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 22nd 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.