By Conall Collier

The attention this weekend for Sligo Rovers will switch to a second round game in the Women’s All-Island Cup with a trip to Belfast on the radar for Saturday to tackle Linfield Ladies at Midgley Park, 2pm.

There will be an international break the following weekend and the third round of the All-Island Cup will complete the qualifying action on Saturday 7^th June when the Bit O’Red will host Shelbourne.

Steve Feeney’s side will travel to Belfast on Saturday with live quarter-final qualification prospects following a home 1-1 draw against Bohemian FC at the end of April on the same day that Linfield slumped to a heavy defeat in Dublin against Shelbourne.

That 5-1 victory for Shelbourne has the Dublin side sitting at the top of Group A ahead of a visit to Dalymount Park on Saturday to play Bohs.

Rovers will be eager to keep a fourth cleansheet of the season following last Saturday’s reversal against Women’s Premier Division champions Athlone Town and a victory in Belfast would put the Bit O’Red in a strong position to claim a place in the last eight.

STEVE FEENEY

Manager Steve Feeney is looking forward to the challenge of tackling a quality team like Linfield and he feels that his players are more than capable of getting the victory in Belfast.

“Linfield are a good team and they have some players in the Northern Ireland squad, that’s the kind of quality they have,and they also have some former Sligo Rovers players, Zoe McGlynn and Keri Loughrey,” commented Steve.

“It will be a big challenge for us, but it’s good to play a team from outside our own league and everyone is looking forward to it.

“We still have a lengthy injury list, but we have been dealing with that for the past few weeks and we will be looking for a positive performance and a positive result.

“If we can get the win on Saturday it will set us up nicely for the final group game a fortnight later against Shelbourne at the Showgrounds.

“It’s as simple as that, we have to try to get the win and then see what way the other game (Bohs v Shelbourne) goes, but Linfield will be looking at it the same way.

“They (Linfield) lost to Shelbourne, but a lot of teams will lose to Shelbourne this season, we won’t read too much into that result and we will do our homework and be ready for the challenge.

“Hopefully, we will deliver a solid performance, similar to some of recent displays, if we can do that, then we will have a good chance,” he concluded.

LINFIELD

Linfield’s season kicked-off in mid-April with a couple of outings in the Women’s League Cup that produced a 4-1 win against Lisburn and a 2-3 loss to Cliftonville ahead of that trip to Tolka Park for the All-Island Cup against Shelbourne which the Dublin side won by 5-1.

Since then, Linfield defeated Derry City 9-0 in the League Cup and have now played twice in the NIFL Premiership – a 1-1 draw with Cliftonville, goal from Cora Chambers, and a 2-1 win against Crusaders with Alex Clarke and Cora Chambers on the scoreboard.

There is a Sligo Rovers theme at Linfield with former players Zoe McGlynn and Keri Loughrey featuring regularly for the Belfast side and the duo played in that defeat at Tolka Park.

Linfield started well in that game with a lead goal on 38 minutes from Alex Clarke, but the hosts responded positively and were ahead by 2-1 at the interval, before adding three more goals in the second-half.

Linfield manager Ryan McConville took positives out of the performance and will now be looking to pick up maximum points on Saturday.

“Shelbourne are a very good side and our players worked very hard, we were well in the game for 60 minutes,” he said.

“We have a competitive squad and they can achieve whatever they want to, but it’s down to them, we have retained most of our squad and it’s up to me to try to bring the best out of our players,” he added.

Linfield players in the Northern Ireland squad include Abi Sweetlove and Keri Halliday.

LOITV

Linfield v Sligo Rovers will kick-off at 2pm on Saturday, live on LOITV.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the return of our Regional Summer Camps for 2025, taking place across the region in partnership with local clubs. These much-loved camps are open to boys and girls aged 7 to 13, offering a week of football fun, skill development, and games.

Each camp will run Monday to Friday, from 10am to 1pm, and costs €85 per child. Along with coaching, fun drills, and small-sided games, all participants will receive a complimentary Sligo Rovers training top as part of their camp experience.

