Category: News

Rein Smit signs for Sligo Rovers

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the signing of Dutch striker Rein Smit, subject to international clearance.

The 23-year-old joins Rovers having trained with the club over a recent number of weeks and has featured in several pre-season friendlies, impressing manager John Russell. 

A product of the Heerenveen academy, where he signed at 13, Smit was a regular in their underage sides before appearing for the first team in the Eredivise. He then made the move to Dutch second tier side Telstar in 2021 where he was an important member of the first team for two seasons.

The Castricum native has signed a deal until the end of the season and is keen to make his mark as soon as possible. 

“I was in contact with John (Russell) early last year and I wanted to come to Rovers then”, Smit explains. 

“But Telstar didn’t want to let me go then. Then in the summer, I came to visit and see how it was but I had a small injury and couldn’t sign. So in the winter I came out and started to train with Rovers and get fit and happily, I was offered a contract.

“I am always hungry for goals and I want to be involved in both creating and scoring them. It’s going to be a huge challenge to get into the team and stay there but that’s what I’m here to do. I know I need to work hard and show John and the staff what I’m capable of.” 

Settling in Sligo over the past few weeks, Smit is quickly getting familiar with the area, his team-mates and the opposition.   

“Sligo is a really nice place!”, he continued. 

“It’s quieter than the area I am from but the weather is similar! 

“I didn’t know much about Rovers or the League of Ireland before I came but from what I’ve seen, it’s physical but my playing style is physical so I like it.

“I think there’s a really good squad here. We deserved to win last week against Shamrock Rovers and if you deserve to win against the league winners, then you’re doing a good job. The likes of JR Wilson, I love his aggressiveness, Conor Malley’s creativity and Fabrice Hartmann’s skill.” 

Russell had hoped to be able to include the centre forward in his squad from the start of the season. However a slight knock picked up in pre-season, delayed the process.. 

Speaking about his latest signing, Russell said: “I’m delighted to sign Rein. He has been with us since pre-season but unfortunately picked up a slight strain which put his signing back a few weeks. 

“He has a really good pedigree having come up through the Heerenveen academy and then breaking into the first team before moving onto Telstar. 

“We feel he has the attributes to do well in our league and especially in how we play. We will need to be patient in building him up over the next few weeks but we’re all excited to have him join us and add more firepower to our team.”

Match Report: v Shamrock Rovers

Sligo Rovers 0 – 0 Shamrock Rovers

Sligo Rovers were unfortunate not to pick up their first home win of the season as they played out an entertaining scoreless draw with Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds.

Both sides had chances to win the game with the best of them falling to Sligo’s Ellis Chapman in the second half. The former Cheltenham attacker unlucky to see his effort swept off the line. While the visitors were fortunate to end the game with the full compliment of players after goalkeeper Leon Pohls smashed into Simon Power outside his own area late with a quarter of an hour to go.

A string of fine saves in the second period from Ed McGinty brings the total number of clean sheets this year to three.

Winger Power returned to the Sligo starting eleven to face his old team, having missed the hosts’ five goal trouncing of Dundalk the Monday previous. While Stephen Bradley was able to name skipper Roberto Lopes in the Shamrock Rovers team for the first time since his escapades with Cape Verde at the African Cup of Nations, their only change from their late draw with Derry City. Gary O’Neill, due to start, was a late withdrawal due to an injury sustained in the warm-up.

Both sides created chances during a first half which was frenetic at times. Former Hoops winger Power’s early set-piece found its way to the back post. Both Max Mata and Ollie Denham close to the crucial touch that would have turned the ball home.

Another player going up against his former club, Aaron Greene had the Tallaght side’s first opportunity but McGinty got behind his low effort.

The lively Power struck the outside of Pohls’ near post 60 seconds later after a well worked one-two between the Greystones native and Mata. 
The end-to-end nature of the half continued although the crowd had to wait until the 33rd minute for the next chance. Graham Burke’s finish let him down at the far post, after Darragh Burns’ dipping cross evaded the Rovers defence.

John Russell’s charges did end the half the stronger.

Chapman stabbing Power’s free-kick toward goal where Pohls reacted in time to fumble the ball away for a corner. Fabrice Hartmann then dragged his shot from the resulting set piece narrowly wide.

