Our 2023 Annual Draw will take place on Saturday September 16th at The Showgrounds during half-time of our fixture against UCD.

With three weeks until the draw, €47,000 has now been raised.

We wish to thank all our volunteer sellers who continue to go throughout the county and surrounding areas selling our €10 tickets.

The top prize is €5,000 followed by a €2,500 voucher for West Coast Orthodontics.

There are a number of other top prizes including a voucher for Petstop Discount Warehouse and hotel stays or match tickets.

We’d like to thank all our supporters and the general public for their support so far.

If you’d like to enter the draw, you can do so here:

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

Sligo Rovers lost 1-0 to Shelbourne at The Showgrounds on Saturday night in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.

Manager John Russell made four changes to the side that were narrowly beaten by the same scoreline two weeks ago against Dundalk with Kailin Barlow, Fabrice Hartmann and Reece Hutchinson coming into the team in place of Lukas Browning and the ill Johan Brannefalk and David Cawley.

Karl O’ Sullivan missed out with a minor calf issue and Richard Brush was back among the subs having missed the previous three games through suspension.

Rovers started well and could have been in front inside the opening minute with Frank Liivak crossing for Pedro Martelo who directed a shot just wide.

Moments later, Shelbourne goalkeeper Conor Kearns clearance landed at Kailin Barlow’s feet but the midfielder couldn’t direct his effort on goal.

Shelbourne grew into the game following the opening spell and had their first chance as Jack Moylan’s shot was parried away by Conor Walsh and Evan Caffrey put the rebound wide.

They were in again soon after but Walsh did well to deny them with a one-on-one however on 39 minutes they did take the lead.

Midfielder Mark Coyle picked up possession around thirty yards from goal and shot toward goal. Walsh looked to have it under control however the ball squeezed in between his legs and into the net.

There were no more chances in the first-half with Shels keeping their lead at half-time.

Garry Buckley was introduced at half-time for Barlow as Rovers went with three at the back in a change of shape. This saw a better balance to the side and Stefan Radosavljevic almost equalised early in the half with a curling effort, saved by Kearns.

Fabrice Hartmann had a couple of efforts from the right hand side both saved by Kearns during the second period as Rovers pushed forward in search of an equaliser.

Robbie Burton was brought on for the last 25 minutes in place of Greg Bolger and the former Welsh underage International looked to get on the ball as frequently as possible to help Rovers break forward.

Frank Liivak had claims for a penalty waived away by the referee around 15 minutes from time and five minutes later, Shelbourne broke forward and Moylan was taken down in the area by Niall Morahan and the referee pointed to the spot.

Moylan scored the penalty however referee MacGraith whistled as an attacking player had ran into the box too soon and the spot kick had to be retaken. This time, Walsh saved Moylan’s effort and Rovers survived.

For the final ten minutes or so it was all Rovers with plenty of possession however no major chances of note other than John Mahon’s effort from a corner which was well saved by Kearns and a Robbie Burton volley flew wide.

The game ended and Rovers now go to Cork on Friday to take on Cork City at Turners Cross.

Sligo Rovers host Shelbourne on Saturday night at The Showgrounds in our next SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division fixture.

Last time, Rovers were defeated away to Dundalk in a game where more points were probably deserved after a narrow 1-0 loss.

John Russell’s side had plenty of possession and opportunities in the final third in the game and Russell is eager to put those chances away on Saturday night:

‘’I felt our performance level was good against Dundalk in our last League game.

‘’It was a tight affair and we were disappointed we didn’t leave with a result as we had some good opportunities.

‘’It’s important we continue to work hard and believe in what we’re trying to do’’.

The game kicks off at 7.45pm and tickets are available on srfcdirect.com or of course, on the turnstiles from 6.30pm.

Tickets are €15 for Adults, €10 for Seniors/Over 12’s and €5 for Children who must be accompanied by an adult.

Russell wants a vocal home support to get behind the team as we look to make it 12 points from a possible 18 available at The Showgrounds since May:

‘’We now have some key players back in full training which will strengthen us for the last nine games.