Regional Camp Schedule 2025

• Gurteen

Gurteen Park

Week of Monday, June 30th

• Swinford

James McEvaddy Park

Week of Monday, July 28th

• Boyle

Celtic Park

Week of Monday, August 4th

• Westport

AbbVie United Park

Week of Monday, August 11th

• Enniscrone

Michael McGowan Park

Week of Monday, August 18th

Please note that bookings will be handled by each host club, with registration details and sale dates to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

We extend our sincere thanks to our host clubs — Gurteen United, Swinford FC, Boyle Celtic, Westport United, and Kilglass Enniscrone United — for their continued support in making these camps possible. We look forward to welcoming young footballers from across the region for another exciting summer of football.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers found the going tough against defending champions Athlone Town at the Showgrounds on Saturday evening where referee Arnold Hunter had to be replaced by fourth official Michael Connolly with about 15 minutes remaining.

The referee sustained an injury and had to be assisted from the pitch and that delay, plus a stoppage when Sligo Rovers ‘keeper Bonnie McKiernan received attention, produced 12 minutes of added time.

Athlone were ahead at the break from a Rosin Molloy goal and Kelly Brady doubled the advantage in the second-half, both goals arrived ahead of the water breaks in each half. Maddie Gibson added two late goals for Athlone to seal an eighth victory out of nine outings.

Rovers were well in contention for more than an hour, but were outplayed subsequently and cannot have any complaints about the outcome.

Rovers boss Steve Feeney made two changes from the draw at Tallaght Stadium as Kate Nugent and Muireann Devaney started in place of Keeva Flynn and Kate Nugent

Athlone’s starting 11 featured three changes from the 3-0 victory against Waterford with Ciara O’Neill, Roisin Molloy and Hazel Donegan coming in for Isabel Ryan, Katherine Sullivan and the suspended Natalie McNally.

The Bit O’Red looked strong early on and had a ‘goal’ ruled out in the 11th minute as Athlone laboured to dominate until they broke the deadlock midway through the half.

Sligo woman Molloy finished from a Gibson cross in the 22nd minute and that goal separated the sides at the interval as Athlone Town established a hard-earned 1-0 interval lead.

The hosts pushed and probed for an equaliser and Athlone ‘keeper Maria Matthaiou was tentative on occasions under the high ball while at the other end Bonnie McKiernan was composed and dominated her penalty area. She also saved well from Molloy close to the interval.

Athlone started the second-half on the front foot with both Brady and Gibson going close, but Rovers also created chances as Leah Kelly and Alice Lillie were narrowly off target.

On the hour mark there was a break in play for attention to Bonnie McKiernan after she had denied Brady, but there was nothing the Bit O’Red keeper could do soon after when Athlone made it 2-0. Gibson provided the cross and Brady finished ahead of the second-half water break.

Unusually, when play resumed there was another lengthy stoppage as referee Arnold Hunter sustained an injury and had to be assisted from the pitch with fourth official Michael Connolly deputising.

There was 12 minutes added time and Athlone took complete control for the remainder with Gibson claiming a brace of goals while Bonnie McKiernan made some good saves to curtail the Athlone women.

The next action in the WPD will take place in mid-June away to DLR Waves with the All-Island Cup on the radar for the Bit O’Red against Linfield on Saturday 24th May and Shelbourne on Saturday 7th June.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Alanah Doherty, Alice Lillie, Emma Hansberry, Eimear Lafferty, Muireann Devaney, Kate Nugent, Cara King, Anna McDaniel.

Subs – Rebecca McIntyre for King 70 mins, Kya McKenna for Kelly and Morgan Burnap for Doherty both 86m, Lauren Devaney for Lafferty and Natasha Kelly for McDaniel both 96m.

Athlone Town – Maria Matthaiou; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Shauna Brennan, Hannah Waesch, Izzy Groves, Kelly Brady, Rosin Molloy, Maddie Gibson, Hazel Donegan, Ciara O’Neill.

Subs – Isabel Ryan for Donegan and Aoife O’Connor for Molloy both 84 mins, Sarah Flannelly for Brady and Emma Mooney for Groves both 89m, Erica Cunningham for Brennan 91m.

Referee – Arnold Hunter.

Assistant-referees – Darren Corcoran, John Hanney.

Fourth official – Michael Connolly.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will bid to extend an unbeaten sequence to four games when defending Women’s Premier Division (WPD) champions Athlone Town visit the Showgrounds on Saturday, 3pm.

The Bit O’Red kept a cleansheet at Tallaght Stadium last Saturday and were well worth a draw as they made it three successive games unbeaten, but Athlone will pose a huge challenge.

On the injury front, almost half a team of regular starters will be absent again as Paula McGrory, Katie Melly, Amber Hardy, Rachel McGoldrick and Jessica Casey remain on the sideline and Rovers manager Steve Feeney is well aware of the challenge this weekend.

