Our Academy teams are all in action this weekend bar our Under 14’s who have the weekend off with a break in their fixture schedule.

On Saturday there are two games taking place at Sean Fallon Centre with our Under 17 Men and Women’s teams both in action.

At 12pm our Under 17 Womens team host Athlone Town. It will be the first home outing of our new kit sponsored by Avenue Mould Solutions.

At 3pm, Our Under 17 Mens team host Kerry. The sides met recently in Kerry with the hosts winning 2-1 on the day.

On Sunday, our Under 19 Men’s side host Cork City at 3pm on The Showgrounds main pitch in the Under 19 league.

Our Womens Under 19s are in Dangan to play Galway at 2pm. The sides met last Sunday also, with Rovers winning 4-2 at home.

Our Under 15s host Shelbourne at 2pm at The Sean Fallon Centre. The lads had an impressive 4-1 win in Kildare last weekend.

#bitored

Sligo Rovers make the long journey to Turner’s Cross on Saturday for a showdown with Cork City in the Women’s National League.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney will be looking for the form that saw his team record a victory over Shelbourne in front of the TG4 cameras at the Showgrounds at the end of July and two wins against the Cork women already this season.

The Cork women are Without a victory since they defeated Treaty Utd in June, but that will not count for much between two evenly-matched teams that both lost last week and also exited the FAI Cup at the quarter-final stage the previous week.

Cork City lost narrowly (1-2) to Athlone Town last week, but were unlucky not to take something from the game.

Athlone took an 18th minute lead through Madison Gibson, but the equaliser for Cork came in the 55th minute from Christina Dring.

Athlone were awarded a penalty soon after, but Abby McCarthy saved from Emily Corbet, but in the 74th minute Madison Gibson hit the winner. Cork also lost to Athlone in the Cup.

Sligo Rovers conceded an early goal against Bohemian FC last week and a second goal for the Dublin side arrived close to full-time. The Bit O’Red also lost to Bohemian FC in the Cup.

A lot of similarities there between the two teams, but the Bit O’Red will take positives from an impressive display last May and a 2-0 victory against Cork.

On that occasion it was a first clean sheet for the Bit O’Red as early and late goals earned victory at the Showgrounds.

It was another solid display by the Bit O’Red with an impressive showing from the defence and goalkeeper Amy Mahon.

There was a dream start for Sligo Rovers with July player of the month recipient Emma Doherty heading the hosts into a first minute lead while Gemma McGuinness hit the second goal.

Although he was disappointed with the defeat by Bohemian FC last weekend, there was a positive reaction from Bit O’Red manager Steve Feeney as he turned his focus to the trip to Turner’s Cross.

“It was a disappointing result, but I couldn’t fault the players in terms of effort and the young players who have come through the Academy were excellent,” he stated.

“Cork City have changed the way they are playing since Danny Murphy went in (as manager) and it will be another tough game.

“We will want to show that we are better than what we produced against Bohs and there won’t be much in it,” he added.


LAST TIME – 21st MAY, Sligo Rovers 2-0 Cork City

Now into his second season with Sligo Rovers after signing from Doncaster Rovers last season, defender Shane Blaney is enjoying the current campaign having shaken off his injury woes from last year to become a regular in the first team:

“I am loving it and it is all going very well for me at the moment. The past few weeks, indeed the past couple of months have been great. Last season was tough with the injury I picked up ruling me out of actions for a few weeks halfway through the season. I had a Lisfranc fracture in my foot and it was hard coming back from that so that was a rough patch. But this season I was prepared better for it and was looking forward to getting going.”

Blaney played a key role in the Europa Conference League Qualifiers against Bala Town and Motherwell, part of the team that earned a crucial 1-0 win away from home in the First Leg before scoring a sublime free kick in the Second Leg at home to give Rovers an early lead on the night before winning the game 2-0.

“Yeah look we knew that we should have given a better account of ourselves in the FH games last season. So going into this season’s ones we had a chip on our shoulder. We shouldn’t have come away from both of those games against FH with two losses and wanted to have a better run this season and we have had that.”

One of Rovers great success stories has been the advancement of players through the club’s underage sides as the club continues to develop its academy. This has proved to be a mixed blessing as before the season Johnny Kenny signed for Celtic and John Mahon for St. Johnstone and recently Ed McGinty signed for Oxford United. Blaney feels that this is the new normal for clubs in the League with teams in England Scotland realising how talented the players here are:

“Aye, yeah it is tough but that is just the game that we are in at the moment. We’re not unique, a lot of the other teams in the league are in the same position in losing their better young players to teams from England and Scotland and European ones. Those leagues have realised there are some really talented players in the League here and that they can get them at good prices. As a player it is great for the rest of us and makes it really exciting going forward. As a team in the League you have to deal with it and it is part of life now and every team seems to be losing a fair few players. If you look at Ed, what an incredible keeper and what a way to sign off his time with us after the penalty shoot-out against Bala. We are all in the same boat when it comes to him in that he is a top, top, top keeper and he will go further than the level he has gone to.”