‘’Our home form has been good in recent games so hopefully we can bring our attacking threat on Saturday night.

‘’I know the players are relishing playing in front of another vocal home support. Hopefully we can give them a big night in The Showgrounds’’.

In team news, Rovers are without Gary Boylan, Will Fitzgerald and Mark Byrne through injury while Daniel Lafferty serves one more game following on from his red card in July against Drogheda United. Lafferty will return next Friday night in Cork.

Reece Hutchinson, Fabrice Hartmann and Conor Walsh have all shaken off recent injuries and all are in contention for starting places however Karl O’ Sullivan is a doubt and Johan Brannefalk will miss the game through illness.

James Finnerty departed the Club earlier but Garry Buckley is back in the squad following his recent ACL injury and in turn not being risked away to Dundalk at Oriel Park.

Richard Brush is also available following a recent suspension.

New signing Robbie Burton is cleared to play and could feature at some point in the game.

Sligo Rovers can confirm the signing of midfielder Robbie Burton on a short-term deal until the end of the 2023 season.

Robbie played at The Showgrounds on loan from Dinamo Zagreb in 2022 and returned to his parent Club at the end of last season.

The former Welsh underage International arrives back at The Showgrounds to bolster John Russell’s options for the remainder of the season, with Rovers having an option to extend Burton’s contract for the 2024 season if desired.

Manager John Russell:

‘’I am delighted to bring Robbie back to the Club.

‘’Robbie is an intelligent footballer who will bring a lot of creativity to our team.

‘’He knows the Club and the League as well having spent the second half of last season here.

‘’He will go straight into the squad and we’re all excited to be working with him again’’.

Burton could go straight into Saturday’s squad for the home game against Shelbourne at The Showgrounds.

The game kicks off at 7.45pm and supporters can purchase tickets at srfcdirect.com or at the turnstiles from 6.30pm on the night.

Burton impressed last season with some good passing ability and with his ability to control games in midfield and we could see the Player playing higher up, in a more attacking position for the remainder of the season.

The former Arsenal youth player is delighted to return to Sligo:

‘’I am really happy to be back at Sligo Rovers.

‘’I can’t wait to put the Rovers kit back on and play again at The Showgrounds, hopefully from tomorrow night.

‘’I enjoyed my last spell here so, hopefully this time we can achieve bigger and better things at the Club’’.

Saturday’s Match Programme will be available to supporters inside the turnstiles from 6.30pm for our clash with Shelbourne at The Showgrounds.

You can also buy your programme online now and we’ll email you your copy before the game.

There is a huge 64-pages available with all the following content:

Match Sponsor: Applegreen, Mailcoach Road, Sligo

Ball Sponsors: Quay Fitness, Ballina

• Notes From Our Chairman Tommy Higgins

• Notes From Our Manager John Russell

• Academy Review

• It’s Always Further From Dublin Than To Dublin By Conall Collier

• 20 Questions with Pedro Martelo

• Quiz

• Sligo Rovers Pen Pics

• Interview With Niall Morahan by Conall Collier.

• Celebrate Your Birthday With Sligo Rovers

• Will Fitzgerald Poster

• Shelbourne Player Profiles

• Under 16 International – Kya McKenna

• Sligo Rovers v Shelbourne by Stephen McLaughlin

• Match Programme Memory Check

• New Red – Eimear Lafferty

• Charity Soccer Competition in aid of Sligo Cancer Services

• Photos: David Cawley Testimonial/Sligo Rovers Camps

• Benny The Bull storms to victory

• You Reds Photo Gallery

• Results and Fixtures

• Brexit and Ferguson give Irish football a much needed boost – Johnny Ward

BUY PROGRAMME:

https://srfcdirect.com/programmes/

Sligo Rovers can confirm that defender James Finnerty has departed the Club today by mutual agreement.

James made his Rovers’ debut back in April in a home win over UCD at The Showgrounds and suffered a heel injury in the game which saw him out of action until late July.

James returned to the squad in recent weeks and leaves Sligo Rovers today with the best wishes of everyone at the Club.

