Sligo Rovers handed Dundalk their second defeat on the spin as the Bit O’Red bounced back from recent indifferent form of their own to beat the champions at the Showgrounds.

Romeo Parkes sent Rovers on the way to their first league victory in four before Pat Hoban levelled the tie from the spot.

Sligo’s Bermudan centre half Dante Leverock settled this game before half-time when he popped up at the back post to help Liam Buckley’s charges toward their third league win of the season. 

The less fancied Sligo hit the lead with just 27 seconds played.

Ronan Coughlan combined with full -back Lewis Banks on the left and his cross was perfect for Parkes as he coolly slotted past Gary Rogers.

Rovers should have doubled their advantage on 11 minutes.

Coughlan got in the way of an attempted clearance from the Dundalk rearguard as the ball rolled into the path of Daryl Fordyce. But the attacker lacked the composure required and could only cushion his effort wide of the post.

Parkes almost had his brace on 20 minutes but his low drive struck the bottom of the post with the Lilywhites stretched at the back.

Sligo’s busy start was brought to a sudden halt when Kyle McFadden handled the ball inside the area. Hoban clipping his subsequent penalty down the middle.

Rovers took the lead again before the break. Parkes flicking David Cawley’s corner towards the back post where Leverock was on hand to head past Rogers for his second goal of the year.

A disjointed Dundalk struggled to find a way past a solid Rovers, in a second half bereft of much in terms of goalmouth action.

Fordyce was denied by a superb save from Rogers, when the Meath native pushed the Rovers attacker’s looping header over the Dundalk crossbar mid-way through the second period.

John Mountney’s first time volley was simple for Beeney to hold on to as the champions pressed late on, but it was Rovers who held on for the three points.

Sligo Rovers: Mitchell Beeney; Johnny Dunleavy, Dante Leverock, John Mahon, Lewis Banks; Kyle Callan-McFadden; David Cawley, Jack Keaney (Niall Morahan 89); Daryl Fordyce; Ronan Coughlan; Romeo Parkes (Kris Twardek 73).

Dundalk: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland (John Mountney HT), Daniel Cleary, Dane Massey; Daniel Kelly (George Kelly 62), Sean Murray (Joe McKee 68), Sean Hoare, Jamie McGrath, Michael Duffy; Patrick Hoban.

Referee: Rob Rogers.

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Please note that the Showgrounds car park has been privately hired for the next number of days so it will not be in use for Friday’s game with Dundalk

We apologise for the inconvenience to all fans, please plan parking in advance especially if arriving close to kick off.

Sligo Rovers face reigning league champions Dundalk on Friday night in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division in The Showgrounds.

Rovers begin the second series of matches having earned a point in Oriel Park on the opening night of the season.

In team news, Ronan Murray is suspended for this game and three more matches following his red card last week against Bohs.

Ed McGinty is doubtful with a finger injury. John Russell is also doubtful.

Liam Buckley said: “I thought we were the better side for good periods against Bohs but the red card and the goal early in the second half were big setbacks.

“We fought well in the circumstances and had a couple of chances but in the end we lost the game and didn’t score on the night. We have to change that and we have to improve upon being decent in patches. 

“We’re trying to build something here over a period of time and it’s a hard, hard league so while we are building, it’s imperative we keep getting points on the board. 

“I’d ask the supporters to stick with the players and get behind them on night’s like these because we are up against the league champions and we know how hard it was to get that point in Oriel. 

“We showed that night a fighting quality, but we have a lot more than that to our game and it’s up to us to show that too.”

The Sligo Rovers Women’s Under 17 team begin their Só Hotels Women’s Under 17 National League campaign on Saturday, when they travel to Dublin to take on Peamount.

The Bit O’Red girls were due to start last Saturday, but the game was postponed as a result of international call-ups on both sides.

Head-coach Darragh Healy says his players are raring to go: “We’re really excited. We’re happy with how things have gone so far. It’s all systems go. Peamount will be a tough game but we’re ready for it.”

