By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers manager Tommy Hewitt had to settle for a spectating role at the Belfield Bowl on Saturday as his players delivered a Women’s FAI Cup quarter-final knock-out blow to hosts DLR Waves.

Sligo Rovers went into the game as the underdog with only a victory over non-league side Terenure Rangers in the last round while DLR Waves could point to a 3-2 win over defending Women’s Premier Division champions Peamount Utd in their last game.

From a Sligo Rovers perspective, this had all the ingredients for shock result and that’s exactly what transpired with the Bit O’Red recoding a 3-1 victory.

“We were quietly confident that we could get a result, that was our view all week as we prepared for the game,” commented Tommy Hewitt on Sunday.

“Last week the training was good, the vibe was good, we felt that we could do better than when we had played DLR Waves earlier in the season, on that occasion they deserved to win.

“That aspect of the last game was part of our focus in the build up to Saturday’s tie, we felt that if we could put in a better performance that we could win the game and apart from the opening 10 minutes or so, we were the better team,” he added.

When questioned about having to watch the action from the stand, something he will have to do against this weekend away to Galway, the Bit O’Red boss highlighted the difference in perspective compared to standing on the sideline.

“I could see quite clearly from the body language of the DLR players, especially in the second-half, that they just weren’t dealing so well with how the game was unfolding,” he commented.

“When we got the third goal it really set them back, in fairness DLR tried to push forward after that, but we were comfortable and solid and I think it was one of the quietest outings of the season so far for Amber (Hardy).

“We also didn’t commit too many players forward, we just had to make sure we saw the game out.

“For us to score three goals against a team that is ahead of us in the Women’s Premier Division, that was a new experience, especially against a team that had beaten Peamount Utd by 3-2.

“What was really pleasing for me was the performance, we have been performing consistently this season, but not getting results, that all changed on Saturday and it will be a great confidence booster for the remainder of the season.

“We had nothing to lose against DLR, all the pressure was on them, but our players have belief in their own ability and no matter who we get in the semi-final it’s another knock-out game and you never know what way it will go.

“The other three teams will all want to draw Sligo Rovers for obvious reason and that won’t bother us, we know we can play and we know we can push the best of them,” he concluded.