McGinty easily dealt with Burke’s shot from the angle early in the second period, before Chapman’s opportunity on 51 minutes.

JR Wilson’s hard work saw him to the end line before the former Shels full-back squared for Chapman whose weak effort from seven yards was hacked off the line by birthday boy Dan Cleary with Pohls nowhere near the situation.

With plenty of possesion in front of the Sligo penalty area, the Dubliners looked to turn the screw although McGinty was suitably protected by the well-marshalled rearguard in front of him. Although the loanee goalkeeper was called into play in the 72nd minute when he traveled from his goal-line to fall at the feet of Sligo native Johnny Kenny after Burke had scopped the ball into the path of the second-half substitute.  Sligo were left exasperated two minutes later when Pohls crashed into the surging Power outside the Hoops area. Referee Rob Hennessy deciding a Shamrock Rovers defender was covering, opting to flash a yellow card at the German net-minder.

Rovers defender Ollie Denham then got in front of Kenny’s goal-bound effort as the points hung in the balance, while McGinty denied Kenny again with three minutes to go, spreading his body to cover the space between himself and his near post.

Rovers’ next game is Saturday March 16th as we host Drogheda United at the Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm. Tickets can be purchased below.

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Sligo Rovers:Ed McGinty; JR Wilson, Nando Pijnaker, Ollie Denham, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan (Kailin Barlow 89), Conor Malley; Simon Power, Ellis Chapman, Fabrice Hartmann (Will Fitzgerald 61); Max Mata (Wilson Waweru 77).

Shamrock Rovers: Leon Pohls; Lee Grace, Roberto Lopes, Dan Cleary; Darragh Burns, Josh Honohan; Dylan Watts (Darragh Nugent 88), Markus Poom; Graham Burke (Conan Noonan 88), Rory Gaffney (Johnny Kenny 63); Aaron Greene (Richie Towell 76).

Referee: Rob Hennessy.

Attendance: 3,674

Amy Hyndman signs for 2024

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the re-signing of Amy Hyndman for the 2024 season.

Amy joined Rovers from Athlone Town ahead of the 2022 season and made a number of appearances since.

The Grange native came through Benbulben FC’s academy, where she competed in the local Sligo/Leitrim Youths league before signing for Sion Swifts in Northern Ireland, where she played for two seasons.

speaking to Sligorovers.com, Amy said

“I am delighted to have re-signed with Sligo Rovers for the 2024 season. We’ve had a good pre-season with Tommy and the coaching staff and I’m looking forward to seeing how we can push on as a team this year.”

Jessica Casey signs for 2024

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the re-signing of Jessica Cassey for the 2024 season.

Casey has come through our Academy and made a number of appearances in 2022 and 2023 for the senior team

Casey was a regular starter for our Women’s under-19 team last season and will continue to play for both the under-19s and First Team in 2024.

speaking to Sligorovers.com, Jess said

“I’m delighted to be a part of the Sligo Rovers women’s team for the 2024 season.
We have built a strong foundation over the past few years, and I’m thrilled to work with Tommy and the girls to build on it. It’s also great to see the hard work being done within the academy to push us to the senior level, and I can’t wait to get going for the season ahead.

Team News: v Shamrock Rovers

John Russell has called on the Sligo public to again come out in their numbers in support of Sligo Rovers on Saturday night as we host Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds.

Over seven thousand people packed the Church Hill Road venue for Rovers’ first two home games this season as – hoping for another bumper crowd this weekend – Russell’s men face into their biggest challenge of the season, against the Hoops.

John Mahon is Rovers’ only absentee as he continues to recover from a long-term injury. 

Speaking ahead of the game which gets underway at 7.45pm, Russell looked back on a fabulous five goal win in Dundalk on Monday, whilst acknowledging the dangers now posed by a Shamrock Rovers side chasing their fifth title on the spin. 

“It was vital to pick up the three points on Monday night in what is such a tight and competitive league”, he said. 

“We’ve shown a real hunger and desire in all our games so far but against Dundalk we managed to add that ruthlessness in the final third.

 “We know the quality Shamrock Rovers bring coming into the game this Saturday. They have players that can hurt you all over the pitch. They have set the benchmark for the past few seasons but it’s important that we focus on ourselves.

