By Conall Collier

There are more questions than answers ahead of Sunday’s eagerly-awaited Women’s FAI Cup semi-final as Sligo Rovers prepare to host double-chasing Athlone Town, 3pm.

The main question, and the only relevant one, relates to the identity of which Sligo Rovers team will turn up?

Will it be the team that ran Shamrock Rovers ragged at Tallaght Stadium last Saturday or will it be the team that was run ragged by Shelbourne in a midweek mauling at the Showgrounds?

Leaving that to one side for a moment, there are many intriguing statistics around both teams.

This will be a 77th competitive game for the Bit O’Red since the club affiliated a senior team in 2022 – that incorporates fixtures played in the League, the FAI Cup and Avenir Sports Cup, there was a walkover against Douglas Hall in 2022 that’s excluded.

Katie Melly and Paula McGrory played in the first game against Peamount Utd in 2022 and are on the panel for Sunday.

Casey Howe and Amy Mahon (goalkeeper) played with Sligo Rovers last season and moved to Athlone Town for this season while Muireann Devaney moved in the opposite direction.

That still leaves Sligo woman Roisin Molloy leading the charge for goals for the Westmeath side along with  Brenda Erika Tabe while Sligo Rovers will be without the injured Jodie Loughrey.

Top goalscorer Emma Dohery left Sligo Rovers at the mid-season break and moved to Galway while Kelly Crompton and Zoe McGlynn also exited.

Those departures, for whatever reasons, impacted the balance of the team that was trying to adjust to new players and a new manager after Steve Feeney stepped away at the end of last season.

Add in the vital statistic that Sligo Rovers have not beaten Athlone Town since they joined the League of Ireland in 2022 and it all points to a comfortable stroll in the park for the team formerly managed by Bit O’Red boss Tommy Hewitt and now with Ciaran Kilduff in the hot seat.

This will be the fourth game for Sligo Rovers against Athlone this season, two in the League and one in the Avenir Sports Cup.

Sligo Rovers lost 2-0 in League in May and lost 2-1 in the Avenir Sports Cup in April with Muireann Devaney scoring the goal against her former club.

Athlone won 5-1 most recently, but Sligo Rovers had goalkeeper Bonnie McKiernan sent off after 60 seconds. She collided with former Sligo Rovers player Casey Howe as she raced out of her penalty area – both players were injured in the collision.

Tackling Athlone with 10 players for 90 minutes was only going to produce one result as goals from Roisin Molloy (two), Kerry Brown and the impressive Brenda Erika Tabe gave the hosts a comfortable victory.

However, it was a commendable display from the Bit O’red on the day with Anna McDaniel showing remarkable composure for her goal with 20 minutes remaining. Athlone’s fifth goal was a 90^th minute penalty.

And it’s that performance in defeat, coupled with the display at Tallaght Stadium last Saturday that will give the Sligo Rovers players sufficient reasons for optimism as they face into what could best be described as a ‘mission impossible’ where the outcome could once more demonstrate the unpredictability of sport.

PATHS TO THE SEMI-FINAL

FIRST ROUND

Sligo Rovers defeated Terenure Rangers 5-0 in the first round at the Showgrounds

Paula McGrory (two), Keri Loughrey, Jodie Loughrey and Rebecca Doddy scored the goals.

Athlone Town received a bye as holders.

QUARTER-FINALS

Sligo Rovers defeated DLR Waves 3-1 away.

Anna McDaniel, Kelsey Munroe and Paula McGrory scored the goals.

Athlone Town defeated Treaty Utd 2-1 away.

Brenda Erika Tabe and Kerry Brown scored the goals.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers manager Tommy Hewitt is adopting a pragmatic approach ahead of Sunday’s Women’s FAI Cup semi-final against his former club, Athlone Town at the Showgrounds.

For Sligo Rovers this really is David versus Goliath or in footballing terms, bottom of the table against top of the table, a gap of 34 points between the sides with Athlone Town in the driving seat to win the Women’s Premier Division title.