Blaney has made 24 appearances so far this season and may make his 25^th in a North-West Derby against his former club Finn Harps on Friday night in Ballybofey.

By Keith O’ Dwyer

Sligo Rovers Heritage Group is inviting Rovers fans and the wider community to visit the Showgrounds Outdoor Museum during Heritage Week 2022, which runs from 13^th – 21^st August.

Members of the Heritage Group will be in attendance at an ‘Open Day’ between 10am and 4pm on Sunday 21^st August to guide visitors around the museum and to explain the fascinating background stories to many of the exhibits.

The Museum is the first of its kind in the country, and was funded by the EU Peace IV Programme. The facility is made up of 100 panels located throughout the ground, detailing the stories of the people who have been central to the club’s history.

Given the important role played by the club in the community, it also represents a social history of Sligo over the last 90+ years. The aim in developing the museum is to demonstrate the diverse and inclusive history of Sligo Rovers.

The club has a rich tradition of attracting managers, players and volunteers from abroad, particularly England and Scotland. Sligo Rovers has always been a welcoming club, and many who came to play made Sligo their home.

According to Chair of the Heritage Group Aidan Mannion :

‘Heritage Week present an opportunity for people to gain an insight into our past and to discover more about the fascinating characters and legends who made their unique contribution to this special club.  The museum is an evolving facility, and we will be adding to the exhibits in the years ahead. Our ultimate ambition us to house the many artefacts and mementoes in the possession of the Heritage Group in a new museum which forms part of the Showgrounds Masterplan.’

Museum Project Team

Management: Sligo Rovers Heritage Group

Funded by: Peace IV Programme

Panel Design: Daragh Stuart

Panel manufacture: Ballast Signs

Sligo Rovers are back in action once again tomorrow as we travel to Dublin to take on St Patrick’s Athletic in Inchicore at 5pm.

The game is Rovers’ 11^th fixture in six weeks having gone through a busy European and Domestic run.

Rovers have won two games in a row having defeated Bohemians in the league last Sunday and Viking in The Europa Conference League Third Round Qualifier Second Leg on Thursday evening.

Manager John Russell looks forward to the game:

‘’It is a big game tomorrow evening.

‘’St Pats are a good side and sit just above us in the table so we know we’ll have to be at our best to get a result.

‘’We come into the game in good form. It’s important we build on our recent performances. 

‘’We’re expecting big away support tomorrow. Our fans have been fantastic this year and we hope we can put on a top performance for them’’.

In team news, Garry Buckley is sidelined for a number of months with a serious knee injury. Colm Horgan and Seamas Keogh remain out with long term muscle injuries while Russell will need to assess his squad over the weekend before making a final decision on a number of players who are carrying knocks, including David Cawley and Aidan Keena who missed Thursday’s game.

The game kicks off at 5pm and tickets can be bought on the turnstiles.

The game is live on LOI TV

Sligo Rovers and Bohemian FC renewed rivalry today at The Showgrounds in the Women’s National League just seven days after an absorbing FAI Cup encounter at Dalymount Park that the Dublin women won by 3-1.

This time around Bohemian FC took the spoils with a hard-earned, but well-deserved 2-0 victory with a tremendous duel between Kerri O’Hara for the Bit O’Red and Bohs speedster Abbie Brophy a highlight of the afternoon.

There was hardly a minute on the clock when Bohemian FC hit the front from a well-taken Niamh Prior goal that left the hosts reeling.

Then Lisa Murphy had a shot from distance for Bohs in the 14th minute that skimmed the top of the crossbar much to the relief of Sligo Rovers ‘keeper Amy Mahon.

Bohs continued to press and in the 22nd minute Abbie Brophy was denied by another smart Amy Mahon save.

Mahon was kept busy for the remainder of the half with some respite from the water break, but the Mayo teenager was equal to anything Bohs had to offer with one particularly smart save that denied Chloe Darby in the 35th minute.

Mahon was in action again seconds after the resumption as Bohs continued to press the hosts and Erica Burke also had a good chance, but Sarah Kiernan averted the danger.

