Sligo Rovers are back in front of the television cameras again this Monday night as the Bit O’Red travel to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium to take on Derry City, kick-off 7.15pm.

This game was initially meant to take place on Friday, October 4th but was rescheduled due to Derry’s involvement in the FAI Cup. 

This will be Rovers’ second visit to the Brandywell this season after claiming a well deserved draw with Ruaidhiri Higgins’ side back in May. 

Rovers’ recent form against the cup finalists has been impressive, having not lost to the Candystripes in their last four meetings.

Rovers boss John Russell was handed a boost this week with the return of both John Mahon and Conor Reynolds to the match day squad for Wednesday’s mid-season friendly against Celtic. 

Both players appeared for the latter portion of the late defeat to the Scottish outfit after missing the season to date with achilles and leg injuries respectively. 

However, neither Mahon or Reynolds will be available to travel to Derry next week.

In other team news, Daire Patton, Kyle McDonagh, Wilson Waweru and Stephen Mallon will all miss out due to knocks.

“It’s another really tough game against a title-challenger, but again we embrace these sort of games and really look forward to them”, Russell says.

“These are the games you want to be involved in where you’re still in with a great chance of getting a European spot. We’ll be doing all we can in these last few games to secure as high a finish as we can.

“We were genuinely unfortunate not to take the win from Tolka against Shels, so Derry will know they can expect a game. 

“We have a very good record against them recently and we’ll be looking to maintain that. They’ll be playing in front of a sold-out, expectant home crowd and also in front of the RTE cameras so it’s a huge night for everyone. They have a vast squad to choose from and have huge experience in all areas of the pitch, so it’s no wonder they’re chasing a double.”

Wednesday’s sold-out game with Celtic was Rovers’ first outing since that Shels stalemate two weeks ago. Russell selected several first team players for that game and was happy with how it went.

“It was great to stretch the legs and keep that freshness in the boys given we had no game the weekend previous. It was a great evening for the club and I thought we performed very well, even with the chopping and changing with subs in the second half.

“It was great to see John (Mahon) back on the pitch. He’s a local lad who loves the club and you could see by the reception he received when he came on, how well regarded he is amongst our supporters. His recovery has been steady but we need to ease him back in.

“Neither he or Conor will be involved on Monday but we’re hopeful they’ll be ready for a few competitive minutes in the next few weeks.”

David Goulden

Sligo Rovers are thrilled to confirm that First Team Manager John Russell has signed a two year extension to his current contract. 

The Rovers boss has put pen to paper on a deal which extends his contract to the end of the 2026 League of Ireland season.

Russell, who won two FAI Cups with the club as a player, took over in summer 2022 having served as assistant to former manager Liam Buckley for three and a half seasons. 

Shortly after being appointed, Russell guided the club past both Welsh outfit Bala Town and Scottish Premiership side Motherwell in the Europa Conference League. This feat meant that the Galway native is the only manager to steer Rovers through two rounds of European competition in the storied 96-year history of the club.

2023 was a mixed year for the club on the pitch, but despite operating off one of the Premier Division’s tightest budgets and losing star players through long-term injury and transfers across 2024, Russell’s men currently sit just seven points off the league’s top spot with four games remaining. 

Qualification for Europe is still a possibility as things stand, while the fact that the club are mathematically still in the hunt for the league title, speaks volumes regarding Russell’s achievement this year. 

Speaking having signed the deal, Russell says he is eager to progress the club further and build on the work he and his staff have done to date. The Rovers boss also repeated his previous statement in regards to the fan-owned model the club proudly operates under. Russell is keen to keep discovering opportunities and different ways to further develop Sligo Rovers in relation to the more traditional model. 

“I’m absolutely delighted to extend my contract at the club. We have made really good progress this season”, he says.

“I feel myself and the staff have created a really good environment for our players to develop, improve and play with confidence. We want to win, but we want to win by playing an attractive, attacking brand of football, while continuing to promote from within our academy. 

“I understand our club model but that does not mean we cannot be competitive. We need to continue to be innovative in how we operate. 

“I’m excited for the challenge ahead and I am determined to bring success to this football club.”