That’s not in any way over-hyping the Westmeath side – and they will quietly have ambitions of completing a League and Cup double.

So, in real terms, is there any point in Sligo Rovers even turning up on Sunday?

After all, Sligo Rovers have failed to beat Athlone this season, last season ot the season before, and the Sligo Rovers manager was at the Athlone helm for the majority of those games, until a vacancy occurred at Athlone Town Stadium midway through last season.

Ciaran Kilduff took over the reins, his first game in charge was against Sligo Rovers, and he finished the job that Tommy Hewitt started with an FAI Cup final win at the end of last season.

Athlone Town defeated Sligo Rovers at the same stage of the competition last season.

“Athlone will rightly be overwhelming favourites on Sunday, but I know that the Sligo Rovers players can put in a performance that they will be happy with,” commented the Bit O’Red boss.

“We had three hard games in seven days last week and we were better in the third game despite losing the first two and conceding eight goals.

“We now can go into the Cup semi-final knowing that we can compete, but we have to bring consistency to our performances, once we do that we will have a chance.

“We definitely won’t lie down and roll over and hopefully we will make a contest out of it.

“I’ve been here before, that was as an underdog with Athlone in a Cup semi-final against Wexford and we won that day. A repeat of that now with Sligo Rovers would be a brilliant outcome.

“I have seen massive improvements since the start of the season and this is a free hit for us, we have nothing to lose and we really need to get a result against Athlone,” he added.

There are reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday’s encounter, one being the inclusion of both Keeva Flynn and Muireann Devaney in the League of Ireland team-of-the-week selection.

For a team that’s still looking for a first League win of the season to have the youngest centre-back in the Women’s Premier Division recognised is certainly overdue at this stage.

And the performance against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium last Saturday now gives the manager a new kind of headache as he explained.

“A problem I have now is what team will I pick, it’s a good problem to have and the young players have put their hands up to start on Sunday in what is the biggest game of the season, so far,” he explained.

“We have to get the basics right and make it difficult for Athlone, if we can do that and stay in the game, then we will be in with a chance.

“When we conceded that early goal last week at Tallaght Stadium I felt that our reaction was superb, we certainly didn’t panic and Paula (McGrory) had a great chance of an equaliser about a minute later.

“It was a dogged performance in one sense, but we also played some very good football.

“One of my main targets initially was to improve our game from a physical aspect, that we wouldn’t be pushed off the ball or intimidated by the opposition.

“It’s quite obvious from our position in the League that all the other teams are better than us, up to now anyway, and to counter that we have to raise our performance in every game for 90 minutes.

“I got the feeling at Tallaght last Saturday, just standing on the sideline and watching the game, that we were actually going to get something out of it.

“I know that we gave away some chances, but we defended well and Bonnie (McKiernan) made some very good saves.

“We eventually got the equaliser with about three minutes remaining and then we almost won it.

“We were after losing twice in the previous five days and then to go to Tallaght and get the result we got just shows the character and determination of the players.

“If we can repeat that in the Showgrounds on Sunday, then we will definitely have a chance of causing an upset and hopefully we will have Emma (Hansberry) available again because she brings a lot of experience to the team,” he concluded.

By Conall Collier

Living almost in the shadow, or even the mist, of the famous Glencar Waterfall, Muireann Devaney has her focus set solely this week on the build up to Sunday’s Women’s FAI Cup semi-final at the Showgrounds where Sligo Rovers will take on her former club, Athlone Town.

Muireann returned to the Bit O’Red this year after three seasons with Athlone Town, she previously played at u-17 level for Sligo Rovers in 2019 and 2020 and was player of the year in 2020 and she also has appearances for the Republic of Ireland under-19s to her credit.

However, on Sunday the Leitrim woman will emerge from the home dressing room whereas 12 months ago it was the away dressing room as she helped Athlone Town to victory against her home town club.