Emma Doherty had a half chance for the Bit O’Red on the hour, but she picked up a yellow card for her challenge on Bohs goalkeeper Rachael Kelly in her effort to get on the ball.

Sligo came more into the game after the second water break and Emma Doherty blazed wide in the 81st minute.

At the other end Amy Mahon produced another good save, but from the resultant corner Abbie Brophy pounced on the loose ball and rifled to the net from close range to seal the 2-0 victory in front of an official attendance of 309.

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Orna O’Dowd, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty,Kerri O’Hara, Paula McGrory, Sarah Kiernan, Jessica Casey, Aife Haran. Subs – Aoife Brennan for Hansberry and Helen Monaghan for Casey both 57 mins, Ciara Henry for Haran 68m,


Bohemian FC – Rachael Kelly, Kate Burdis, Isobal Finnegan, Lisa Murphy, Kira Bates-Crosbie, Erica Burke, Chloe Darby, Abbie Brophy, Rachel Doyle, Katie Lovely, Niamh Prior. Subs – Ann Marie Byrne for Burdis and Erin Phelan for Bates-Crosbie both 73 mins, Aoife Robinson for Prior 77m, Bronagh Kane for Burke 88m.

Referee – Sean Stephens.
Assistant-referees – Richard Storey, Keenan Deering.
Fourth official – Rob Dowling.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that Avenue Mould Solutions are our new Main Sponsors to our Under 17 Women’s team until the end of the 2023 season.

Located in Finisklin, Avenue specialises in the design and manufacture of plastic injection moulds, product development, scientific moulding and contract manufacturing for leading medical device, diagnostic, and pharma OEMs.

Our Under 17 Women’s squad are over half-way through their 2022 season in The National Underage League and took on Cork City away from home today in the first outing of their newly branded kit.

As part of the sponsorship, Avenue will have two pitch-side signs placed at The Showgrounds and Sean Fallon Centre as well as access to players for different promotional purposes throughout the length of the contract.

Avenue General Manager Ricardo Silva:

“Avenue – A Nolato Company are very proud to be a part of our local community. We are extremely happy to secure this new partnership with Sligo Rovers and we look forward to help, inspire and empower young women as they progress through their football career. We’re excited to be involved and look forward to the years ahead.”

Sligo Rovers Head of Academy Conor O’ Grady:

‘’We are extremely grateful to the guys at Avenue who are coming on board to support us with this sponsorship.

‘’The company employ a lot of local people in their base at Finisklin and are showing their support to the community once again with this sponsorship. It’s important for all our Academy teams to have a sponsor and it’s very much appreciated by all the players and staff of the club’’.

We’d like to thank Ricardo, Gerry and everyone at Avenue for their support and we look forward to working with the company in the coming months.

Sligo Rovers are thrilled to announce the signing of 18-year-old goalkeeper Anais Coyne.

The American joins the Bit O’Red having opted to make the move to Ireland instead of playing college football in her native US.

Coyne, originally from Texas, has just finished school and made the decision to move to Ireland to play football having kept a close eye on the Women’s National League for the last number of years. Coyne played high school football with Mansfield Legacy High School and played for her club BKSC.

“I had the choice of playing college soccer in the US, but ultimately I decided to forego that and come to Ireland instead because I thought it would be a cool opportunity to come here. Family circumstances brought me here too,” she told sligorovers.com

Coyne added:

“I am excited about the challenge ahead. I enjoy the training a lot. Especially the goalkeeping portion, I think Kristen (Sample) is a really good coach. And I really like the goalkeepers I’m working with as well”.

Coyne made the move to Sligo a month ago and is enjoying life here so far, even if it is a big change. She is hoping that she can develop her football and feels that joining Rovers is the right fit.

“With college soccer in the US you have four or five years and that’s it. With me, it’s sort of about staying in the sport for as long as I can and developing along the way.”And this feels like the right opportunity for me.”

Coyne will be available for selection in the matchday squad for Saturday’s league game at The Showgrounds against Bohemian FC.

We have five Academy games this weekend between Saturday and Sunday with four teams on the road around the country and just our Under 19 Womens team at home on Sunday afternoon.

Our Under 14’s travel to face Finn Harps at 2pm tomorrow in Donegal.

Our Under 17 Womens team face the long journey south to take on Cork City at 2pm in Mayfield.

On Sunday we have two Under 19 games with our Mens team away to UCD from 3pm and our Under 19 Women at home to Galway at The Sean Fallon Centre at 4.30pm.

Also on Sunday, our Under 15’s face Klub Kildare in Tougher Park at 2.30pm.

There is no Under 17 Mens game this weekend.

#bitored