By Conall Collier
Sligo Rovers will mark a 100th competitive game in the Women’s Premier Division (WPD), previously Women’s National League, with the visit of Shamrock Rovers to the Showgrounds on Saturday, kick-off scheduled for 5pm.
The historic first game took place on Saturday 5th March 2022 against a Peamount Utd side that featured Republic of Ireland internationals Stephanie Roche and Áine O’Gorman who both scored against the Bit O’Red.
The duo will feature in Saturday’s encounter with Stephanie Roche (now Stephanie Zambra) patrolling the sideline and Áine O’Gorman bidding to add to her tally of five goals against the Bit O’Red.
However, recent results and form favours Sligo Rovers as the Dublin women will go into this encounter on the back of successive WPD defeats at home to Galway (1-2) and away to Wexford (1-2), Maria Reynolds and Ella Kelly scored for the Dublin side.
Last weekend they bounced back to winning ways with an impressive 2-1 WFAI Cup quarter-final victory against top-of-the-table Shelbourne despite conceding an early goal with Scarlett Herron and Anna Butler replying.
That result will certainly rule out any form of complacency from Steve Feeney’s side although the Rovers players will take positives from the 0-0 result they achieved at Tallaght Stadium last May and prior to that, a 1-1 draw at the same venue last September.
Add in the fact that the Bit O’Red will go into this 100th competitive game on the back of successive 2-0 wins against Waterford and Cork City where the goals were spread between Muireann Devaney, Paula McGrory, Alana Doherty and Emma Hansberry.
Another player who is well capable of hitting the target is central defender Annie McKinely and she is likely to deliver another solid performance in an effort for a third successive cleansheet for her team.
The challenge that his players will face is not lost on Steve Feeney, but speaking after the win against Cork City, he displayed a positive demeanour.
“That’s a couple of successive wins where we scored two goals in each game and kept cleansheets, the target now is to maintain that consistency,” he said.
“The girls deserve this, they stuck at it when things weren’t going their way and we have also moved up the table as well.
“We created lots of chances against Cork, especially in the first-half, but the ball just wouldn’t go into the net, we probably weren’t ruthless enough, but we have scored eight goals in our last five games and won the last two.
“I’m looking forward to the next game now, we are at home again after a break last week and Stephanie Zambra will definitely have her side playing nice football.
“We can play a bit as well, we got a draw last time out at Tallaght Stadium and the target now for us is to make it three wins-in-a-row to consolidate our current position,” he concluded.
The 100th competitive game – Sligo Rovers v Shamrock Rovers – is live on LOITV with a 5pm kick-off at the Showgrounds
JOURNEY TO 100
2022 – 28 played: League 27; FAI Cup 1
(Does not include walkover received from Douglas Hall)
2023 – 26 played: League 20; FAI Cup 3; All-Island Cup 3
2024 – 26 played: League 20; FAI Cup 3; All-Island Cup 3
2025 – 19 played: League 15; FAI Cup 1; All-Island Cup 3
Total – 99 played: League 82; FAI Cup 8; All-Island Cup 9
PHOTO:
The Sligo Rovers players who started in the Women’s Premier Division victory against Cork City on Saturday 9th August (from left) were: back – Alana Doherty, AnnieMcKinley, Emma Hansberry, Bonnie McKiernan, Muireann Devaney, Paula McGrory; front – Anna McDaniel, Rachel McGoldrick, Alice Lillie, Katie Melly, Leah Kelly. Photo by: Conall Collier.