She combines her role with Sligo Rovers along with Leitrim GAA footballers and apart from the FAI Cup medal shoe won with Athlone last year, she has enjoyed success already this year.

Muireann has Connacht and All-Ireland GAA medals in the locker after a great year with Leitrim and she would be thrilled to add another FAI Cup medal to go with the one that she collected last season.

“I had three great seasons with Athlone, Tommy (Hewitt) was the manager, but I always wanted to come back to Sligo at some stage, and I felt that this season was the right time to do it as the travelling for training was significant, it was two hours to Athlone, each way, and I also wanted to give the GAA with Leitrim another shot,” she explained.

“I think Tommy is going to bring Sligo Rovers on in leaps and bounds, but we will be underdogs against Athlone, they will be expecting to get another comfortable victory.

“However, you saw a few weeks ago when UCD came to the Showgrounds and knocked the men out of the FAI Cup, you always have to expect the unexpected and this weekend could be our chance,” she added.

Muireann was delighted to have the chance to combine playing for Leitrim and for Sligo Rovers this year and also suggested the GAA can toughen you up for the physicality of the Women’s Premier Division.

“I played GAA for Glencar / Manorhamilton and then the soccer was with Manor Rangers, I was selected for the Sligo / Leitrim Gaynor Cup team and I also featured in the Connacht interprovincials before linking up with Sligo Rovers,” she said.

“That’s how I got started, but there are only two soccer clubs in Leitrim, Manor Rangers and Carrick Town, Niall Morahan’s club and he has made a big impact at Sligo Rovers, that’s my intention now as well.

“The standard in the Women’s Premier Division this season has continued to improve from last year and the year before, that’s quite easy to substantiate when you see the clubs in England regularly recruiting the best players here.

“They wouldn’t be doing something like that just because they like us, it’s down to the quality of the players at adult level and that’s a credit to what is going on at academy level around the country,” she suggested.

Apart from playing Gaelic football and soccer, Muireann is studying at the University of Galway (formerly NUI Galway) where she has completed three years of a four-year Ag Science course (Level 8 Bachelor of Science) and she lives with a number of Athlone Town players while in Galway.

“I’m studying Ag Science in Galway, I’m in my third year so I will finish in 2025, I’m staying with some of the girls, Shauna Brennan and Kate Slevin, who are on the Athlone team so that will make for some interesting discussions this week anyway,” she commented..

“I can’t wait for the game on Sunday, it’s a semi-final, we are one game away from the final and anything is possible, anything can happen.

“We played them (Athlone) a few weeks ago, but Bonnie (McKiernan) was sent-off after about a minute and that really changed the game, despite that we were by no means outclassed and we scored a good goal against them.

“The performance that day demonstrated our spirit and determination and I’m quite certain that we can put it up to Athlone, they will definitely know they have been in a game after 90 minutes.

“I had a great season last year with Athlone Town, but the time was right for me to move a bit closer to home and I was delighted to have the opportunity of joining Sligo Rovers.

“I’m really looking forward to playing Athlone on Sunday and hopefully we can give it a good go, especially after our performance last Saturday at Tallaght Stadium.

“We worked hard for that late equaliser and we deserved it, what you saw in that game is the real potential of this group of players.

“Anyone looking in from the outside will see a semi-final between the team that’s top of the table and the team at the bottom of the table, that would point towards a particular result, but we won’t be too concerned about that.

“We have four points (four draws) from 17 games, but we were well in contention in many of those games and just didn’t get what we deserved for a variety of reasons, we now have this big opportunity to make a statement against Athlone Town, don’t underestimate us.

“We have had a lot of injuries, some experienced players moved on, but we are one of only four teams left in the competition at this stage, a win on Sunday and we are in the final.

“We have a young team, we finished a recent game and including myself, there were two players aged over-20, the girls from the Academy are doing very well, but it has been a steep learning curve.

“I know the threat that Athlone will pose, but I’m really looking forward to what is a huge game for everyone, it give us a platform to show that we are better than our position in the League.

