The Bit O’ Red had five Academy games across the weekend in the respective Underage Leagues.

On Saturday, our Under 17 Women were beaten 2-0 at home to Galway United at The Sean Fallon Centre in wet and miserable conditions.

Our Under 17 Men’s team were narrowly beaten at home to Longford Town at the same venue. Niall Kenny’s goal wasn’t enough to take any points in a 2-1 loss.

On Sunday, our Under 19 Men’s team drew 3-3 with UCD, also at The Sean Fallon Centre.

Two Owen Elding goals and a third from Bridel Bosakani ensured the points were shared in an entertaining game.

Our Under 19 Women lost 2-0 in Athlone against the Midlanders to end a good recent record.

Our Under 15 team had an impressive 4-1 win away to Finn Harps thanks to goals from Aidan Gabbidon, Troy Kelly, Oran Murphy and an own goal from a home player.

Not since the inaugural game for the club last season did Sligo Rovers concede six goals without reply, until today, when champions Shelbourne won at the Showgrounds and recorded a comprehensive Women’s Premier Division 6-0 victory, writes Conall Collier.

There was no lack of effort throughout the 90 minutes from the Bit O’Red as the season reached the halfway stage.

Leah Kelly came into the starting 11 for Steve Feeney’s side in place of Alice Lillie who missed out through injury.

Shelbourne manager Noel King was able to take a relaxing seat in the stand as he continued to serve a sideline suspension and he hadn’t too much to upset his concentration as his team dominated once they hit the front in the ninth minute.

Amy Roddy’s challenge on Jemma Quinn earned Shelbourne a penalty that was confidently despatched to the net by Noelle Murray to give the defending champions that early lead without expending too much energy.

Eight minutes later Shelbourne added a second goal through Christie Gray who finished confidently to the net at the far post.

Lauren Boles had the first real shot on target for the hosts in the 28th minute, but Courtney Maguire saved well and Shels countered swiftly with Jemma Quinn finding the net to give the Dublin side a solid platform for the remainder.

Undaunted, the Bit O’Red pushed forward and Emma Hansberry went close soon after and then Emma Doherty headed over from a good position.

Shelbourne controlled the closing minutes of the first-half and experience was a key factor as they picked up some frees of the ‘soft’ variety to take a well-deserved 3-0 advantage to the dressing room.

Both sides had glimpses of goal early in the second-half before Megan Smyth-Lynch finished a free from a tight angle to the net when she beat Bonnie McKiernan at her near post in the 58^th minute.

It got worse for the Bit O’Red with about 20 minutes remaining when a cross from Shelbourne substitute Siobhan Killeen deflected past McKiernan off Keela Scanlon.

Killeen made the opening again in the 80^th minute and this time a Shelbourne player, Jemma Quinn, found the net.

Shelbourne finished with 10 players in added time after Jessie Stapleton was assisted from the pitch with an arm injury.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Amy Roddy, Keela Scanlon, Sarah Kiernan, Emma Hansberry, Lauren Boles, Keri Loughrey, Emma Doherty, Casey Howe, Jodie Loughrey. Subs – Fiona Doherty for Kelly 58 mins, Kate Nugent for Roddy and Aife Haran for Hansberry both 68m, Ciara Henry for Howe and Helen Monaghan for J Loughrey both 76m.

Shelbourne – Courtney Maguire; Keeva Keenan, Jessie Stapleton, Leah Doyle, Rachel Graham, Jemma Quinn, Noelle Murray, Megan Smyth-Lynch, Nadine Clare, Maggie Pierce, Christie Gray. Subs – Siobhan Killeen for Smyth-Lynch and Kerri Letmon for Doyle both 63 mins, Kayla Hamric for Murray and Taylor White for Gray both 72m, Katie Keane for Maguire 78m

Referee – Michael Connolly.

The Bit O’ Red suffered a third straight Men’s Premier Division defeat on Friday night after Cork City scored the only goal in a tight game at Turners Cross.