Sligo Rovers chairperson Tommy Higgins welcomed the news, saying: “We’re over the moon to have secured terms with someone who knows this club inside out. John has proven himself as one of the top young managers in the country is someone we feel can really take this club forward. He has produced some really striking results on the pitch and has made the squad really competitive in what is the tightest season of League of Ireland football in recent memory.

“We are looking forward to seeing how far John can take us.” 

David Goulden 

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will look to extend a three-game Women’s Premier Division (WPD) unbeaten sequence on Saturday when Wexford visit to the Showgrounds for the final game of the season.

Buoyed by the long-overdue first win of the season in Cork last Saturday and draws against Peamount Utd and Shamrock Rovers, the Sligo Rovers players will be determined to take the points tally into double figures.

Neither side can improve on current positions with Wexford guaranteed a fourth-place finish, an improvement on seventh last season, while for Sligo Rovers, a victory on Saturday would see them equal the number of points they achieved last season.

On that basis, there is still plenty to play for and another competitive encounter is definitely on the cards, one that stand-in manager Conor O’Grady is relishing after the determined display against Cork City last weekend.

“I was delighted for the girls last weekend, the conditions were horrendous but we dug in and had a really good second-half performance and it was great to come away from Cork with the win,” he commented.

“It has been a tough few days, we were in Cork on Saturday, some of the girls were playing for the 19s on Sunday and then for the ATU on Monday.

“We also picked up a few injuries, Kate Nugent and Rachel McGoldrick will both miss out while Muireann Devaney is not available.

“It’s going to be a really tough game against an experienced Wexford side, but we want to finish on a high and to do that we are going to have to be at our best,” he concluded.

Last Saturday Wexford surrendered a 2-0 interval advantage, Leah McGrath and Kylie Murphy scored the goals, at home to Shamrock Rovers. They had to settle for a 2-2 draw and they will certainly be well-motivated to address that.

Last May the Bit O’Red conceded three second-half goals in the WPD encounter at Ferrycarrig Park after getting back to parity a minute after the interval as Wexford recorded a 4-1 victory.

The scoreline was a bit unfair on Sligo Rovers who lost the influential Jodie Loughrey on 66 minutes after a challenge from a Wexford player forced her out of the action and also denied what looked like a decent goal-scoring chance.

Wexford hit the front after 16 minutes of a well-contested first-half when Ciara Rossiter created an opening and Ellen Molloy finished confidently to the net.

Kelly Crompton had Sligo Rovers on terms a minute after the resumption, but parity lasted less than three minutes. Some hesitant defending gave Wexford an opportunity and Ciara Rossiter capitalised to make it 2-1 and she went on to complete her hat-trick.

In the last three WPD games Sligo Rovers scored four goals and conceded three, that statistic suggests the defensive frailties have been resolved. There will be an opportunity to demonstrate that on Saturday.

Sligo Rovers v Wexford will be live on LOITV and kick-off at the Showgrounds is at 3pm.

We look forward to welcoming all supporters to our friendly with Celtic this Wednesday 9th October. The game is sold out. If you are attending the game please note the following match-day arrangements which have been agreed in consultation with authorities.

SLIGO ROVERS V CELTIC MATCHDAY NOTICE

1) Car parking for cars at The Showgrounds will NOT be available on Wednesday October 9th.

2) Parking for buses only at The Showgrounds

3) Supporters parking will be available at Nazareth House (limited), and most of the car parks in Sligo town centre, a short walk away from the Showgrounds.

4) Turnstiles open 5:30pm, K.O. 7:30pm. Game sold out, ticket only with no cash/cards taken at the gate.

5) Seating is limited, on a first come basis.

6) Please observe Garda traffic management and be respectful to parking at neighbouring estates. Illegal parking may result in fines or clamping.

By Conall Collier

The long journey was much shorter on the way home as Sligo Rovers Women maintained recent good form with a first Women’s Premier Division win of the season as they got the better of Cork City with a goal in each half from Muireann Devaney and Keri Loughrey.

That’s  three successive games unbeaten in the WPD and the victory will certainly boost confidence for the final home game of the season next Saturday against Wexford.