“Winning the All-Ireland Intermediate final with Leitrim means that next year we will have the likes of Kerry and Dublin on the radar, that’s huge for the county and it will be a challenge for everyone involved.

“Winning an FAI Cup medal with Sligo Rovers would be a brilliant way to finish 2023 and I firmly believe that we are now only starting to see the full potential of the panel of players.

“We have already won twice in the FAI Cup this season, our target next Sunday will be to make that three wins and secure a final ticket for the first time in the club’s history,” she concluded.

By Conall Collier

Battling Sligo Rovers earned a precious Women’s Premier Division (WPD) point at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday evening with an 86^th minute Keri Loughrey equaliser against Shamrock Rovers.

What was admirable about the result, from a Sligo Rovers perspective, was that the hosts hit the front in the fifth minute from an opportunist Aine O’Gorman effort that could certainly be classified as of the ‘soft’ variety, but the players displayed true grit and determination to stay in the game.

It was no more than the performance over 90 minutes merited as the players earned a tangible reward that will certainly boost confidence ahead of next Sunday’s FAI Cup semi-final against Athlone Town at the Showgrounds.

The opening goal was a setback as the Bit O’Red conceded a couple of early corners. From the second one O’Gorman made the most of some space in the penalty area and lobbed her effort past Bonnie McKiernan.

Sligo Rovers almost grabbed an equaliser inside 60 seconds, but Paul McGrory’s effort flashed past the outside of Amanda Budden’s post.

Nevertheless, the Bit O’Red belied a bottom-of-the-table position and dominated for large parts of the opening half with Anna McDaniel a constant threat with her tireless running.

She went close in the 20^th minute when her centre was fumbled by Budden and a minute later Muireann Devaney tested the home ‘keeper who saved well.

At the other end, Joy Ralph brought a good save out of Bonnie McKiernan as the hosts enjoyed a 1-0 interval lead.

Tommy Hewitt brought Katie Melly and Alice Lillie on for Paula McGrory and Kelsey Munroe at half-time and the Bit O’Red coped well with the swirling wind. A high-tempo performance coupled with some fine saves by Bonnie McKiernan kept the outcome in the balance.

On 65 minutes Katie Melly laid the ball off to Keri Loughrey and her effort was saved by Budden while at the other end Joy Ralph was narrowly off target for the hosts.

Most notable about the Bit O’Red was the way the players demonstrated an ability to match the opposition in terms of physicality and that, along with a willingness to work hard on and off the ball, ultimately contributed to a positive result.

Eimear Lafferty and Jessica Casey brought fresh legs for the final 25 minutes in place of Emma Hansberry and Rachel McGoldrick and Roise Burke also made another appearance for Anna McDaniel in the closing stages.

With four minutes remaining Joy Ralph was yellow-carded for an infringement around the halfway line. Bonnie McKiernan took the resultant free and lofted the ball into the penalty area where Keri Loughrey stood strong and finished to the net under pressure.

Loughrey almost grabbed a winner in added time, but a first point on the road since a scoreless draw with Treaty Utd last April certainly made the journey home much more enjoyable.

Shamrock Rovers – Amanda Budden; Fiona Owens, Savannah McCarthy, Maria Reynolds, Aoife Kelly, Stephanie Zambra, Lia O’Leary, Aine O’Gorman, Joy Ralph, Scarlett Herron, Ella Kelly.

Subs – Melissa O’Kane for Zambra and Katie O’Reilly for A Kelly both 70 mins, Jamie Thompson for E Kelly 81m.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Kelsey Munroe, Keeva Flynn, Emma Hansberry, Muireann Devaney, Paula McGrory, Keri Loughrey, Kate Nugent, Rachel McGoldrick, Cara King, Anna McDaniel.

Subs – Katie Melly for McGrory and Alice Lillie for Munroe both half-time, Eimear Lafferty for Handberry and Jessica Casey for McGoldrick both 65 mins, Roise Burke for McDaniel 83m.

Referee – Kate O’Brien.

