Match night sponsor: Alert Fire Protection, Sligo
Match ball sponsor: Kilfree Limited.
The Showgrounds hosts Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup football for the first time in two years this Saturday, as Sligo Rovers take on Kerry FC in a repeat of last year’s dramatic last eight tie at Mounthawk Park.
This third round tie will be the first time Rovers have been at home in four games in this competition after all of last year’s rounds and our 2024 defeat to Drogheda, were played away from home.
A win for Rovers would put the Bit O’Red in the quarter-finals for the second year running. Last year’s cup run ended with a chastening night for Rovers in Kerry, the hosts reversing a three goal deficit to win the game by a goal.
Colin Healy’s side are in superb form at the moment, with seven wins from their last ten games, including a penalty shoot-out victory over Shelbourne in the last round. The Kingdom currently sit in sixth in the First Division, lying just outside the play-offs.
Archie Meekison returns to Rovers’ match-day squad having missed the last two games through suspension. Luke Pearce, a late withdrawal from the Derry game, will be assessed having picked up a muscle injury in the Drogheda game. As will Daire Patton who continues to recover from a bout of appendicitis.
New signings Kaiyne Woolery and Luke Young’s international transfer clearance was approved on Friday and both will be available for selection.
“If previous results affect you then you’re probably in the wrong game”, Darren Purse tells sligorovers.com when pressed on whether or not last year’s result will play on minds ahead of the game.
“You have to put those bad results to the side. I don’t think that will affect our lads at all in their approach.
“Was it disappointing? Yes. But that’s well gone and now the players prepare for a game which will hopefully see us progress.”
Kerry come into this tie on the back of a defeat to runaway First Division leaders Cork City, a game which they led for 44 minutes until the Rebels equalised and scored two more before the end.
Purse feels the Green and Gold won’t lack confidence or desire as they look to cause another FAI Cup shock, but is eager for his squad to progress at the weekend and use this game as a confidence booster for games ahead.
“We watched the Cork game and they’re a good side on a good run”, he says.
“They’ll come expecting to hit us with another upset but it’s up to us to put to bed what went on last year.
“We need to build some sort of momentum as quick as we can because we have three really big league games coming up. Winning on Saturday can give us a springboard to go and pick up results in the league.
“When we play a system which sees us nick a couple of results, we’ll know that that is our system. So let’s see how the weekend goes and we’ll take it from there.
“We have more players within the group and that should bring competition and impetus with it to go and do well. If the game goes for us, then we’re on a run of losing just one game in five going into the last round of league fixtures.”
Kick-off at the Showgrounds is 7.45pm.
David Goulden