Manager John Russell:

‘’I would like to thank James for his commitment and effort over the last nine months or so.

‘’James was terribly unlucky after impressing on his debut to suffer an injury in the same game which kept him out for three months.

‘’James was a top professional and I wish him well in his future career’’.

There is history-in-the-making on Sunday with a first Senior Women’s FAI Cup tie at the Showgrounds when Sligo Rovers welcome Bonagee Utd with a place in the quarter-finals on offer for the winner, writes Conall Collier.

As the League of Ireland side, Sligo Rovers will be expected to win this encounter, but manager Steve Feeney is well aware of the threat that the Donegal women will pose.

“While Bonagee aren’t in the League of Ireland, they are a very successful team and were presented with the Donegal Women’s League trophy last week following another successful season,” suggested the Bit O’Red boss.

The Letterkenny side will bring plenty of support to the Showgrounds on Sunday as it is a relatively short 70-mile journey in comparison to the marathon trip last season when Bonagee Utd played Cork City in the Women’s FAI Cup at Turner’s Cross.

Cork City won that game by 7-0 and Bonagee conceded the first goal after only nine minutes, but they will approach Sunday’s encounter with a reasonable amount of confidence.

Central to the belief that they can win will be the fact that striker Bronagh Gallagher is in top form with some 26 goals to her credit for the season just finished.

“It’s another great opportunity to go out and test yourself against that type of opposition,” Gallagher told donegallive.ie earlier this week.

“We have to set the tempo, this is a step up, so you really have to be on guard for the initial 10 to 15 minutes.

“They’ll have their homework done on us, but we’re looking forward to going up there, it’s a great ground and the commute isn’t too far,” she added.

Bonagee clinched the Donegal Women’s League title with a 5-1 win against Drumbar Utd which left them nine points clear at the top with two games remaining. They scored eight goals against Letterkenny Rovers last week when they picked up the silverware.

The ingredients for an exciting encounter for the spectators are enhanced by the inclusion of the Bit O’Red trio of Emma Doherty, Jodie and Keri Loughrey, all from the Buncrana area.

That trio featured as Sligo Rovers returned to action last weekend in the Women’s Premier Division with a narrow defeat away to Athlone Town.

“The game against Athlone Town last week was encouraging and we finished strongly, hopefully that will stand us in good stead,” stated Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney.

“I also have to believe that we are good enough to progress to the next round, we are playing a higher standard of football and that has to count for something as well.

“Bonagee lost to Cork City in the FAI Cup last season at Turner’s Cross, but they will have learned from that experience so, as I said, we will have to produce our best form if we hope to get to the next round.

“Bonagee have already played in the FAI Women’s Amateur Cup final a few weeks ago in Galway against Dublin side Terenure Rangers.

“They lost that final, but then they won the League in Donegal quite comfortably and I am under no illusions that if we are not at our best then it won’t be an easy outing for us,” added the Bit O’Red boss.

Feeney’s claim that Sligo Rovers “finished strongly” against Athlone last weekend is valid and certainly offers signs of encouragement.

Two goals down at half-time and under incessant pressure for a large part of the second-half, the Bit O’Red players came more into the game in the final 10 minutes and, while they never looked like overhauling that two-goal deficit, they can take positives from the closing minutes.

However, Bonagee showed some good form to get to the FAI Amateur Cup final despite losing the decider (6-1) to Terenure Rangers in Galway.

The Donegal women achieved a notable victory in the semi-final when they defeated top Dublin side Killester/Donnycarney by 2-1 after extra-time.

A tight contest is on the cards for Sunday. Kick-off at the Showgrounds is at 2pm and the game is also on LOITV.

We host Shelbourne in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division tomorrow at The Showgrounds at 7.45pm.

We outline all our match-night information below:

Turnstiles:

Turnstiles open from 6.30pm.

Buy tickets in advance: https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Or pay on the turnstiles. Card payments accepted at certain turnstiles.

This is a Category 2 fixture meaning prices are €15, €10 or €5 depending on your Category.