Assistant-referees – Keenan Deering, Sean Stephens.

Sligo Rovers suffered a four goal defeat to Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium on Friday evening. A brace each from former Rovers striker Johnny Kenny and defender Sean Hoare added gloss to a scoreline that reflected rather harshly on the Bit O’Red’s performance. Rovers played out the majority of the second period without the full quota of players after Jack Henry-Francis was dismissed for two yellow cards. 

Kenny’s first goal had Shams in the lead on 18 minutes, while the Riverstown native had his second two minutes before the break. 

The half-time scoreline didn’t tell the full story for Rovers who forced the hosts into plenty of mistakes at the back.

Hoops goalkeeper Leon Pohls was fortunate not to see red when he smashed into Simon Power outside his own area after making a total mess of an attempted clearance. Not for the first time against Sligo this term, Pohls was spared red for an error and a subsequent foul on winger Power when referee Kevin O’Sullivan deemed the German to have had cover from returning defenders. The lenient Cork official instead opted to show yellow. 

Rovers were again on the short end of a questionable refereeing decision when Wilson Waweru went down inside the area. The striker was then shoved to the floor by Hoare right in front of referee O’Sullivan who saw nothing of the incident. 

John Russell’s men began the second half the better team, but O’Sullivan made an already tough assignment even more difficult when having booked Henry-Francis for his first tackle of the game, then showed the Arsenal loanee the same colour again for his second challenge of the night. 

Rovers goalkeeper Ed McGinty pulled off a string of fantastic saves, but Shams overloaded the visitors when they had their third and fourth goals on 54 and 83. 

Shamrock Rovers FC: Leon Pohls; Sean Hoare, Roberto Lopes, Dan Cleary; Darragh Burns (Neil Farrugia, 45’), Dylan Watts (Markus Poom, 69’), Gary O’Neill, Jack Byrne, Trevor Clarke (Joshua Honohan, 45’); Danny Mandroiu (Conan Noonan, 69’), Johnny Kenny (Marc McNulty, 61’)

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; JR Wilson, Oliver Denham, Gareth McElroy 5, Reece Hutchinson; Connor Malley (Kailin Barlow, 75’), Jack Henry-Francis; Simon Power (Stephen Mallon, 75’), Ellis Chapman, William Fitzgerald (Kyle McDonagh, 89’); Wilson Waweru (Luke Pearce, 69’)

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork)

BY Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will feature twice in the space of 20 hours at Tallaght Stadium with a Women’s Premier Division (WPD) clash against Shamrock Rovers on Saturday following on from the men’s encounter on Friday evening.

The hosts will go into the game on the back of two WPD victories in contrast to the Bit O’Red who have lost the last two outings. Both teams also lost against Shelbourne.

The Dublin side exited the FAI Cup against Shelbourne on the same weekend that Sligo Rovers advanced to the last four with an excellent away win against DLR Waves,

However, this will be a third game in seven days for the Bit O’Red and that’s likely to produce a much-changed starting 11 for manager Tommy Hewitt following Wednesday night’s outing against Shelbourne.

With an FAI Cup semi-final on the horizon the following weekend, the Bit O’Red boss will likely use this game to make a final assessment for his best 11 for that Showgrounds tie on Sunday 22^nd September.

Despite the reversal against Shelbourne two days ago, there was a positive for the manager in the return to action of Emma Hansberry as an interval substitute following a lengthy spell on the sideline due to injury.

There was also a start for Katie Melly who made a valuable contribution for an hour with a more physical presence while Muireann Devaney and Paula McGrory were introduced in the second-half.

While the points are irrelevant in terms of silverware, both teams will be looking for victory and for Sligo Rovers a positive result would be a major boost as they seek a first WPD win of the season.

Twelve months ago Sligo Rovers lost at the Dublin venue a week before they caused a major shock in the FAI Cup. The players will be determined to produce a better result at Tallaght Stadium this time and then follow up in the FAI Cup the following weekend.