“I have such believe in this group of players and staff. If we continue to work hard and improve our connections we will get our rewards over the course of the year.

“I know our supporters look forward to this game every year so we’re expecting an electric atmosphere on Saturday. The players really feed off that energy in the stands so we will need them right behind us all night.”

Supporters are encouraged to purchase their ticket below, as it is expected to be another full house on Saturday night.

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Helen Monaghan signs for 2024

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the re-signing of Helen Monaghan for the 2024 season. Helen initially signed for the club’s U-17 side in their inaugural season and is now in her seventh season with the club. She has also played an important role since the senior team entered the Women’s Premier Division, making 23 appearances over the last couple of seasons.

Speaking with sligorovers.com, Helen said:

“I am delighted to be re-signing for Rovers. I feel we have had a good pre-season under Tommy, and we are all looking forward to the season starting this weekend. We want to continue to build on the hard work that we have been putting in over the last few years.”

Rovers manager Tommy Hewitt is happy to have Helen back on board:

“It’s important for the club’s to have locals playing with the club and that is why it is great to have Helen on board for the 2024 season. She has nearly grown up in the club and I know she is hungry to help the club compete for major honours.”

Eimear Lafferty signs for 2024

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the re-signing of Eimear Lafferty for the 2024 season. The Inishowen native returns for a second season with the #bitored.

Speaking with sligorovers.com, Eimear said:

“I’m delighted to re-sign with Sligo Rovers for the coming season. It’s an exciting time for the team and it will be great to build off all of the hard work that’s been done so far by Tommy and all the coaching staff.”

Rovers manager Tommy Hewitt added:

“It’s great to be able to work with a player of Eimear’s experience. She has a full pre-season with us now and I would expect her to be one of our key players for the campaign.

Kate Nugent signs for 2024

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the re-signing of promising youngster Kate Nugent for the 2024 season. The defender has been with the club since 2018 when she signed for the academy and she also attending ATU as part of their scholarship programme with Rovers.

Speaking with sligorovers.com Kate spoke of her delight at re-signing with the #bitored:

“I’m delighted to sign back with Sligo Rovers and am looking forward to working with Tommy. It’s an honour to play for the first team as I feel like I’ve grown up in the club having come through from the academy. I’m also grateful for my scholarship with ATU, which will allow me to continue to develop as a player while continuing to progress in my education. I look forward to the season ahead and what the girls and myself will achieve.”

Rovers manager Tommy Hewitt is delighted to have Kate all signed up for the new campaign:

“She is a very promising young player and I want to help her push on and break into the first team. It is great as well to have her on a full scholarship with ATU and this is something that I want to help grow so that we can bring more of the most talented young players to the club and help them with their football career while also helping them to get a third level qualification.”

Tommy Hewitt looking forward to challenge of new season

BY JIM GRAY

Tommy Hewitt’s working day begins at 5a.m. On the Tuesdays and Thursdays when he travels to Sligo for night-time training it can be 18 hours before he sees home again. Saturday match days will be even longer. Family time is limited but precious. Welcome to the world of Sligo Rovers’ new League of Ireland women’s manager.

A postman in his native Athlone, Tommy took over the senior women’s team in November, replacing Steve Feeney, who had guided the team in its first two seasons in senior football before stepping aside for family reasons. He’s wasted no time putting his distinctive stamp on a new chapter in the fledgling history of women’s football locally.

He comes with a massively impressive CV in the women’s game, and a burning ambition to enhance it even further during his time at the Showgrounds. A UEFA A licence coach, Tommy was named SSE Airtricity Manager of the Year in 2022 after guiding Athlone Town to the FAI Cup final and a runners-up League position. He has also served as Assistant Manager with the Athlone Town’s men’s team and was head coach with the Irish Defence Forces team at the Military World Games.

Having been forced to retire from playing due to injury when he was only 25 years old – he has vivid memories of playing tough games for Athlone against Willie McStay’s treble-winning Rovers team – Tommy immediately immersed himself in what he calls ‘the next best thing’ – the pursuit of hard-earned coaching badges.  Initially working with local youth teams throughout the midlands, including exemplary work with Kennedy Cup (boys) and Gaynor Cup (girls) teams, he was invited to head up the underage women’s academy in the Midlands Schoolgirls League, thus beginning a twenty year relationship with girls and women’s football.