This game was played at Leeside FC (pictured) which is located at Little Island after the alternative venue that was declared on Thursday afternoon, St Colman’s Park, Cobh was deemed unsuitable on Saturday afternoon.

The game was initially moved from Turner’s Cross on Thursday due to the anticipated inclement weather and the various Status Orange and Status Yellow weather alerts from Met Eireann.

The diversion to Little Island was slightly shorter than the journey to Cobh although it still added some extra travel time and distance with the kick-off time also changed from 5pm to 7pm.

Both teams had to cope with poor conditions at the windswept and rain-lashed venue.

Cork City had a couple of early chances from Freya De Mange who saw her shot saved by Bonnie McKiernan and soon after Barrett Edison was denied by the post.

However, the Bit O’Red remained composed and produced some enterprising passages of play before finding the lead goal in the 15th minute when Muireann Devaney hit the target with a fine finish.

The joy for the Bit O’Red was brief as Christina Dring conjured up an equaliser inside a minute and the sides remained deadlocked at the interval.

Cork City resumed smartly, but Sligo Rovers stood strong and the first real action of the second-half was a card to a member of the home sideline team around the hour mark.

Then there was a stoppage in play due to an injury sustained by Rachel McGoldrick with about 15 minutes remaining and she was replaced by Paula McGrory.

Despite the wind and rain Sligo Rovers kept probing for an opening and in the 82nd minute Keri Loughrey, a consistent performer all season, gave Sligo Rovers the lead and they weathered the storm in the closing minutes for that crucial victory.

THE TEAMS

Cork City – Una Foyle; Kiera Sena, Orlaith O’Mahony, Christina Dring, Freya De Mange, Niamh Cotter, Barrett Edison, Colleen Kennedy O’Connell, Dorothea Greulich, Alix Mendez, Becky Cassin.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKernan; Cara King, Alice Lillie, Sarah Kiernan, Kate Nugent, Emma Hansberry, Muireann Devaney, Eimear Lafferty, Rachel McGoldrick, Keri Loughrey, Katie Melly.

Subs – Paula McGrory for McGoldrick and Keeva Flynn for Kiernan both 75 mins, Leah Kelly for Devaney and Robecca Doddy for Melly both 83m.

By Jim Gray

Deep in untamed woodlands nestling high above Sligo’s sacred Tobarnalt Holy Well, camouflaged amongst a thicket of tangled briers and sharp-thorned brambles, rests a 10” plaque bearing the name of Sean Fallon. The only person who knows its location and its significance is the man who put it there, Fallon’s only son, Sean T.

In a gesture graphically illustrating his late father’s indelible connection with his birthplace, Fallon Junior brought the plaque, which had been used as a temporary monument on his father’s grave in Glasgow, to the place he knew his dad would most like to be remembered.

As a child, he was brought to this holy place by his father every summer. Far from the fame of Glasgow Celtic’s “Iron Man” status, Sean Fallon would come here with his young family, unknown and unfettered, to touch base with a tradition he’d learned as a young boy growing up in St. Anne’s Terrace on the banks of the Garavogue River.

Now, months after his death in 2013, his son was back on familiar turf. He climbed slippery rocks, battled his way through thick, prickly shrubs and gorse, found an isolated patch and, with hands torn and scratched from the effort, placed the nameplate in its new home.

“For me, it’s his homecoming. I just wanted to signify his love of Sligo and of the Holy Well in particular,” Fallon junior explains.

It’s but one of many engrossing stories which illuminate the larger-than-life character of a genuine Sligo legend – a man from a humble working-class background who went on to become an iconic figure at Glasgow Celtic Football Club; who helped discover, nurture and construct the immortal Lisbon Lions, a team named after the city in which Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967; whose unerring eye for raw potential unearthed further generations of International footballers; who travelled the world as a football ambassador, uniquely playing for both the Republic of Ireland and a Northern Ireland representative team; who counted luminaries such as Alex Ferguson and Sean Connery as close personal friends; but who was never more at home than playing a round of golf at Rosses Point or kneeling in prayer at the Holy Well.