The game will be live on LOITV, kick-off at Tallaght Stadium is at 4pm.

Sligo Rovers are back in action in front of the RTE television cameras this Friday night as the Bit O’Red travel to Dublin for the penultimate time this season, Shamrock Rovers this weekend’s opponents. 

Tallaght Stadium is the venue with kick-off at 7.45pm as Rovers look to pick up their first league victory at the home of the Premier Division champions since 2021. 

The sides come into this tie level on head-to-head form, with both clubs having recorded a victory over each other in 2024. The Hoops beat Rovers in Tallaght back in April, while Sligo put in one of their best performances of the season to beat Stephen Bradley’s charges at the Showgrounds in June, courtesy of a Simon Power brace. The other game between the teams back in March, failed to produce a goal. 

Rovers will be without captain Niall Morahan for this one. The Leitrim man misses out through suspension courtesy of an accumulation of yellow cards. While Stefan Radosavljevic, John Mahon and Conor Reynolds also won’t make the game due to injury. Winger Stephen Mallon will be assessed before kick-off.

On the back of the win over Waterford two weeks ago, Rovers manager John Russell says the competitive nature of this year’s league means every point is crucial. 

“The players and staff have been fully focused the past two weeks and we’re really looking forward to facing Shamrock Rovers”, he says.

“We’ve continued to improve as the season has gone on and now we find ourselves at the business end of the year where everyone has something to play for. That makes for an interesting and intense finish to the season where each team is doing all they can to pick up as many points as possible, which everyone wants to see. 

“Nobody has to remind us how big of a challenge it is to go to Tallaght. But the surface down there is always in top shape and that suits our style of play. 

“It’s vital we play to our strengths for this one and impose ourselves on the game from early on.”

David Goulden  

BY JIM GRAY

Ryan Casey has been in and around professional football since he was 15 years old. Even before then, growing up in a football-mad household where his late father had been a professional player with Blackburn Rovers, he was nurturing the love of a game which was to become his life.

His impressive, if seldom heard back-story, means he brings a wealth of experience to the table as John Russell’s right-hand man at Sligo Rovers. One of the famous ‘Kerr’s Kids’ who won Ireland’s only under-18 European Youth Championship in 1998 and played at a youth World Cup a year later, he honed his skills as a professional player during a five-year stretch with Swansea City; he’s played with five League of Ireland clubs; been a Director of Coaching at a top academy in America, and before joining the Rovers’ coaching staff worked as the FAI Regional Development Officer in Sligo.

Born in Coventry, of Irish parents, he grew up in Galway City, where soccer, despite the county’s obsession with Gaelic games and rugby, was always a thriving sport. His parents, Peter and Kathleen, grew up just streets apart in Bohermore but had never met before moving to England. Their four daughters returned with English accents, but their six- month- old baby boy has no memory of ever having lived anywhere other than Ireland.

Ryan has memories, though, of playing underage football in Galway with a raw passion and bundles of ability, after the family had returned to its native roots. He played for youth club, Newcastle and his father’s club, Galway Hibs, and later travelled by train to Dublin every week-end to line out for Belvedere, where he was spotted by an eagle-eyed Swansea scout.

He signed for the Welsh club as soon as he’d finished his Junior Cert. His mother, though proud of his progress, wanted him to remain at home at least until he’d completed his Leaving Cert, but his father, enthused by his own background in the game, encouraged his young son to take the plunge.

“It wasn’t easy,” Ryan concedes. “Leaving home and family at 15 for a strange new place obviously presented a challenge. There were no mobile phones, no such thing as face-time. You had to find a pay-phone to ring home, and you couldn’t always afford it.

“But all I ever wanted was to be a footballer. Wild horses wouldn’t have held me back. I was living the dream.”

He made his first team debut as a 17 years old left-winger, under player/manager, Jan Molby, the former Liverpool legend. He would go on to play 150 senior games for the club across the lower leagues of the English pyramid, where team-mates included the current Portugal manager, Roberto Martinez and English striker, Lee Chapman.