John Russell welcomed back John Mahon into the back four after a recent injury and Kailin Barlow started in midfield alongside Greg Bolger and the also returning Niall Morahan. Bogdan Vastsuk, Lukas Browning and Daniel Lafferty were among the subs having started against Shelbourne last weekend.

Both sides had plenty of possession in the first period of the game with little or no goalmouth action until former Rovers Academy graduate Ruairi Keating broke into the penalty area on 15 minutes to fire past Luke McNicholas in the hosts first chance of the evening after a period of good build up play.

Rovers failed to create many chances of note in the first half with Nando Pijnaker firing a cross across goal which was gathered by Jimmy Corcoran in the Cork goal and Frank Liivak shooting from just inside the area after cutting in from the right hand side.

Fabrice Hartmann and David Cawley were brought on at half-time in place of Stefan Radosavljevic and Barlow as John Russell looked to get back into the game.

Rovers did have plenty of second half possession and Hartmann looked bright on the right hand side, creating a couple of half chances and cutting in on his left foot and shooting straight at Corcoran on a couple of occasions.

Niall Morahan, Reece Hutchinson and Cawley all had long range efforts which didn’t trouble the City net minder and Rovers pushed everything forward leaving ourselves vulnerable on the counter attack where the hosts looked threatening throughout with Keating and Tunde Owalabi’s pace causing problems for the Bit O’ Red back four.

Daniel Lafferty and Lukas Browning were introduced late on in place of Johan Brannefalk and Liivak but it wasn’t to be and Rovers were narrowly beaten.

Next up is a home game with Derry City next Saturday evening at 7.45pm at The Showgrounds.

Sligo Rovers will go for back-to-back victories when they host Shelbourne in the Women’s Premier Division on Saturday,  5pm, as the campaign reaches the half-way stage of the season, writes Conall Collier.

Defending champions Shelbourne return to the Showgrounds this weekend sitting in third place, three points adrift of leaders Peamount Utd.

The Dublin side enjoyed a 2-0 home win last Saturday against DLR Waves with a brace of goals from Jemma Quinn, her first goals of the season, but she had to wait until the 87^th minute for the vital second goal against a side that has struggled for consistency.

Influential for Shelbourne were the duo of Alex Kavanagh and Christie Gray and they will both be aiming to deliver another positive performance at the Showgrounds this weekend.

The Bit O’Red emulated that 2-0 scoreline with a first win of the season away to Cork City last Saturday as they dominated the opening half and created numerous chances.

Casey Howe scored twice in that opening half for Sligo Rovers and a solid defensive performance after the break kept the lead intact as a first clean sheet of the season was achieved.

Shelbourne will pose a completely different challenge for Steve Feeney’s side, but the confidence that the victory in Cork will provide for the players will be a key factor for the Bit O’Red.

Noel King’s side will adopt an ultra-cautious approach to this test as they will be aware of what happened on the last occasion they visited the Showgrounds for what turned into a thriller and a nightmare for the Dublin women.

The action was live on TG4 last season and it all looked quite straightforward at the interval with Shelbourne leading by 2-1, but the hosts on that occasion quite literally produced the performance of the season with two sensational second-half goals to shade the verdict.

This encounter will be the 10^th of a 20-game campaign, and it’s one that Shelbourne cannot afford to lose if they want to hang on to the coat tails of the top two and keep the chasing duo of Galway and Bohemian FC at bay.

That will increase the intensity on the pitch in what promises to be an enthralling 90 minutes as Sligo Rovers will also be on the scent of another win as they bid to move out of the bottom two.

Kick-off is at 5pm and the action is on LOITV.

Sligo Rovers Academy have a full fixture list this coming weekend as all six teams are in action between Saturday and Sunday.

First up, our Under 17 Men’s team host Longford Town at 1pm at The Sean Fallon Centre.

The side come into the game on the back of a 3-1 win over Galway United away from home a fortnight ago.

