Stefan Radosavljevic has joined up with the Faroe Islands squad for upcoming EURO 2024 Qualifiers against Czech Republic and Alabania.
They face Czech Republic at 7.45pm on Saturday evening in Torshavn and then host Albania on Tuesday at the same venue, also at 7.45pm.
We wish Stefan all the best with both games.
Nando Pijnaker and Max Mata are currently on International duty with New Zealand for two upcoming friendlies with Sweden and Qatar.
They face Sweden on Friday at 6pm in Stockholm and three days later, on Monday face Qatar in Austria at 5pm.
We wish the lads the very best of luck.
Our Womens team host Bohemians this Saturday at 5pm at The Showgrounds in the first group game of the All-Island Cup.
This competition will see teams from Northern Ireland compete with the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division teams for this new competition over June and July.
The League campaign now takes an extended break until August 20th.
Rovers are in Group B along with Bohemians, Sion Swifts and Cliftonville.
Turnstiles will open at 4pm on Saturday with admission €5 as always.
There is now a huge discount of 20% off all Joma gear on our online store in advance of Father’s Day this Sunday.
Buy something for your Father that he’ll love.
Shop here www.srfcdirect.com
Sale ends on Sunday.
Despite producing a determined performance, the concession of a goal in each half saw Sligo Rovers lose out to Connacht rivals Galway Utd in the Women’s Premier Division at the Showgrounds on Saturday evening, writes Conall Collier.
The result leaves the Bit O’Red still searching for a first home point of the season while Galway got back to winning ways after three successive defeats.
Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney made some changes from last week’s draw with Treaty as Lauren Boles, Kate Nugent and Leah Kelly replaced Sarah Kiernan, Orna O’Dowd and Ciara Henry.
Galway made a number of changes from the previous week also with Isabella Beletic, Roisin Jacob, Siobhan Doolan and Aoife Thompson all starting
In what was a competitive encounter, Galway hit the front in the 12th minute when Therese Kinnevey got a vital touch as the teams engaged in a bout of pinball in the six-yard box. Her effort deflected off a home defender into the net.
It was a fortuitous goal, but the hosts couldn’t really complain too much as they contributed in a major way as they failed to clear a corner.
Galway substitute Rola Olusola, who replaced Gemma McGuinness, created the next chance in the 31st minute when her run into the penalty area produced a low cross, but there was no one to finish.
Then, a minute later Jenna Slattery’s effort from distance was well saved by Bonnie McKiernan.
The Bit O’Red didn’t offer too much by way of response until the closing stages of the half with Emma Doherty and Casey Howe exerting pressure on the Galway rearguard without any reward.
At the other end it took a superb recovery tackle from Leah Kelly to deny the visitors a second goal in first-half added time.
Sligo Rovers resumed smartly in the second-half and Casey Howe was denied in the 48th minute when Galway goalkeeper Jessica Berlin averted the danger in a race for possession.
Howe required attention before returning to the action briefly, but she was replaced in the 68th minute.
Galway countered and Lindsey McKee tried to lob Bonnie McKiernan, but the ‘keeper saved.
Sligo Rovers continued to surge forward and Emma Doherty’s effort in the 56th minute was saved before Alice Lillie created a good chance.
Somewhat against the run of play Galway capitalised on a defensive lapse by the Bit O’Red in the 63rd minute with Jenna Slattery finishing to the net for a 2-0 advantage.
The hosts battled tenaciously for the remainder, but were unable to make a breakthrough while Galway had a couple of late chances as they ended that three-game losing streak with a deserved victory.
Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Alice Lillie, Keela Scanlon, Leah Kelly, Katie Nugent, Emma Hansberry, Lauren Boles, Kerri Loughrey, Casey Howe, Jodie Loughrey, Emma Doherty.
Subs – Aoife Brennan for K Loughrey 62 mins, Ciara Henry for Howe 68m, Seren Ward for Lillie, Jessica Casey for J Loughrey and Katie Melly for Hansberry all 78m.