Sean Fallon’s astonishing football exploits are well documented. He is revered in his adopted city of Glasgow and he is honoured with two separate football pitches named after him in his native town, the county council owned pitch at Cranmore and the Sligo Rovers Astro turf facility at the Showgrounds, which fittingly serves as the home venue and training facility for the club’s academy teams.

But the gregarious, magnanimous man behind the legend is in many ways even more impressive. His innate kindness suited his role as a father-figure to so many aspiring footballers, many of whom owe their extravagant careers to his early down-to-earth guidance and advice.

Legendary Irish goalkeeper, Packie Bonner, the hero of Italia 90, is one of those who Fallon took under his wing, and he has never forgotten the Sligo man’s early influences.

Signed by Fallon in 1977 when he was just 17 years old, Bonner was surprised and a little disappointed to learn the Sligoman had left the club by the time he arrived in Glasgow a few months later. But he needn’t have worried. Although fortunate to live with his aunt in the Simshill district of Glasgow – many of his contemporaries would have been in ‘digs’ with families they didn’t know – Bonner was nonetheless naturally homesick. He had left behind a close-knit family in the small fishing village of Burtonport, Co. Donegal, and was particularly missing the company of his twin brother, Denis. When he most needed a comforting, re-assuring arm around his shoulders, Sean Fallon provided it.

  “He was always looking out for me. He’d regularly invite me to his house for Sunday lunch, and I got to know his family really well. We had a great relationship,” Bonner confides.

“I never knew him as a coach or a manager, but I knew him as a man, a really good man. He was a real Irish man, and you could see those Irish qualities, particularly when it came to his family, who he adored. He was always the one who seemed to be picking me up and dropping me off wherever I was going.

“He knew my dad had died at a relatively young age and that there were six of us at home, so he was always asking after my mother and siblings. I remember when his own daughter, a doctor, went abroad to work for a short while, Sean was devastated because she was the first to go and he missed her so much. There were tears in his eyes. He could identify with that, and I suppose that’s why he looked out for all the young lads away from home at Celtic.”

Bonner also witnessed Fallon’s immortal devotion to his home town.

“God, he never stopped talking about Sligo,” he reveals. “The late Celtic manager, Tommy Burns, told me once how they had gone to play Finn Harps in a friendly match in Ballybofey, and Sean insisted they stop off at Rosses Point for a round of golf on the way home. Tommy said he was like a little boy showing off a new toy, he was so proud to show them the beauty of his home county.”

Sean T Fallon would be familiar with that trait in his late father, who gathered his young family into a packed people carrier every summer, sailing from Stranraer to Larne or Liverpool to Dublin, and then driving on to Sligo.

“That was our summer holiday every year. We took a house from Johnny McGonigle in Rosses Point, we’d go swimming in the sea, play golf, visit our grandparents in St. Anne’s and, always, the Holy Well.  Dad could have taken us abroad for holidays, but he never wanted to be anywhere but Sligo, and he instilled that in all of us. Myself and my five sisters still come back as often as we can,” Fallon confirms.

Being the only son of a famous football man had other benefits, too, of course, as Sean T explains: “I’d sometimes be allowed on the team bus, that was great fun. I remember once Lou Macari, who my dad had signed for Celtic, coming to our house and giving me a pair of boots he’d just worn in a testimonial game between Celtic and Manchester United.

“On another occasion, I was at a pro-am golf tournament with dad when Sean Connery, 007 himself, came over for a chat. Later, he wrote dad a lovely letter on specially headed notepaper, and I sneaked it out and copied down the phone number. I went into school next day boasting that I had James Bond’s personal number!”

Another of Fallon’s life-long friends was Sir Alex Ferguson. The pair had met when Falllon was at his peak, Assistant Manager to Jock Stien in charge of an all-conquering Celtic team, and Ferguson was a rookie boss, cutting his managerial teeth. Fallon, perhaps seeing something of himself in the ambitious, working- class young man from Glasgow’s tough Govan area, became a willing and valuable mentor. More than thirty years later, Ferguson, then a global football legend, travelled to Sligo as guest speaker at a function to honour Fallon’s career. When Fallon died in January, 2013, Ferguson broke away from a Manchester United trip abroad to deliver a touching eulogy at his friend’s funeral.