Our Under 17 Women’s team host Galway United at 3pm at the same venue and are fresh off a 4-2 win over Longford Town last time out.

Our Under 14 side are in the Capital to take on Bohemians at 2pm in the Eddie Wallace Under 14 Cup. The cup consists of five games between now and July 1st in group B alongside Bohemians, Longford Town, Derry City, Klub Kildare and Finn Harps.

Sunday sees another three games down for decision.

Our Under 15 side travel to Finn Harps at 2pm and look to make it three wins on the bounce after recent victories over Athlone Town and Longford Town.

Our Under 19 Men’s side host UCD at The Sean Fallon Centre from 2pm and are looking to make it five wins in their last five games after hitting a purple patch over the last month. Last Sunday, the side won 6-1 at home to Klub Kildare.

Our Under 19 Womens team take on Athlone Town at Noon away from home and will look to continue their good recent form and extend an unbeaten run of three games, having only lost once in their last seven outings.

The Bit O’ Red are back in action on Friday night in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division and it’s a trip to Turners Cross against Cork City that await John Russell and his Rovers side.

Rovers come into the game on the back of two home defeats against Dundalk and Shelbourne while the hosts have lost their last six fixtures in the League, most recently a 2-1 defeat away to Dundalk last Friday night.

The game is Live on LOI TV from 7.45pm and Bit O’ Red supporters travelling to the game can purchase tickets online in advance of travelling.

Former Bit O’ Red Manager Liam Buckley is currently in interim charge of the Rebels after Colin Healy left the club recently.

Bit O’ Red boss John Russell hopes to get back to winning ways tomorrow:

‘’We know we need a big reaction after last weekend’s performance.

‘’We didn’t show enough energy, intensity or quality on the night. The players are eager to put that right on Friday night.

‘’Cork City were unlucky in their last game against Dundalk so we know we will need to be at our best to get a result down there’’.

In team news, Rovers have doubts over a number of players heading into the game with Gary Boylan (ACL), Garry Buckley (ACL), Conor Walsh (Ankle), Eanna Clancy (Hamstring) Mark Byrne (ACL) and Karl O’ Sullivan (Ankle) definitely ruled out.

Striker Max Mata has returned to light training alongside defender James Finnerty while John Mahon, Fabrice Hartmann and Niall Morahan are also back in contention to return on Friday.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that defender Reece Hutchinson will join the club on a permanent deal until the end of the 2024 season on completion of his current loan spell.

Hutchinson, who is currently on loan with the Bit O’ Red from his parent club Cheltenham Town, will now remain at The Showgrounds when his loan expires on July 1^st.

The defender has started in 14 out of 15 of Rovers’ League games so far this season and has quickly become a fan’s favourite with a string of good performances both defensively and offensively.

Speaking to sligorovers.com, Manager John Russell expressed his delight at the news:

‘’I’m delighted we have secured Reece on a permanent deal.

‘’He is a really good guy who has fitted in so well with the group.

‘’His performances since joining us have been superb. He is such an attacking threat with his passing, dribbling and crossing ability.

‘’He has struck up a really good partnership with Will Fitzgerald down the left hand side of the team, where they have created a lot of goals so far this year.

‘’Reece is the perfect age profile for us. He is ambitious to do well and, I feel there is a lot more to come from him. I am sure the supporters will be excited by the news’’.

Hutchinson began his career at Burton Albion where he spent 4 years before joining Cheltenham Town in 2021.

He joined Rovers in February on an initial loan-deal, but his performances have made his permanent signing a priority.

Hutchinson is thrilled to join the club officially:

‘’I am very happy to have committed my long-term future with Sligo Rovers.

‘’There are a lot of reasons why I signed here, but the big one was purely the enjoyment of playing games and becoming the best version of myself again.

‘’It is a club full of ambitious people and I want to be a part of taking it forward and qualifying for European football.

‘’Over the next 18 months or so, I hope to bring my qualities to the team and reward the supporters with good performances and plenty of wins.