Galway Utd – Jessica Berlin; Isabella Beletic, Jamie Erickson, Jenna Slattery, Kate Thompson, Lindsey McKey, Gemma McGuinness, Therese Kinnevey, Roisin Jacob, Aoife Thompson, Siobhan Doolan.
Subs – Rola Olusola for McGuinness 24 mins, Abbie Callanan for Doolan 80m, Emma Duffy for Thompson 86m
Referee – Declan Toland.
Sligo Rovers are excited to officially launch our 2023 Annual Draw, with better prizes than ever before.
As one of the last remaining supporter-owned clubs in the League of Ireland, we rely on this and all other vital fundraisers to help make the club stronger.
When the going gets tough, we know our supporters and the wider community stand up for the Bit O’ Red, again and again.
We are extremely thankful to our dedicated team of volunteers who have begun selling door to door in the region, with a big response over the last 48 hours in Ballisodare in Sligo.
Supporting our Annual Draw really helps make us stronger, and we thank everyone who supports the draw each season.
With Stadium Infrastructure and Masterplan updates at the forefront of club’s plans, this draw is vitally important to us. The draw will take place on September 16th when we host UCD at The Showgrounds.
Last year, our Annual Draw raised a magnificent €106,690, our greatest ever tally.
This year’s top prize is €5,000 cash, which will certainly help the winner in the current climate.
Our friends from WestCoast Orthodontics have given a special prize this year, with a voucher for €2,500 up for grabs for their Practice in Sligo Town.
PetStop Discount Warehouse have once again come on board and sponsored a €1,000 voucher, with thanks to John McKeon and his staff.
There are three 2-night overnight stays available with Dublin’s Clayton Hotel, Liffey Valley (Bed & Breakfast + evening meal) donating a prize along with Letterkenny’s Silver Tassey Hotel and The Connacht Hotel in Galway.
There are other top prizes such as two corporate tickets for a Liverpool FC game at Anfield, a €200 Kates Kitchen Voucher as well as the same value of €200 for vouchers for Intersport Elverys and Ticketmaster.
Once again for 2023, the club have decided that all proceeds from the draw will be invested back into our stadium and to help deliver our Masterplan which was launched in 2021.
The Masterplan is a proposed Multi-Million Euro Redevelopment of The Showgrounds with the creation of an Academy Training Centre and hub for the North-West region of the country.
The redevelopment, when complete, plans to have a seated capacity of around 6,000, surpassing all UEFA requirements of a Category 3 Stadium, a new hybrid playing pitch and new state of the art facilities with altercations to the existing Treacy Avenue and PetStop Stands and two brand new stands on the Jinks’ Avenue side of the ground and the Churchill Road End.
Annual Draw co-ordinator Mark Cummins expresses the importance of the draw:
”Last year, we set a new record of almost €107,000 raised in our Annual Draw. We will do all we can to match that this year, with our ticket sellers maknig every effort to reach as many parts of this region as possible.
”Our supporters always get behind this and all Fundraisers and we thank them for doing so again in 2023.
”We would appeal to those supporters further afield to support our draw online by buying a ticket on our online store, where they can also buy a full book of ten tickets”.
Club Chairman Tommy Higgins:
‘’This year’s Annual Draw is vitally important to Sligo Rovers, with plans for our new Stadium now moving into the next stages. It is important to create something special for this region in the form of a state of the art facility at The Showgrounds. This facility could cater for many things such as conferences, parties, functions, gym use and much more. We would ask all supporters to take a book of tickets and sell it on behalf of your club, if you can’’.
Tickets for our Annual Draw are available now on the link below:
https://srfcdirect.com/annual-draw-ticket/
You can purchase a full book of tickets and sell them to your friends, family or colleagues or you can buy them individually.
Books of tickets are also available through club officials or The Showgrounds office.