Former RTE Northern Editor, the late Tommie Gorman, who was the last journalist to interview Fallon for an RTE Nationwide programme only days before his sudden death, had a first-hand view of the strong friendship between the two football greats. 

In 2012, Ferguson was in Belfast at an event honouring United’s Munich air disaster survivor, Harry Gregg, and the strict official line was that there would be no Press interviews. When Gorman got word through that his request was for a tribute to Fallon, the access policy changed and Ferguson readily made himself available to talk about his old friend. 

A few months later, on the day of Fallon’s funeral, Ferguson sought Gorman out.

“He quietly called me aside because he knew I had been involved in what was Sean’s final interview,” Gorman later recalled.  “We sat into his car, and we chatted about Sean Fallon, the family man, the football man. Ferguson was keen to know what sort of form his friend had been in during those last days of his life. He really cared about him. You could sense the depth of their friendship.”

Sean Fallon played as a full-back and centre-forward for Celtic from 1950 to 1958, making a total of 254 appearances, winning a Scottish League and two Scottish Cup medals, and earning eight caps for the Republic of Ireland.  During one game, at a time before substitutes were allowed, he went off injured only to return and complete the game with his arm in a sling, thus earning him the immortal “Iron Man” nickname.

Those who knew him as a youngster in Sligo would not have been surprised by such athleticism, as he had been a keen swimmer, boxer, Gaelic footballer and soccer player in his youth. He famously scored two goals for Sligo against Kerry in a 1948 National League game, one of the few GAA matches ever to be staged in the Showgrounds.  A baker by profession, he played locally for McArthurs and Distillery and always retained a fondness for those formative years. 

He played for Longford Town, Sligo Rovers and Glenavon before making the move to full-time football with Celtic, where he soon became a firm favourite, initially as a fearless player and later as coach, assistant manager and chief scout.

More than half of Celtic’s European Cup winning team had been recruited by Fallon. Lisbon Lions such as Bertie Auld, Ronnie Simpson, Tommie Gemmill, John Craig, and Bobby Murdoch had all been unearthed and tutored by the Sligoman. Later, a new generation of Celtic greats, players of the calibre of David Hay, Danny McGrain, Lou Macari, Kenny Dalglish, Paul McStay and Packie Bonner came through the Fallon production line. Two players with lasting links to the history of Sligo Rovers, Willie McStay and the late Pat McCluskey, were others signed for Celtic by Fallon.

Honoured as a Freeman of his native Sligo, Fallon’s last public act for his beloved Celtic was to unfurl the league winners’ flag at Parkhead during the club’s 125^th anniversary season in 2012. He died a much-loved man in January, 2013, survived by his wife, Myra, five daughters and a son.

His old pal, Alex Ferguson, summed him up perfectly in his eulogy at his funeral Mass in the Church of Christ the King, King’s Park, Glasgow: “It’s very difficult for people who are successful to remain humble. It’s a touch of greatness. Sean always had that greatness.”

*This article was first published in the book, LOCAL HEROES: A CELEBRATION OF SLIGO SPORT by Jim Gray and Leo Gray.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will travel to St Colman’s Park, Cobh on Saturday for the final away game of the Women’s Premier Division (WPD) this season where they will tackle Cork City and Conor O’Grady will renew acquaintances with Cork City manager Danny Murphy.

Following the departure from the Showgrounds of manager Tommy Hewitt earlier this week, Head of Academy Conor O’Grady will be on sideline duty for the Bit O’Red.

His opposite number will be Danny Murphy and they both played for Cork City between 2001 and 2004. 

Conor subsequently returned to Sligo Rovers for the 2005 season and was part of the First Division-winning team that year as the Bit O’Red claimed a place in the Premier after a gap of six seasons.

“I was really looking forward to returning to Turner’s Cross, but with a First Division game there on Friday night, our game has been transferred to Cobh as a precaution in the event of bad weather,” commented Conor O’Grady.

“Nevertheless, we are all looking forward to the game and I have already taken the team for three games this season while Tommy (Hewitt) was serving a suspension.