STEVE FEENEY

“Athlone are in great form and look like a formidable team at the moment, with seven wins and draw so far in the league and they are scoring plenty of goals also,” he stated.

“Roisin Molloy has returned to action from injury and when you add her to players like Maddie Gibson, Kelly Brady and quality in other positions, they have a strong panel.

“It will be another big test for us this weekend, but then that’s what we want and we are really looking forward to the game against the reigning champions,” he added.

“We’ll prepare as best we can, just like we did last week and the week before and the target will be to extend our unbeaten sequence.

“We are certainly under no illusions about the task that we face, if we are not on our game then we will be punished.

“However, the girls deserve great credit for the way they have found improvement over the last few weeks, especially the way they executed our game plan at Tallaght Stadium last Saturday.

“If we can improve on that against Athlone, then we will be in with a chance, but it will require total concentration for 90 minutes.

“We have conceded only one goal in our last three games while in the three before that, we conceded 11 goals, that’s a reflection on all the players and we now want to build on that, another clean sheet on Saturday would give us a great chance,” he concluded.

ATHLONE TOWN

Currently, Athlone Town lead the way at the top of the WPD with a point to spare ahead of 2023 champions Shelbourne.

The formbook would certainly favour an unbeaten Athlone Town side that has won seven out of eight WPD games this season with a draw at Tallaght Stadium in mid-March where they finished with 10 players following a red card with about 20 minutes remaining.

There was also a defeat (1-0) in the All-Island Cup away to Glentoran where Athlone finished with nine players following two red cards around the 90^th minute mark and despite a red card last weekend after 20 minutes, the Westmeath side carved out an impressive 3-0 victory against Waterford.

LOITV

Kick-off at The Showgrounds is at 3pm and the game is live on LOITV.

Kick-off at The Showgrounds is at 3pm and the game is live on LOITV.

SHAMROCK ROVERS 0, SLIGO ROVERS 0

By Conall Collier

Bonnie McKiernan produced a superb display between the posts at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday evening as Sligo Rovers earned a valuable Women’s Premier Division point and made it three games unbeaten with a third clean sheet of the season.

The players have addressed the early-season problem of leaking goals and while few scoring chances were created at the Dublin venue, the first requirement was to make it difficult for the opposition, and that goal has been achieved.

Steve Feeney made one change from the previous week’s win over Peamount, with Keeva Flynn coming into the starting 11 at the expense of Kate Nugent, while his opposite number, Collie O’Neill, also made one change as Republic of Ireland player Ruesha Littlejohn returned to the side in favour of Jaime Thompson.

With Women’s National Team manager Carla Ward watching the action, the hosts were intent on making an impact, but the Bit O’Red produced another battling rearguard action during the opening 45 minutes and went in scoreless at the interval.

They repeated the performance after the resumption and were well worth the point, as solid defending was the hallmark, with Keeva Flynn, Sarah Kierna and Alice Lillie holding the line with tremendous backup from ‘keeper Bonnie McKiernan, who produced a string of smart saves.

Twice she denied Áine O’Gorman with fingertip saves, and she also thwarted Joy Ralph and Katie O’Reilly as the hosts enjoyed plenty of possession but were unable to make any impact on the scoreboard.

The pattern was similar in the second half, where the tireless efforts of Eimear Lafferty, Emma Hansberry and Alanah Doherty limited chances for the hosts, who went close on two occasions through Aoife Brophy, denied by the crossbar, and Ella Kelly.

Substitutes Muireann Devaney and Kate Nugent were crucial additions in the closing stages, and Devaney almost scored with her first touch as the Bit O’Red launched a late attack.

Overall, this was yet another encouraging display from a Sligo Rovers team that is showing consistent improvement each week.

Shamrock Rovers – Katie Keane; Scarlett Herron, Maria Reynolds, Katie O’Reilly, Melissa O’Kane, Joy Ralph, Emily Corbett, Áine O’Gorman, Aoife Brophy, Keelin Comiskey, Ruesha Littlejohn. Subs – Ella Kelly for Corbett 57 mins, Jaime Thompson for O’Gorman, Fiona Owens for Brophy and Anna Butler for O’Reilly all 75m.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Keeva Flynn, Alice Lillie, Emma Hansberry, Eimear Lafferty, Alanah Doherty, Mairead McIntyre, Cara King, Anna McDaniel. Subs – Muireann Devaney for McIntyre 71 mins, Kate Nugent for Doherty 85 mins.

Referee – Glen Geraghty.