We would encourage all supporters to get behind the draw and help the club with our ambitious but achievable goals with regards the Sligo Rovers Masterplan.
Sligo Rovers are a community ran club with supporters at heart and this Masterplan will provide a cultural and sporting hub in Sligo that we can be proud of.
Thank you to all our sponsors and ticket sellers for supporting us this year.
The Bit O’ Red earned a share of the spoils in a tightly contested game at Tolka Park on Friday night in front of around 2,000 supporters in Drumcondra.
Shelbourne came into the game in good form and continued that form by taking the lead on five minutes. Nando Pijnaker lost control on the edge of the Rovers’ area and Sean Boyd got in behind before pulling it back to strike partner Matty Smith who put the ball into the bottom right corner from close range.
Rovers reacted well and forced a number of corners, with Johan Brannefalk’s delivery on 35 minutes headed away by Shelbourne but only as far as Niall Morahan who controlled a brilliant shot into the far top corner to level proceedings.
Shelbourne could have doubled their lead before that when Daniel Lafferty’s back pass was cut out by Jack Moylan but Luke McNicholas denied him smartly.
The second half was a tight game with both sides looking for the all important second goal.
John Russell brought on Kailin Barlow for the injured Greg Bolger on 57 minutes and he almost put the Bit O’ Red in front as he picked up Lafferty’s pass and drove towards the area, shooting just wide from 20 yards.
Shelbourne pushed forward and forced some corners but Rovers were defending well with Lafferty, Pijnaker and the returning John Mahon equal to everything, backed by goalkeeper McNicholas who claimed some crosses and high balls.
The referee Rob Harvey added four minutes at the end of the game and this almost gave Rovers enough time to win it.
Andrew Quinn conceded a corner on 92 minutes and Brannefalk’s delivery, which caused problems all night found Lafferty who’s headed was cleared off the line. Rovers kept possession and it ended with Lafferty crossing for Max Mata, but his header came off the bar and away to safety.
Rovers now go into the mid-season break with no fixture next weekend and a trip to UCD to come on June 23rd.
(Photo: Darren O’ Hanlon)
Sligo Rovers will go in search of a first Women’s Premier Division point on home turf this season when they welcome Galway Utd to the Showgrounds on Saturday for a 5pm kick-off, writes Conall Collier.
Last weekend the Bit O’Red earned a 3-3 draw away to Treaty Utd and last month enjoyed a 2-0 away win against Cork City.
Galway will go into this encounter on a losing streak after defeats against Peamount, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne in the last three outings with the previous victory achieved at the beginning of May with a 1-0 home win against Treaty Utd.
The Sligo Rovers players will adopt a confident approach to this encounter buoyed in no small part by the resilience the team displayed against Treaty Utd last weekend with a spirited performance as the sides shared six goals.
There was plenty to admire about the character of the team after the concession of two early goals as they recovered from an interval deficit to earn a vital point.
Two goals from Emma Doherty and one by Jodie Loughrey revived Sligo Rovers and now the focus will be on bringing that type of potency to the Showgrounds for a first home win of the season.
Galway Utd sit in fifth place some 12 points adrift of leaders Peamount Utd and four points behind fourth-placed Bohemian FC.
Last Saturday Galway conceded two goals in two minutes midway through the opening half against Shelbourne and failed to get back into contention.
A worrying statistic for the Galway crew is the lack of goals, an average of one per game has a total of 12 in the credit side, but there is a similar number on the debit side which points to a well-disciplined defence.
Sligo Rovers have scored 10 goals in 11 outings, but the concession of 29 goals reflects the issues that the Bit O’Red face this season with only one cleansheet achieved in that 2-0 away win against Cork City.
Saturday will mark the return of former Sligo Rovers player Gemma McGuinness to the Showgrounds, the Donegal woman scored the first goal for the club in the inaugural 2022 season, but her focus will be on helping the team she joined this season to pick up three points.