‘’I can’t thank the Manager and staff here enough for putting their full belief in me. This was another factor in signing as the people at the club have welcomed me so well since I came here.

‘’I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together moving forward. Up the Bit O’ Red’’.

The 23-year-old has settled into life in Sligo well and signs today ahead of our upcoming game against Cork City on Friday night in Turners Cross.

Rovers will be hoping to get back to winning ways as we enter a busy period with five SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division games before the mid-season break on June 9^th.

The next home game takes place a week on Saturday when Derry City visit The Showgrounds at 7.45pm.

There were just three Academy games at the weekend with our Under 15 side travelling to Longford Town and both Under 19 sides having home games against Klub Kildare (Men) and DLR Waves (Women) respectively.

Our Under 15 side had a good win at Bishopsgate with goals from Liam McLaughlin and Troy Kelly earning them three points over Longford Town.

These were first goals of the season for the pair and that is now two wins from two for the Under 15 team following last week’s home win over Athlone Town.

Declan Boyle’s Under 19 Men’s squad defeated Klub Kildare 6-1 at The Sean Fallon Centre on Sunday thanks to an Owen Elding hattrick as well as a double from midfielder Shea Malone and a first club goal for Ukrainian Nikita Hutsul.

Liam Lee’s cross was met by Elding in the first half to volley home and Elding got his second from the penalty spot moments later to make it 2-0 at half-time.

Rovers continued where they left off in the second half and Elding completed his hattrick, with Malone adding his second and Hutsul finishing the scoring with a late tap in.

Our Under 19 Womens team had won their previous five from six games including a 1-0 win in Dublin against DLR Waves back in April.

Sunday saw both sides have chances in a scoreless draw however as Rovers continued their good form.

While there is a growing national dialogue around mental health and wellbeing, people in Ireland remain hesitant to talk openly about their own mental health, and misperceptions about suicidal behaviour persist. The language relating to suicide and mental health is often stigmatising or misleading.

Irelands National Suicide Prevention strategy, Connecting for life, aims to reduce the suicide and self-harm rates in the whole population and among priority groups, including members of the Traveller community, people experiencing homelessness and LGBTQ+ people.

Connecting for life Sligo Leitrim Implementation Plan 2022-2024 was launched in December 2022 coinciding with the official opening of the Adult Mental Health Unit at Sligo University Hospital. This implementation plan sets out a “whole of society” approach whereby all aspects of our health and social care system alongside our education, statutory and community partner’s work together to empower our communities.

Sligo Rovers is one of the few fan owned community clubs in the League of Ireland today. The club has shown remarkable resilience throughout the years since it was established in 1928 for it to remain a community owned club.

Sligo Mental Health Services (SLMHS) guided by the 7 National Goals within Connecting for Life look forward to working with Sligo Rovers to empower our communities.

Sligo Rovers look forward to engaging both our fan base and community in new and innovative ways going forward.

SLMHS and SRFC will join Sligo parkrun at 09:30 am on Saturday 27^th May.

We hope to see the bit of red fans come along in their club colours to walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. We hope this could be a record breaking parkrun attendance!

Each participant will receive a free limited edition Sligo Rovers Water Bottle to keep you hydrated through the summer months! This will operate on a first come first serve basis and we would ask all participants to register with parkrun Sligo.

What is Sligo parkrun?

A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it’s up to you!

When is it?

Every Saturday at 9:30am

 Where is it?

The event takes place at Doorly Park, Cleveragh, Sligo.

What does it cost to join in? Nothing – it’s free, but please register at https://www.parkrun.ie/register/?eventName=sligo before you first come along. Only ever register with parkrun once and don’t forget to bring a scannable copy of your barcode which you’ll receive when registering.

Former Man City and Blackburn Rovers player Nicky Reid was the player / manager 25 years ago when Sligo Rovers won the League Cup defeating Shelbourne 1-0 in the two-leg final.