He was, therefore, the obvious choice to take charge of the first Athlone Town women’s team to enter the League of Ireland in 2018. Building a team from scratch obviously presented unique challenges — his early recruits included Sligo/Leitrim players, Aoife Haran and Muireann Devanney – but steady progress culminated in the FAI Cup final loss to highly-fancied Shelbourne in 2022 and a tantalising second to the same opposition in that season’s league chase. Some level of compensation came in victory over Shels in the inaugural Women’s President’s Cup, as well as his selection as manager of the year. In addition, one of his players won Player of the Year and four were included in the team of the year.

“The President’s Cup was Athlone’s first senior women’s title. Allied to the recognition for myself and four of our players it meant we’d really made a significant breakthrough. For a club like ours, outside of the traditional big three of Wexford, Peamount and Shels, to get that sort of recognition was massive. And it illustrated what could be achieved at the so-called smaller clubs”, Tommy recalls.

Little wonder, then, that when he decided to leave his post at Athlone in June 2023, there was no shortage of eager suitors.

“I had a few calls from National League teams, but once the call came from Sligo things progressed fairly rapidly. I met with Academy Director, Conor O’Grady and two club officials and we teased out what the future might look like. What impressed me was that they had a clear plan, an identified pathway for the future. This was not merely a box-ticking exercise for them. They were very serious about where they wanted the team to go, and I had similar ambitions, so the glove fitted perfectly,” he says.

Admitting that he is excited about the prospect of guiding the team in the new season which kicks off against old adversaries Shelbourne on March 9th, Tommy is refreshingly realistic about the challenges ahead.

“The first thing to make abundantly clear is that this is a long-term project, a four-year development plan. I don’t have a magic wand, nor do the players.

“It’s new and exciting, and it will be challenging. The biggest thing is not to let results affect the long-term goal. I’ve discovered over the years that girls take defeats more to heart than men’s teams do. That’s a fact, so part of my job, win or lose, is to keep the mood steady and level-headed. There will be downs as well as ups, but we don’t get too down and we don’t get too up. We stay focussed and we make progress where we can,” he explains.

His immediate target is simply to win more games in a season than has been the case heretofore.

“It’s easier said than done,” he concedes. “Steve Feeney did a great job here, guiding the team in its inaugural seasons. That was a hugely important period and I’m sure it was never easy, but he built a foundation.

“My job is to build on that. I have a different mentality and perhaps a different approach on how I like my teams to play, but it will take time.”

His squad has been bolstered by a host of impressive signings, including Kelly Compton and Zoe McGlynn from Sion Swifts; Kelsey Munroe from Mayo; Muireann Devaney from Athlone and local centre-back, Yvonne Heddigan. Many of last season’s top players have also re-signed, including top scorer, Emma Doherty and experienced skipper, Emma Hansberry. In addition to the 24-strong senior squad, Tommy points out that emerging players from the under-19s and even under-17s will be given an opportunity as the need arises.

“It’s all about buy-in from the players, and while we won’t get an accurate assessment until the season proper gets underway, the early signs are really encouraging,” he reports.

“The girls are dedicating their lives to this. Apart from match day and training,  there’s gym work, recovery time, analysis. It’s frightening what they’re doing in terms of total commitment. It’s full on for them. I couldn’t ask for any more.”

He’s also fulsome in his praise for his back-room team of coaches James Fallon, Brendan Fitzsimmons, Ultan McKenna; physio Ciara Mulrooney and strength and conditioning coach, Sean Og Campbell.

“It’s a four-year development plan, and we know the level we need to get to. Ultimately, the aim is to be competing at the top end of the table. That’s the next logical step,” Tommy adds.

Overall, he has observed a massive improvement in the women’s game since he first became involved at senior level four years ago.

“The players are now real athletes in every sense of the word. The standard at every club has improved enormously. The teams are all well coached, well structured, and there’s terrific talent coming through.

“Obviously, the success of the national women’s team has improved the profile, but that needs to trickle down to the domestic league. We have to be asking how do we produce the next Katie McCabe or Denise O’Sullivan. There’s a lot of work to be done. I’d like to see our league eventually becoming fully professional, but that will need a meaningful support structure both from the government and the FAI. But the women’s game is definitely going in the right direction,” he maintains.