“I loved Swansea,” he recalls. “It was one of those places, a lot like Sligo, where the club is the heartbeat of the community, and if the club is going well it seems the entire town is doing well. We’d be getting an average home attendance of about 10,000 and the place would be a sell-out for a big FA Cup game.”

One such cup tie produced a famous win over high-flying West Ham, who were backboned by the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Paulo Di Caneo. Swansea’s shock victory put Casey in the shop window, and a move to West Ham looked to be on the cards.

The Londoners’ first bid was rejected and as they were preparing to try again, Casey snapped his ankle in an inauspicious Coca Cola Cup game against Reading. The injury not only scuppered his move to the Premier League but caused an 18-month absence from the game.

There were happier times, though, in the Irish under-age set up under Brian Kerr and the late Noel O’Reilly. A scoring debut in a friendly against Northern Ireland helped secure his place in the squad for the 1998 European qualifiers and then on to the tournament itself in Cyprus, where the eight best teams on the Continent competed for the coveted crown.

In the group stages, Ireland beat Croatia and Cyprus and lost narrowly to hot favourites, England, who had future stars such as Alan Smith and Jonathan Woodgate in their ranks. But England then surprisingly slipped up against Croatia and Ireland were though to the final as rank outsiders against Germany.

Earlier that summer, Kerr’s under-16 team had won their European Championship, and the entire country it seemed tuned in to RTE’s coverage to see if the under-18’s could complete a remarkable double. Ireland took a 70^th minute lead through Alan Quinn only for Germany to force the game to penalties with a 90^th minute equaliser.

When Kerr sought volunteers for the dramatic penalty shoot-out, a plethora of hands shot skywards. Seeking the first-taker, however, he saw only Casey’s outstretched hand.

“Nobody was too eager to take the first one,” Ryan recalls. “We knew it was a big deal, a bit of history. We’d watched the under-16s winning only a few months earlier, so we were aware of all the excitement and we knew we’d be getting a fair bit of attention. Maybe that put a few people off taking the first one, but I had no problem with it. Dad had always taught me not to be afraid of penos, so I just stepped up and blasted it home.”

By the end of the nerve-wracking lottery, Luton’s Liam George had slotted home Ireland’s winner. Kerr’s kids had completed an historic double.

The following year, Ryan was part of the Irish youth squad who reached the last 16 of the youth World Cup in Nigeria.

“Noel O’Reilly was ahead of his time as a coach, and Kerr was a terrific motivator, instilling in us how proud we should be of our country and the jersey. We’d have gone through brick walls for them. We also had a lot of quality in the squad. Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne were already playing regularly in the Premier League, and six of the lads would go on to become senior internationals,” Ryan points out.

On the club front, Swansea went into administration in 2002 as the lower leagues plunged into a chaotic free-fall following the collapse of a television rights deal. It was time for Ryan to think about returning home, where better wages were now on offer in the League of Ireland. He would play for St. Pat’s, Cork City, Galway, Athlone and Longford as well as doing all his coaching badges.

This led to his first experience of living in Sligo in 2007, as he took up a full-time role with the FAI as Regional Development Officer for the area.

“As a player, I never really liked the Showgrounds. I don’t think I ever won a game there,” he recalls. “But I fell in love with Sligo once I came to live here. It’s home to me now. I love that sense of community, the passion for football, the family-friendly atmosphere at the club. I probably wouldn’t ever have envisaged it happening, but it has and I’m delighted.”

After a year as Director of Coaching with Everton’s New York academy, where he had a staff of 22 coaches looking after more than 600 young players, Ryan returned to Sligo, eventually linking up with Liam Buckley and John Russell. He became Russell’s assistant when his fellow Galwegian replaced Buckley at the helm.

He’s naturally delighted at how the season has gone so far, but quickly points out there is no magic wand. At a community-owned club, hard work and honesty are the basic requirements, and the next challenge is never far away.