“We have a few injury concerns in relation to Muireann Devaney and Paula McGrory, but Keeva Flynn could be available after missing the draw last weekend and Anna McDaniel is not available.

“If the team can perform to the same level they managed last week against Peamount Utd then we definitely have a chance of getting that first league win of the season, but Cork will be keen to complete their campaign with a win also.

“It will be competitive and it will be another big challenge, but I have no doubt that the players will be ready for the challenge,” he added.

Cork City currently occupy eighth position and following last Saturday’s narrow home reversal against DLR Waves, to a first-half penalty, they will be focused on finishing the season with a victory against bottom-of-the-table Sligo Rovers.

The Munster women recorded a 1-0 victory against Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds last April with a 49^th minute Colleen Kennedy-O’Connell goal.

Sligo Rovers had dominated the first 45 minutes of that game although Kennedy-O’Connell went closest to breaking the deadlock, but her effort was spectacularly cleared off the line by Keeva Flynn.

Sligo Rovers substitute Cara King was denied a second-half equaliser when she brought a finger-tip save out of Cork City ‘keeper Clodagh Fitzgerald.

Seven of that starting Cork City 11 featured against DLR Waves last weekend and while the points are fairly irrelevant in terms of finishing positions, both teams will target this as a must-win game with Sligo Rovers still chasing an elusive first WPD victory of the season.

Both teams exited the Women’s FAI Cup at the semi-final stage a fortnight ago with Shelbourne defeating Cork City by 5-0 at Tolka Park while Athlone Town had to work hard for a 1-0 victory against Sligo Rovers.

That performance by the Bit O’Red was sandwiched by impressive draws against Shamrock Rovers (1-1) at Tallaght Stadium, a feat also achieved by Cork City, and a 1-1 draw last weekend against defending champions Peamount Utd.

What was significant in both those games for Sligo Rovers was that despite the concession of early goals, a determined effort produced late equalisers in each instance from Keri Loughrey and Muireann Devaney.

There certainly won’t be any end-of-season attitude adopted by either side on Saturday and a hugely competitive encounter is anticipated.

The game will be live on LOITV with kick-off at 7pm

Sligo Rovers can confirm women’s first team manager Tommy Hewitt has left the club by mutual consent. 

Hewitt took over from former boss Steve Feeney in late 2023 and guided the club to this year’s FAI Cup semi final. 

The club would like to put on record their appreciation of all of Tommy’s hard work and thank him for his time at the Showgrounds. 

Sligo Rovers are thrilled to confirm that Connor Malley has signed a one year extension to his current deal, extending his contract to the end of the 2025 season. 

Described by Rovers boss John Russell as the league’s ‘most complete’ midfielder, Malley has played a huge part in a season which sees the Bit O’Red sit within touching distance of the top three going into the final handful of games.

Signed from Dundalk last December, Malley made his debut on the opening night of the season, away to Bohs at Dalymount Park and has largely been a mainstay of the midfield alongside Ellis Chapman and Niall Morahan. The 24-year-old has to date played 32 times for the club this year, scoring twice. 

“I’m over the moon to get the deal done”, Malley says. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at the Showgrounds this year and to sign on again was a no-brainer.

“I am very grateful to be part of this special club this season. The connection between the club, the players and the fans is totally unique and brings out the best in a very young but hugely talented squad. 

“It’s been a hugely positive year both for myself and the team. Now we have to focus on the remaining four games to really make this season a successful one. 

“I just want to keep improving under John and Ryan (Casey), impressing and enjoying my time here at Rovers.”   

Speaking on Tuesday, manager Russell praised Malley’s influence on the squad this season and spoke of his pleasure in securing one of the league’s best players for 2025. 

“For me, Connor is the most complete midfielder in the league”, Russell said. 

“He is so calm and composed on the ball and has been a huge influence on the team this year with his ability to dictate play. He has a really good mentality and is someone who wants to get better and further improve and he feels he can do that here at Rovers. 

“I feel he has become a leader within our group so I am delighted he’s signed for next season.

“We want to keep our best players at the club so this news is sure to delight our supporters.” 

David Goulden