Assistant referees – Simon Drislane, Dylan Redmond.

Fourth official – John Sconnie-Walsh.

Sligo Rovers will travel to Tallaght Stadium on Saturday for a Women’s Premier Division (WPD) showdown against a Shamrock Rovers side that currently sits in sixth place, some eight points adrift of leaders Athlone Town.

The Bit O’Red will go into the first of two big games on the back of an impressive victory last Saturday against four-time champions Peamount Utd, with Athlone Town set to visit the Showgrounds the following weekend.

Anna McDaniel’s 19th-minute goal was the platform for a thoroughly deserved win last Saturday as the Bit O’Red delivered a tremendous display with 90 minutes of non-stop pressure.

Bonnie McKiernan will start between the posts again as Amber Hardy continues her recovery along with the injured trio of Katie Melly, Jessica Casey and Rachel McGoldrick.

Against that background, injuries to four regular starters, Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney has been rewarded with some swashbuckling performances from the players who have deputised and who will now be looking for regular starting positions.

“The fact that we had players of the quality of Muireann (Devaney) and Keeva (Flynn) on the bench last Saturday was a reflection of the actual strength in depth of our panel, and it was a real boost to bring them on in the second half,” stated Steve.

“We got a performance over the whole game against Peamount, and that was something we were aiming for; getting the 1-0 win along with that was a bonus.

“Obviously, it’s a major setback that Katie Melly, Amber Hardy, Rachel McGoldrick and Jessica Casey are still on the injured list, but Paula McGrory and Kya McKenna could be available for selection.

“We are starting to look more solid throughout the pitch at this stage, and I think that was evident after we took the lead against Peamount. We will have to bring that type of performance to Tallaght Stadium on Saturday.

“It’s a bit of a cliché, I suppose, but there is no easy game in this league, and we will have to produce an even better performance this weekend.

“We know that it will be a big challenge on a big pitch, but it’s something the players will relish, and they will be aiming to extend an unbeaten sequence and add to our points tally.

“The bottom line is that we have two big games ahead of us with Athlone Town at the Showgrounds the following weekend before the trip to Belfast to play Linfield in the All-Island Cup.

“I suppose the target for Saturday is to back up our performances against Bohs and Peamount and see where that takes us.

“Shams will have a certain confidence about them and will, no doubt, be expecting to push up the table at our expense,” he added.

The Dublin women will go into Saturday’s game on the back of a 10-goal haul in the last two outings, a 6-0 win and a 4-1 win in the All-Island Cup and WPD, respectively, against bottom-of-the-table DLR Waves.

Republic of Ireland international Ruesha Littlejohn has added to the quality, although she didn’t start last weekend at the Belfield Bowl, where, in a post-match interview, manager Collie O’Neill wasn’t impressed with the condition of the pitch.

Emily Corbett (two) and Joy Ralph scored last weekend against DLR Waves, and there was also an own goal. Prior to that they lost against Galway (3-2) and Wexford (3-2), with a 1-1 draw against Peamount sandwiched between those defeats.

The Dublin side will be going for goals on Saturday and will have the benefit of last season’s joint top scorers, Joy Ralph and Áine O’Gorman, who scored eight goals apiece, to boost the prospects of a first WPD home victory since mid-March.

Kick-off at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday is at 5pm, and the game will be live on LOITV.

By Conall Collier

Anna McDaniel’s 19th-minute goal gave battling Sligo Rovers a thoroughly deserved first Women’s Premier Division (WPD) win of the season at the expense of Dublin side Peamount Utd at the Showgrounds on Saturday afternoon.

This was a tremendous display by the Bit O’Red as the players were rewarded for 90 minutes of nonstop pressure on the opposition, and that was a big factor in a second clean sheet of the season.

Rovers boss Steve Feeney made two enforced changes from the previous outing in the All-Island Cup, with both Amber Hardy and Rachel McGoldrick missing out through injury.

They were replaced by Bonnie McKiernan and Cara King, while the continued absence of Jessica Casey, Katie Melly and Paula McGrory, all on the injured list, was another factor in team selection.

Peamount boss Emma Donohoe opted to start Amanda Budden between the posts again in favour of Leona Heffernan, who had played the previous week against Cork City.

Lauryn O’Callaghan, Ciara Maher and Neala Byrne also returned to the side in place of Lucy McCartan, Sorcha Melia and Toni Ceno, who had also featured against Cork City.

From kick-off the Bit O’Red didn’t allow the opposition to settle into any type of rhythm and played mostly in the Peamount half with Alanah Doherty carving out an early chance.