For Sligo Rovers, Lauren Boles could return to the panel after she missed out on the action against Treaty last weekend, but the message from manager Steve Feeney will be to keep it tight and compact at the back and avoid the concession of an early goal.
When the teams met last April at Eamonn Deacy Park, Galway managed a 2-1 victory with goals from Kate Thompson and Jenny Slattery in the opening six minutes. Emma Doherty pulled one back for the Bit O’Red in the second-half, but an equaliser proved elusive.
Both teams will be targeting three points and an action-packed encounter is anticipated ahead of a mid-season break in WPD action until mid-August.
The innovative All-Island Cup is set to start next weekend, Saturday 17th June when Sligo Rovers will host Bohemian FC ahead of away games against Sion Swifts (24th June) and Cliftonville (1st July).
The Bit O’ Red take on Shelbourne on Friday night at Tolka Park in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.
The game is the last one before this season’s mid-season break, with no fixtures next weekend before we get back to action on June 23rd away to UCD.
Rovers come into the game on the back of two defeats, one last Friday away to Bohemians and on Bank Holiday Monday against Shamrock Rovers at The Showgrounds.
Manager John Russell is keen to go into the break with a positive result:
‘’It’s been a tough run of results lately. We’ve suffered with player injuries which has no doubt impacted us.
‘’We are fully aware of the situation we’re in and everyone is working extremely hard to turn the corner.
‘’We want to go into the mid-season break on the back of a positive result. The last time we played Shelbourne, we never turned up. Friday night gives us an opportunity to put that right’’.
Away supporters travelling to the game can purchase their tickets now via the following link: Supporters will be situated behind the goals in the terraced area at Tolka Park.
Russell thanks supporters for a large following in last Friday’s game in Dublin and is hopeful of another big turn-out in Tolka Park
‘’Our travelling support has been immense this season. Even during tough moments like last week, away to Bohemians, they stuck with us.
‘’We’re expecting another big following on Friday night in Tolka Park. We want to send our supporters home happy’’.
In team news, Rovers continue to be without a number of players with injury.
Garry Buckley, Mark Byrne, Karl O’ Sullivan, Gary Boylan, Eanna Clancy, Fabrice Hartmann, James Finnerty and Conor Walsh are ruled out.
Greg Bolger, Nando Pijnaker and John Mahon could return to the squad having missed Monday’s game with Shamrock Rovers.
The game is live on LOI TV from 7.45pm
Over the past few months you may have seen Bit O’ Red supporters selling Lucky Envelopes at The Showgrounds or in town.
Brenda Kearins, co-ordinator or the fundraiser and her team of sellers have raised a brilliant €5,000 for the club from this brilliant initiative.
On Monday, Brenda and her team presented a cheque to the club at the Shamrock Rovers game.
There were over thirty sponsors who donated prizes for the Fundraiser, with almost 100 lucky supporters winning a prize.
Thank you Brenda and all the volunteers.
Here is the full list of sponsors:
Carraig Donn
John Kent Sports
The Wine Buff, Sligo
Davis’ Restaurant
The Record Room
The Swagman Bar
O’Hehirs Bakery
Naturelles Hair Salon
Mullaney Brothers
Elvery Sports http://www.elverys.ie
Lillies Bar
Clayton Hotel Sligo http://www.claytonhotels.com
4 Lanterns
E.J.’s Menswear www.ejmenswear.com
Golden Discs, Sligo
Fiddlers Creek Bar
Radisson Blu Hotel Athlone https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-athlone
Debba Bakes
Lloyds Chemist
Omniplex, Sligo
Langs Of Grange
Derry Taheny Electrical
David Gavin artist
Harvey Norman, Sligo
Higgins’ Chemist
Filan’s Centra Castle Street
Raff Cretaro coaching
Currys, Sligo
Penneys, Sligo
Taheny Electrical, Sligo
