Sligo Rovers will look to make it three home wins in the spin as the Bit O’Red take on league leaders Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds this Saturday, kick-off 7.45pm.
Rovers are in good form following the summer break with seven points won from a possible twelve since then, with wins on home turf over Waterford and Galway United supplemented by a point picked up away to Bohs at Dalymount Park last Friday.
There are four new faces in line for their Rovers debuts. Loanees James McManus and Ryan O’Kane are eligible as are fellow recent signings Paddy McClean and Seb Quirk, all of whom have joined in the current window. Gareth McElroy is expected to be fit for the game having missed the last few outings as a precaution following a head injury sustained a number of weeks back in Drogheda.
Reece Hutchinson and Stephen Mallon have moved on, while prospects David Jonathan and Guilly Priosti have been loaned out to Ballinamallard United. Harvey Lintott’s loan spell has also come to an end.
Skipper John Mahon serves the first of an additional three game ban handed to him following his red card against Galway. Ronan Manning and Oskar Van Hattum will also miss Saturday’s tie due to injury.
Rovers’ recent home form against the Hoops is steady. Stephen Bradley’s side have been beaten in their last two visits to Sligo, while their last win in the north west was in June 2023.
Both sides have already recorded victories over the other in 2025. Mahon scored the winner twelve minutes from the end at the Showgrounds in March, while goals from Graham Burke and Aaron Greene saw Shams take the three points in Tallaght in May, despite the visitors’ impressive showing in the second period that particular evening.
Speaking to sligorovers.com ahead of this ‘Clash of the Rovers’, Sligo boss John Russell says he is aware of the challenge posed by Saturday’s game and has urged the Sligo public to get out and get behind his men for what is traditionally a very competitive fixture.
“We’re playing against the strongest squad in the league this Saturday, the league leaders and every player we send out knows they must be on top of their game if we’re to do well”, he says.
“Shams’ main strength is their strength in depth and their ability to change a game with a substitution. Against Waterford, they had Jack Byrne, Rory Gaffney and Gary O’Neill on the bench. Household names when it comes to domestic football so that tells you a story.
“Our form at home recently has been very good and our recent home form against Shamrock Rovers has been decent so they’ll know to expect a game. But we have to show up again and play with the same intensity and organisation we have been for the last few weeks.
“I’m really pleased with the players’ attitude recently. There’s such a huge togetherness in this group and it feels we can take anything on together. We were so unlucky against Bohs last week, but the players gave that game absolutely everything, particularly in the second half. Every man put their body on the line for their team mate and you could see at the end how much it took out of them. They were desperately disappointed and annoyed to concede so late on, but we were proud of the resolve we showed.
“But we’ve trained this week with pace on the ball and a real purpose, especially with the four new boys in. They’ll give us further competition and that is always a good thing. We’re really looking forward to getting them settled on the field and getting them playing in our rhythm.
“Our supporters were incredible against Galway and last week in Dublin. The noise they made really helped the players along so I’m looking for a big, big crowd this weekend and we’ll get all four sides of the ground bouncing because we will need them.”
David Goulden