He elaborates: “Myself and John go back a long way. We played together at Galway, and we’ve been pals for quite a while. We’d have basically the same football philosophy and we work well together. He’s a top-class manager, and people are beginning to see what he’s capable of.

“It’s a roller-coaster, of course. We work off a relatively small budget and it’s always a challenge. Thankfully, it’s going well at the moment. We have a very honest, hard-working bunch of players. Once you get players with the right attitude, you can put a shape together, try to improve them, and work hard every day. Then you’ve got a chance. The backroom staff are also a very tightly-knit bunch, all hard and honest workers, so it all helps in good times and bad.

“And then there’s the backing of the supporters. I got a sense of that when I was in the FAI job, a feeling that this really is a football-mad place. You can see how much the club means to everybody, and you buy into that. There’s a togetherness that you don’t always find in football.”

Now happily settled in Collooney with his wife, Claire, sons, Noah (9) and Charlie (8), and daughter, Isla (2), Ryan is happy that the family’s football DNA is being well nurtured.

“The boys play soccer for Ballisodare and Gaelic football with Owenmore Gaels, and they love it. They’re huge Rovers’ supporters, too. It’s something that will stay with them for life.  We couldn’t be happier,” he says.

By Conall Collier

Shelbourne eased to three valuable Women’s Premier Division points at the Showgrounds on Wednesday evening with four goals to spare against Sligo Rovers.

First-half goals from Kate Mooney (two) and Leah Doyle gave the Dublin side a 3-0 interval advantage and while they created plenty of second-half chances and tested the woodwork they could only muster one more goal that arrived from substitute Jemma Quinn in the 85^th minute.

Going into tonight’s game Sligo Rovers manager Tommy Hewitt made a number of changes as he welcomed back Bonnie McKiernan between the posts after she had been sidelined through injury and suspension.

Katie Melly also started and made a useful contribution in the opening 45 minutes with a number of efforts on target and there was also a return at the interval for Emma Hansberry who had also been sidelined through injury.

Kate Mooney had Shelbourne in front in the ninth minute and she added a second in the 33^rd minute following a quick counter attack as Sligo Rovers unsuccessfully appealed for a free and then lost possession.

Leah Doyle made it 3-0 soon after before Rachel McGoldrick had a chance for the hosts close to the interval.

The introduction of Emma Hansberry and Muireann Devaney for the second-half saw a more composed Bit O’Red performance while another substitute, Paul McGrory, had the ball in the Shelbourne net soon after she was brought on, but she was penalised for impeding ‘keeper Amanda McQuillan.

McQuillan was later yellow-carded after she raced out of her penalty area, but failed to get to the ball ahead of McGrory

Sligo Rovers go to Tallaght Stadium on Saturday for another WPD encounter and will then have a week to prepare for the FAI Cup semi-final against Athlone at the Showgrounds on Sunday 22^nd September.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Alice Lillie, Cara King, Kelsey Munroe, Jessica Casey, Katie Melly, Keri Loughrey, Eimear Lafferty, Kate Nugent, Rachel McGoldrick.

Subs – Emma Hansberry for McGoldrick and Lauren Devaney for Casey both half-time, Paula McGrory for Melly and Roise Burke for Kelly both 60 mins, Lauren Devaney for Lafferty and Lesley Ann Sweeney for Munroe both 75m

Shelbourne – Amanda McQuillan; Keeva Keenan, Pearl Slattery, Leah Doyle, Rachel Graham, Noelle Murray, Roma McLaoghlin, Jess Gargan, Magaret Pierce, Christie Gray, Kate Mooney.

Subs – Megan Smith-Lynch for Gary, Lucy O’Rourke for Graham and Nia Hannon for Slattery all 55 mins, Hannah Healy for Pierce and Jemma Quinn for Mooney both 67m, Aoife Sheridan for Keena 82m

Referee – David Dunne.

Assistant-referees – Aaron Pisarnik and Niall McLoughlin.

Fourth Official – Darren Corcoran.