Hoping for increased support for the women’s team, Tommy assures supporters they will not be disappointed.

“I would say to anyone, if you’re able to get to a women’s game then go and see for yourself what’s on offer. The standard is really high, the games are always entertaining, and there are seriously talented players on show.

“It would be a great boost for us if we get good crowds at the home games. We’ll be playing our games at 7p.m. on Saturdays, and the players would get a massive lift from a big crowd, they would feed off the energy from supporters. Sligo has always been a real football town, so there’s loads of potential for us to tap into. I can guarantee supporters that our women’s team will always give of its very best, so come on down, you might be pleasantly surprised,” he enthuses.

*Rovers kick off their season with an away game against Shelbourne on March 9th. Their first home league game will be on Saturday, March 30th against Galway United, 7pm kick-off.

Tickets and updates: Shamrock Rovers on Saturday

Sligo Rovers host Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity League Men’s Premier Division on Saturday 9th March. Kick-off is 7.45pm.

Tickets:

With season tickets, individual match tickets already sold and the complete away allocation for Shamrock Rovers being taken, we are already approaching 2,700 tickets gone for the game.

Match tickets are on sale here.

The club expect the game to sell out following the previous sell out against Derry City and over 3,000 in attendance for a Friday fixture against Shelbourne.

Tickets may be on sale on the night depending on sales but we encourage fans to buy in advance to avoid disappointment and also to ease congestion on entry.

We will update on our social channels when tickets are close to selling out.

The club wish to acknowledge the wonderful backing of the team in the opening games of the season, both home and away, and the exemplary behaviour of our supporters. Please give enough time to enter the stadium for kick-off and continue to respect our stewards and turnstile operators.

All tickets will be checked and concession passes must be shown or the club reserves the right to refuse entry.

Please note any Shamrock Rovers fans found to have purchased tickets for the home areas will not be admitted to the ground.

Season tickets:

Season tickets are still available if you purchase before Saturday’s game.

It will include 16 matches from now to the end of October. If you intend on purchasing a season ticket please allow enough time to purchase and collect should you intend to use it this Saturday.

To purchase click here.

Parking:

With large crowds expected over the next few home games we ask that supporters be mindful not to block local residents’ driveways, footpaths and exits.

We offer parking at the Showgrounds, and also there is parking available at Nazareth House and a short walk away in the centre of town.

Programme:

As part of entry to our home games the club will make a complimentary e-programme available to supporters. This will be accessible via QR codes at various points inside the entrance of the Showgrounds.

To access the programme supporters can scan the QR code using their mobile phone camera. This will then provide a clickable link to download the e-programme. The e-programme will require internet access on supporters mobile phones to download.

Heritage newsletter

The Sligo Rovers Heritage group will provide a separate physical newsletter for collectors and supporters for a fee of €2, which can be purchased inside the entrance to the Showgrounds.

Jinks Avenue home section

The home section of the Jinks Avenue stand has become standing only for the season ahead. We want to thank our fans in the Jinks Avenue stand for the fantastic support of the team in the first two matches. As John Russell said, the bond between players and fans has been very noteworthy so far. We also wish to thank the fans for not using pyrotechnics and to continue to keep this position.

New megastore location

The Megastore has been moved from the BORST club house to a new location on the left before the Tracey Avenue stand.

Women’s team

The women’s team’s season begins on Saturday away to Shelbourne in Tolka Park at 2:00pm. There will be 10 home league games in the Showgrounds with a new regular start time of 7:00pm on a Saturday night, unless otherwise advised. 

Supporters are encouraged to show their support by purchasing a Season Ticket or attending home games for 2024. The cost of a Season Ticket is €50 and helps fund the growth of our Women’s team which is in its third year. Season Tickets can be purchased here.

Volunteering

Our supporter-owned club is built on the dedication and hard work of our committed volunteers. If anyone is interested in becoming involved as match-night volunteer for 2024, they are encouraged to contact: shane@sligorovers.com. 

Our match-nights are made possible by volunteers and we appreciate any new volunteers willing to assist for any number of our remaining 16 men’s home league games or 10 women’s home league games. 

As always volunteers are free to choose which games they are available to help. Match-night roles include security, half-time raffle, BORST clubhouse, club shop.