Conall Collier

It’s appropriate that the 100th competitive game for the women of Sligo Rovers should take place at the Showgrounds, a significant milestone achieved on home turf. It’s also appropriate that there is a type of symmetry about the occasion, but that may require a brief explanation for the purpose of clarity.

Saturday, 5th March 2022 brought the ‘new’ team in the Women’s National League (as it was at the time) to PRL Park in West Dublin, close to the village of Newcastle, the home of Peamount Utd, three-time League champions.

Steve Feeney was on the sideline facing his first managerial test at senior level for the Bit O’Red and will have the distinction of managing the team for the 100th competitive game.

Katie Melly started for the Bit O’Red against Peamount Utd and continues to feature, as does a 65th-minute substitute on the opening day, Paula McGrory. Another player from that historic first game, Orna O’Dowd, is currently a team coach.

Shamrock Rovers provide opposition for the 100th competitive game, and the Dublin side features two women who made a big impact for Peamount Utd back in March 2022.

The Republic of Ireland duo each scored two goals for Peamount Utd – Stephanie Roche (now Stephanie Zambra) in the first half and Áine O’Gorman in the second half.

Four seasons later, Stephanie Zambra now has the role of manager for the Dublin club, while Áine O’Gorman is still finding the net on a regular basis.

The Dublin club only returned to the Women’s Premier Division in 2023 (it was rebranded for the 2023 season) after withdrawing at the end of the 2013/2014 season.

Their first match back was against Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds on Saturday, 4th March 2023, where they claimed a 2-1 victory with Áine O’Gorman finding the net in the 92nd minute in front of 750 supporters.

Katie Melly and Stephanie Roche (Zambra) both featured in that game also.

THE TEAMS – 5TH MARCH 2022

Peamount Utd – Niamh Reid Burke, Lauryn O’Callaghan, Chloe Moloney, Tiegan Ruddy, Erin McLaughlin, Karen Duggan, Sadhbh Doyle, Dora Gorman, Alannah McEvoy, Stephanie Roche, Aine O’Gorman.

Subs – Tara O’Hanlon for McEvoy, Jetta Berrill for McLaughlin and Lauren Kelly for Doyle (both 65 mins), Sarah Duke Power for Moloney (73 mins), and Michelle Doonan for Roche (81 mins)

Sligo Rovers – Kristen Sample, Amy Hyndman, Ruth Monaghan, Orna O’Dowd, Helen Monaghan, Lauren Boles, Amy Roddy, Katie Melly, Gemma McGuinness, Aoife Brennan, Fiona Doherty.

Subs – Erin Coyle for H. Monaghan and Paula McGrory for Brennan, both 65 mins; Lauren McLellan for Doherty, 76 mins; and Ciara Henry for Hyndman, 83 mins.

The Sligo Rovers players who started the first game in the Women’s National League on Saturday 5th March 2022 against Peamount Utd (from left) were: back – Lauren Boles, Kristen Sample, Fiona Doherty, Aoife Brennan, Helen Monaghan, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Roddy; front – Katie Melly, Gemma McGuinness, Amy Hyndman, and Ruth Monaghan.

100TH COMPETITIVE GAME SATURDAY 23RD AUGUST:

Women’s Premier Division: Sligo Rovers v Shamrock Rovers, kick-off 3pm live on LOITV.