Last Saturday night at The Showgrounds at the Premier Division game between Sligo Rovers and Shelbourne members of that squad were guests of the club.

Conall Collier interviewed Nicky Reid for an article in the match programme.

PINTS NOT POINTS NOW THE FOCUS FOR NICKY REID:

Nicky Reid was the first manager to guide the Sligo Rovers to a League Cup final victory 25 years ago and he also took the club on a record-breaking 16-game unbeaten run in his first season at the helm, from December 1997 to March 1998.

Nicky’s first game for Sligo Rovers was a friendly at the Showgrounds against a Micky Adams-managed Fulham side on 23rd July 1997.

His final game for Sligo Rovers and the final game of his career was in March 1999, an FAI Cup tie against Bray Wanderers at the Showgrounds.

He sustained an injury in that game that effectively forced him to hand up the football boots.

In a stellar playing career that lasted 22 years, Nicky played more than 500 games for all his clubs starting with 200 appearances for Manchester City which included the memorable 1981 FA Cup final, the 100th FA Cup final, with the first game finishing 1-1 and Spurs winning the replay 3-2.

He joined Blackburn Rovers in July 1987 and helped the club win promotion to what was the new FA Premier League in the 1991/92 season, he then joined West Bromwich Albion for the 1992–93 season helping the club win promotion from Division 2.

That was followed by spells with Wycombe Wanderers and Bury before he made the short journey across the Irish Sea and landed at the airport in Strandhill ahead of trials with Sligo Rovers.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Sligo, initially I went over to play a few games for Jimmy Mullen who was the manager at the time, my previous club, Bury, didn’t offer me a new contract,” recalled Nicky as he took a break from his duties as proprietor of the Masons Arms in Chorley, a town with a population of around 100,000 some 20 miles west of Manchester.

“I ended up with the manager’s job at Sligo Rovers by accident, we had played a few friendlies but Jimmy wasn’t kept on as manager, I was asked would I do the job and I said I’d have a go at it, at least it meant I’d get picked every week.

“I’m thrilled to be going over for this 25th anniversary, I know it’s probably not a major event for Sligo Rovers, but for me it was something special, to win a trophy as a player / manager, I was really pleased to get the invite.

“I’m travelling on the same flight as Marcus (Hallows) so that should be memorable on its own, but it will be wonderful to see all the guys again and I’m really looking forward to seeing Sligo again.

“I really enjoyed my time there, lovely people, a great place and it should be a great weekend, I know that Marcus does this Elvis act, I meet him from time to time, he lives in Bolton and I’m not too far from there,” he added.

And what did Nicky Reid do when he was told all those years ago that he wouldn’t be the manager of Sligo Rovers for the 1999 / 2000 season?

“Obviously, I was disappointed with the decision, but that’s football and that’s they things go,” he reflected almost a quarter of a century later.

“I did a two-year diploma is sports injuries during the time was in Sligo and when I returned to England, I was offered a role as the reserve team physio at Burnley,” he said.

“I took on that role and was there for five years during which I also went to university to upgrade my qualifications, a degree in Chartered Physiotherapy.

“After Burnley, I was at Bury for three seasons and I was also with Macclesfield Town, Preston and a few other clubs, that kept me fit but the knees started to complain and I had to do something else.

“Myself and my partner (Cheryl) bought a public house, the Masons Arms in Chorley, it’s a small, local pub.

“Most of the customers wouldn’t exactly remember me as a footballer, but occasionally there would be a request for a photo.

“The pub, well, I suppose I had lots of practice visiting the pubs when I was in Sligo, to make sure that the players weren’t out when they shouldn’t be, that’s my line anyway.

“Occasionally I get invited back to Man City or Blackburn Rovers as a former player and that’s something I appreciate, just like this invite back to Sligo, I really appreciate it and it will be great to see the old stadium, there was so much to like about Sligo, the people of the area and the supporters, hopefully I’ll get a good welcome,” he concluded.