There are just three new faces in the squad for this year. Healy feels that the settled squad will help. “There’s only two or three new players in the squad this year, who we’re really happy to get in. Obviously a few players have moved on that are overage, very few changes around the place. They did well last year, we’re hoping to build on that. The girls are that bit older and that bit more experienced so hopefully we’ll have a good season.”

“A lot of the girls still have this year and next year so they still have two seasons, a lot of those girls came in as 14 or 15 year olds last year and had a half season, we’re hoping that with this year and next year they will come on really strong and develop as players.”

Healy says the important thing is developing the players for the future. Results are not the most important aspect of the season.

“We want to see the girls to improve, that’s the main thing. We spoke to them, results may or may not go your way every week but the main thing is  that we’re improving as players and improving as a group and that the girls are developing as players. The results will take care of themselves after that.

“There was a lot of good work done last year. I’m coming in and the girls are in a really good place, the club is in a really good place. We’re just hoping to build on that for the season ahead and take it to the next level if we can.”

He also confirmed his management team: “Assistant coach is Martin McManus, a Sligo man, he would have worked on the Emerging Talent programme so he would have worked with myself and John Russell around Sligo. I’ve Jason Quinn, goalkeeping coach, he’s played in the IT for many years and he’s a very good up and coming goalkeeping coach, really happy to have him on board. Stephen Travers is doing the video work for us, mostly on matches, that will be very useful. We have Conor Rush doing the strength and conditioning, he’s recently finished his masters. Delighted to have him on board, he will really help the girls. We have Hugh Cunningham doing the player observation and a bit of match analysis. Really happy with all the staff.”

Councillor Marie Casserly, Chairperson of the Sligo Rovers Womens committee said: “We were accepted as founding members of the inaugural U17 Women’s National League for the 2018 and 2019 Seasons which commenced in July 2018, with our plans to add a Senior Women’s National League team in the 2020 season to complete the pathway for elite female players which is not currently catered for in the North West of Ireland. When I was asked to become involved two years ago I was honoured and privileged as I truly believe in the need to attract, promote and retain women and girls in sport. To be able to do this in Sligo is fantastic as traditionally female football players of this standard have had to leave the region to continue to play football at an elite level. Now we have provided an opportunity through collaboration with different agencies to compete with the best of them here in this region.”

This would not be possible without our main sponsors David McConville Orthodontics, and facility sponsors IT Sligo.

The squad is as follows: Erin Taheny, Leah Duffy, Leah Fox, Sarah Kiernan, Cathy Harrison, Kate Nugent, Keela Scanlon, Muireann Devaney, Aoife McLoughlin, Helen Monaghan, Farrah McDonagh, Sophie McDonagh, Aife Haran, Ciara Henry, Emer O’Neill, Alva Munnelly, Ava Keane, Sorcha Reddy, Kate O’Dowd.

This Friday’s match programme includes the following, priced at €4

Free Seamus Coleman match poster

44 pages

Interview with our kitman Colin Feehily

Liam Buckley – his thoughts on tonights game

Leo Gray on selection headaches

Conal Collier on Hope Springs Eternal

Sligo Super Cup

Pure Telecom and Sligo Rovers U13’s

When Rovers Hit Dundalk for 8

20 Questions with Ed McGinty

Where are they now by Joe Molloy

Face In The Crowd Photo, if you are picked, you win a prize

Red Icon – Christy Houze

Sligo Rovers Easter Camps will take place from Monday April 15^th until Friday April 26^th.  The camp runs from 10.30am until 3pm daily.

Prices remain capped from last year, with the cost of the camp €60 for one child, €100 for two children from the one family and €135 for three children from the one family.

Each child that participates in the 2019 Easter Camps will receive an official Sligo Rovers training top (different from last year), a picture with the Sligo Rovers players, a free ticket to the next Sligo Rovers home league game and a participation certificate.