However, Peamount went close from a well-struck Rebecca Watkins shot from distance in the 16th minute, but the flawless Bonnie McKiernan tipped over.

Once again, Sarah Kiernan was outstanding in defence, with both Leah Kelly and Alice Lillie providing solid backup, while Eimear Lafferty and Emma Hansberry were tireless around the middle.

The only goal arrived in the 19th minute, and while McDaniel applied the finishing touch, it was Mairead McIntyre’s drive that created the opening.

The hosts were reasonably comfortable for the remainder of the opening half and had the ability to absorb some intense second-half Peamount pressure as the Dublin women went in search of an equaliser.

Both sides had chances, with a Carla McManus shot on 81 minutes the best of what Peamount produced. At the other end, Amanda Budden made a good save to deny Rovers substitute Muireann Devaney in the 89th minute.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Alice Lillie, Alanah Doherty, Eimear Lafferty, Emma Hansberry, Kate Nugent, Mairead McIntyre, Cara King, Anna McDaniel. Subs – Muireann Devaney for King 73 mins, Natasha Kelly for McIntyre and Keeva Flynn for Doherty, both 86 mins, and Morgan Burnap for McDaniel 94 mins.

Peamount Utd – Amanda Budden; Lauryn O’Callaghan, Mary Phillips, Ciara Maher, Rebecca Watkins, Carla McManus, Abby Tuthill, Jess Fitzgerald, Karen Duggan, Antea Guvo, Neala Byrne. Subs – Lucy McCartan for Byrne and Sorcha Melia for Maher, both half-time; Sadhbh Doyle for O’Callaghan 70 mins, Ruby Gallagher for Guvo 77 mins.

Referee – Arnold Hunter.

Assistant referees – Darren Corcoran, Darren Carey.

Fourth official – Michael Connolly.

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will host Peamount Utd on Saturday in the Women’s Premier Division (WPD) with manager Steve Feeney almost in a position where he might only have 11 fit players following the trauma of the past fortnight.

The stretcher-bearers were kept busy tending to the walking wounded and to those who couldn’t even walk following the WPD game against Galway and the All-Island Cup draw with Bohemians FC last Sunday.

Arising from those encounters, four Bit O’Red players are sitting on the bench due to injuries that were sustained, while Paula McGrory remains on the doubtful list ahead of this Saturday’s action.

Katie Melly and Jessica Casey were sidelined after the Galway game a fortnight ago. Amber Hardy Amber Hardy had to be stretchered off in the 90th minute last week after she sustained a fractured patella, and goalscorer Rachel McGoldrick sustained an arm injury (double fracture) after she fell awkwardly.

That’s the current challenge for Steve Feeney, who can reflect on what was a hugely encouraging display last Sunday, as his target will be a first win of the season against a Peamount side that finished sixth last season.

“We have a relatively young squad; Tommy (Hewitt) gave a lot of girls opportunities last year, and that experience will be helpful this season,” stated the Bit O’Red boss.

“Players like Emma Hansberry, Leah Kelly and Muireann Devaney add experience, and the players coming through from the Academy have the talent to make a serious contribution.

“It was evident in the All-Island Cup last week; we needed a solid performance to get anything out of that contest against Bohemians, and after a slow start, I felt that we were able to control the game for long periods,” he added.

Peamount currently sit in seventh place, some nine points adrift of leaders Athlone Town, as they adjust to the post-James O’Callaghan era after the long-serving manager stepped down from his role at the end of last season.

Emma Donohoe has stepped into the ‘hot seat’ at the Dublin club that has a rich tradition in the league and the distinction of winning the inaugural title back in 2012 when the recently retired Republic of Ireland international Louise Quinn was the captain.

The Dublin club won the last of four titles in 2023 and will always have a place in the history of Sligo Rovers.

Peamount’s home ground, PRL Park in West Dublin, was the venue in March 2022 for the historic first outing for Sligo Rovers in what was then the Women’s National League.

Last time out in the WPD, Peamount found the going tough against bottom-of-the-table DLR Waves and needed a second-half Jess Fitzgerald goal for a hard-earned 3-2 victory.

Peamount enjoyed a 3-0 win away to Cork City last weekend in the All-Island Cup, with goals in the 88th and 90th minutes sealing the victory after Croatian player Antea Guvo gave them the lead in the first half.

Sligo Rovers v Peamount Utd will kick off on Saturday at 3pm and will be available on LOITV.