Seating:

Seating is first come, first served in all areas of the ground. Seats with names on them must be respected as these are Gold Season Ticket members who have paid for their seat to be reserved all season. Anyone found sitting in a seat that is not theirs will be asked to move.

Security:

Members of our security team will carry out on the spot checks on bags and persons entering the ground. Alcohol and Pyrotechnics are not allowed and will be confiscated on entry. We ask supporters to please help the club in this regard and refrain from attempting to get in with any prohibited items.

CCTV:

CCTV is again in operation throughout the evening using our Brand New state of the art CCTV system. Security personnel and An Garda Siochaina will be monitoring the system and anyone found to be behaving in a way which contravenes our ground rules will be removed and potentially banned from attending future games.

Car Parking:

There are limited spaces available at The Showgrounds astro turf car park. This will be closed once full, which is expected to be early in the evening. Supporters should note the club have come to an agreement with Nazareth House for official Match Night use of their grounds which has over 200 parking spaces. There is a charge of €2, with proceeds towards the upkeep of their grounds.

Flares:

Leave your flares at home. These are not wanted and anyone found with flares will be banned from attending future matches. These cause needless fines for the club, money which is raised by our volunteers and fellow supporters.

Pitch:

It is an offence to enter the field of play at any stage. This includes children. It is parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure children do not encroach on the pitch at any time.

We wish to thank all supporters for their support in recent weeks and for the atmosphere created both at home and away.

We thank you for your co-operation

Ever wish you could represent your favourite League of Ireland club?

Well now you can by starting a fitness journey with your favourite club and joining the race with fellow club supporters to become the fittest fans in Ireland.  

On 28th August 2023, the Healthy Football League competition will officially start to find out which LOI club has the fittest fans in Ireland. Almost three thousand people have already downloaded the Health Football League App free of charge and signed up to get active in the name of their club.

The competition is open to everyone with a mobile device no matter what age or fitness level. Just download the HEALTHY FOOTBALL LEAGUE app from the App store, sign up for your favourite club and start your journey to better physical fitness and well-being.

The app tracks your walking, running or cycling activity and transforms it into points for your favourite club. Every step counts to help move your club up the Bank of Ireland Healthy Football League of Ireland table. Download the App now (it’s free!) and start practising before the real competition begins on 28th August!

It promises to be an exciting competition over the following 8 weeks with significant cash prizes on offer to the most active League of Ireland clubs and their partner grassroots clubs and schools. Last year, Shamrock Rovers, Wexford FC and Sligo Rovers were among some of the clubs who won significant cash prizes.

You can encourage your friends and family to get active with you and be part of the fitness journey with your club! Even if you’re out walking the dog, you can log onto the app on your phone and use the opportunity to score points for your favourite LOI club!

So, download the app now from the app store and join thousands of fans across Ireland on a fitness and well-being journey to help their club to the title of Ireland’s fittest football fans!

You can get all the information you need at www.healthyfootballleague.com

The 500 Club members draw for July was made recently by the 500 Club Committee.

These monthly draws see ten members drawn each month for cash prizes, with the top prize being €500.

The 500 Club continues to be one of the club’s most important Fundraisers and we thank the 500 Club committee for their continued hard work.

The following are the winners for July:

1st: €500 – Padraig Cunningham, Lyndale, Sligo.

2nd: €100 – Mark Murphy, Calry, Co. Sligo.

3rd: €100 – Gerard Foley, Glencar, Co. Sligo.

4th: €100 – Edward Carroll, Montenotte, Co. Cork.

5th: €100 – Majella Byrne, Ballina, Co. Mayo.

6th: €100 – Brian Mulvihill, Killiney, Co. Dublin.

7th: €100 – Anna Handibode – Dunboyne, Co. Meath.

8th: €100 – Sinead Magee, Ballinful, Co. Sligo.

9th: €100 – Conor Gallagher, Charleville Mall, Dublin.

10th: €100 – Frank Clancy, Corofin, Co. Galway.

We wish to thank all our 500 Club members for their continued support and our 500 Club Committee.