The ever popular Breakfast Club returns yet again, which opens from 8.30am daily. The Breakfast Club runs until 10.30am (before the actual camp starts) and each child that attends is given a choice of cereal, toast and juice each morning. Members of the first team attend the Breakfast Club with a presentation on healthy eating taking place on one of the mornings. The cost of the Breakfast Club is an additional €25 per person.

Places are limited to 25 each week with pre booking strongly advised. Week 1 is now sold out and week 2 has limited places. Any children that attend the Breakfast Club are walked down from the Breakfast Club to the camp at 10.30am each morning by a camp coach.

To book your child/children on the 2019 Sligo Rovers Easter Camps, you can contact Shane at the club on 071-9171212 or email him at shane@sligorovers.com

Alternatively, you can book your child/children on the 2019 Sligo Rovers Easter Camps online here

Sligo Rovers is delighted to announce an exciting new fund raising partnership with Ireland’s leading home broadband and telephone company, Pure Telecom (www.puretelecom.ie).

The deal will see Pure Telecom make a direct contribution to the club of €100 for every person who signs up to an exclusive low-cost offer of broadband and phone services. With an initial goal of 250 sign ups, the club is targeting to raise €25,000 for the clubthrough Pure.

To check availability and the great deal, supporters should go to https://www.puretelecom.ie/sligo-rovers.

Pure Telecom offers some of the lowest cost broadband and telecoms services in Ireland.

 To ensure that supporters benefit from the deal as well as the club, Pure has established this exclusive low cost offerdesigned to persuade Rovers fans and the local community to switch in huge numbers. Fans can and benefit themselves and show their support for the club at the same time.

With more than 50,000 residential customers all over Ireland, Pure Telecom prides itself on delivering a level of customer service that is unmatched in the home broadband and telecoms market. 

Pure won the Best Broadband award at the 2018 Bonkers.ie National Consumer awards where, the judging panel remarked: “Having mystery shopped all nominees, we found that Pure Telecom has the best broadband service due to market-leading customer service, the latest download speeds, competitive, transparent pricing and a compelling range of product choices.”

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom said, “The passionate fans and deep community focus are what make Sligo Rovers stand out as a club. The Sligo and wider North West region is a very important market for us and we already have thousands of customers in the area. We are thrilled to partner with the club and look forward to helping Rovers back to its rightful place among Ireland’s elite clubs. 

“We want to reward the fans for their support too by offering them, friends of the club, parents and players a great broadband experience at exclusively low prices only available with this offer. We want to make sure that everybody has something to celebrate.” 

Liam Buckley, Manager, Sligo Rovers attended the launch and said, “Our team is working very hard to get Sligo Rovers back to our position among the leading clubs in Ireland. It is a huge boost to see an award winning broadband and phone company like Pure Telecom back us. I would urge fans to tell friends, neighbours and family about this great offer, to post it on social media,the club forum and of course to sign up themselves. It is great for the club and with this exclusive broadband and phone deal, it is great for the fans too.”

David Rowe, Treasurer, Sligo Rovers said, “This is a fantastic way to make a significant contribution to our club and get the best broadband service in Ireland at the same time. We encourage supporters to sign up with Pure Telecom, and to help us promote it, because the more fans that sign up, the more funds we have to invest in our club.Sligo Rovers and Pure Telecom are ambitious brands with a commitment to doing things the right way. We believe that this will harness the passion of our amazingsupporters.”

Rovers are encouraging fans to tell people to show their support for the club by sharing on all their social media channels when they sign up to the deal at https://www.puretelecom.ie/sligo-rovers

Note: This offer is not available to current Pure Telecom customers.

We are already heading towards Round 7 of our Last Man Standing competition, with just 139 left standing.

All 139 players left standing in the competition will be contacted by the club later in the week for their selections for this weekend.

Below is the list of players who remain standing and their selections to date. It may help some of you with your predictions ahead of the weekend.