to help with that it whatever way we can. In terms of sustainability and reducing the impact that football has on the climate it’s also a fantastic campaign. Because of all of the different types of synthetic materials needed to produce a pair of sports shoes or boots they are almost impossible to recycle. They have a huge carbon footprint and by donating them to kids in townships you are helping to create a more sustainable future for us all.

Drogheda United 3 -1 Sligo Rovers

Will Fitzgerald’s early opener wasn’t enough as an injury ravaged Sligo Rovers subsequently conceded three without reply to Drogheda United, who beat the Bit O’Red at Weavers Park.

The winger had Rovers in the ascendancy just seven minutes in when he picked out the opposite corner of the net after Wilson Waweru had laid Connor Malley’s forward ball into the path of the Limerick native.

Rovers, who were without a number of key players due to knocks, were on top for spells in the remainder of the tie, but goals from Darragh Markey, Frantz Pierrot and Aaron McNally turned the tide in United’s favour.

Markey sent an unstoppable placed effort from far out into Ed McGinty’s top corner on 24 minutes.

The sides were level until the 70th minute when Luke Heeney went to ground in front of McGinty. Pierrot dispatching the spot-kick.

The result was secured four minutes from time when McNally found a way around the Rovers rearguard.

Up next for Sligo is a home meeting with Waterford on Friday night, while St Pat’s round off a busy May bank holiday weekend with their visit on Monday 6th May, kick-off 5pm.

Drogheda United: Jethren Barr; Luke Heeney, Jack Keaney, Hayden Cann, Conor Kane; Gary Deegan, Oisin Gallagher; Adam Foley (Aaron McNally, 65), Darragh Markey (Dave Webster, 90+1), Warren Davis; Frantz Pierrot (Ryan Brennan, 84).

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; John Ross Wilson, Charlie Wiggett, Oliver Denham, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan Rein Smit, 78), Connor Malley, Ellis Chapman; Stefan Radosavljevic (Owen Elding, 78), Will Fitzgerald (Kailin Barlow, 46); Wilson Waweru.

Referee: Mark Houlihan

Last week the club were privileged to welcome some of the programme participants from the National Learning Network, RehabCare, Elevate, and CI Connect to the Showgrounds for a tour of the ground and for some football sessions. The visit was part of the club’s commitment to ‘Football For All’ and marked the beginning of a programme of football related activities over the next number of weeks.

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back very soon. For more information on the clubs plans for Football Social Responsibility (FSR) initiatives you can contact our FSR officer on fsr@sligorovers.com

#RoversInTheCommunity #MoreThanFootball

Sligo Rovers 0 – 0 Galway United

Sligo Rovers kept their fifth clean sheet of the season as they were held to a scoreless draw by Galway United at the Showgrounds.

Both sides created chances throughout but both defences and goalkeepers were on top in this one as the spoils were shared. 

Without a win in Sligo since Spring 1996, it was the away side who carved out the better of the openings early on although United may have been lucky not to have conceded an early penalty when Al-Amin Kazeem connected with Ellis Chapman inside the Galway area. 

McGinty had to parry away a curling effort from the inside of Ed McCarthy’s right foot while there was a great chance for Killian Brouder who nodded over from all of five yards.

Simon Power was withdrawn with a knee injury in the second half but did have time to knock an effort off Brendan Clarke’s far post. Chapman blasting over on the follow up.

Both Rovers’ Mata and Galway’s Stephen Walsh went close to opening the scoring late in the half. Mata heading Hartmann’s corner into the ground at the back post, while Walsh blasted his shot across the face of McGinty’s goal. Both players might have done more with their respective efforts. 

Rovers had lost the services of both Hartmann and Power by the time substitute Stefan Radosavljevic fired over from a Will Fitzgerald cross on 64 minutes during a second period in which the chances were at a premium. 

McGinty had to react to keep out a Maurice Nugent header from a Hurley set-piece five minutes later. While the on-loan stopper was called upon again to tip another Hurley header over his crossbar with four to go as the Tribesmen threatened late on. 

There were further opportunities in the eight added minutes. Kazeem blocking Wilson Waweru, while McGinty reached far into the bottom corner to get behind Hurley’s strike on the 98th minute. 

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; JR Wilson, Charlie Wiggett, Ollie Denham, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan, Connor Malley; Simon Power (Stefan Radosavljevic 57), Ellis Chapman (Rein Smit 79), Fabrice Hartmann (Will Fitzgerald HT); Max Mata (Wilson Waweru 73).

Galway United: Brendan Clarke; Rob Slevin, Killian Brouder, Maurice Nugent (Conor O’Keefe 76); Jeannot Esua, Al-Amin Kazeem; David Hurley; Ed McCarthy (Aodh Dervan 67), Karl O’Sullivan (Francely Lomoboto 83); Stephen Walsh, Wassim Aouachria (Vincent Borden HT). 

Referee: Eoghan O’Shea.

Attedance: 2,627.

Sligo Rovers will look for Connacht derby bragging rights this Monday evening as the Bit O’Red take on Galway United in Premier Division action for the first time since 2017. 

The Tribesmen will make the short journey north to take on Rovers for a first competitive contest between the sides since Sligo’s win over United in Eamon Deacy Park in the EA Sports Cup in 2018, Adam Morgan scoring the only goal that day in a narrow win for Rovers. 

Monday’s game was recently re-arranged after the initial meeting was postponed following the effects of Storm Kathleen back in early April. 

Rovers boss John Russell must plan without long-term injured duo John Mahon and Nando Pijnaker. While both Max Mata and Fabrice Hartmann will be assesed in the lead up, having both sustained knocks in the Dundalk game. 

There is some good news for Russell who will include winger Simon Power in his squad for the first time since he was sent off against Waterford at the RSC. 

Speaking ahead of the game, Russell said:

“Galway had a big result on Friday night defeating Shelbourne so we know we’re in for a tough game. 

“As always, we must focus on ourselves and play to our strengths which we showed in the first half on Friday night. They key tomorrow is doing it for 90 minutes. When you’re on top in a game you cannot come off it. You need to keep pushing on. 

“The players, staff and supporters are relishing the first Connacht derby in a number of years so hopefully it will be a big night at the Showgrounds.”

Kick-off at the Showgrounds is 7.45pm.