The first round draws for both The Extra.ie FAI Men’s Cup and Evoke.ie FAI Women’s Cup take place tomorrow, Tuesday at Abbotstown.

The Men’s draw takes will see 32 teams involved with 16 ties across round one on a knock out basis. The first team drawn will receive home advantage.

It’s our Women’s teams first ever time involved in The FAI Cup and their draw will see 12 teams involved with 6 fixtures taking place in total. Last year’s FAI Cup winners Wexford Youths and league winners Shelbourne have already progressed to the quarter finals after receiving a BYE through round one for their wins last season.

Men’s teams:

Athlone Town, Bangor GGFC, Bluebell United, Bohemian FC, Bonagee United, Bray Wanderers, Cobh Ramblers, Cockhill Celtic, Cork City, Derry City, Drogheda United, Dundalk, Finn Harps, Galway United, Killester Donnycarney, Longford Town, Lucan United, Malahide United, Maynooth University Town, Oliver Bond Celtic, Pike Rovers, Salthill Devon, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Sligo Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic, Treaty United, UCD, Usher Celtic, Villa FC, Waterford FC, Wexford Youths.

Women’s teams:

Athlone Town, Bohemian FC, Bonagee United, Cork City, DLR Waves, Douglas Hall, Finglas United, Galway FC, Peamount United, Sligo Rovers, Treaty United, Whitehall Rangers.

Both draws will be streamed live on The FAI’s Social Media platforms from 12.30pm.

Sligo Rovers made it two wins in a row at home as John Russell’s side defeated Finn Harps 3-0 at The Showgrounds on Saturday night.

The game was only two minutes old when Karl O’ Sullivan’s cross deflected into the path of Aidan Keena who forced a powerful shot into the far corner to give Rovers the perfect start.

Four minutes later and it was two. Shane Blaney’s long diagonal pass looked to be running through to Harps’ keeper Mark McGinley but O’ Sullivan got to it before him and had the easy task of tapping into an empty net.

The rest of the half was nip and tuck with both sides keeping good possession and trying to force some chances. Eric McWoods had the visitors best chance but Ed McGinty saved well inside the area.

Damien MacGraith blew for half time with Rovers keeping their two goal advantage.

Garry Buckley was replaced by Nando Pijnaker at the break as he continues to monitor a minor injury.

Harps tried to get back into the game but failed to create any clear cut chances as Ed McGinty was strong in Rovers’ goal.

Russell introduced Seamas Keogh and Kailin Barlow, for his debut, in the closing stages and Rovers got a third when Karl O’ Sullivan picked out Keena in the box and the Mullingar native headed home from close range to secure the win for The Bit O’ Red.

Next up is a trip to Drogheda United on Friday night.

Tonight’s North West Derby between Sligo Rovers and Finn Harps kicks off at 7.45pm.

Gates are open from 6.30pm. Cash and contactless payments are permitted.

Fans are reminded there will be random searches by our security staff at both home and away entrances.

Alcohol, flares and other pyrotechnics are not permitted and cost the club valuable money when let off. The club have paid out four figure sums so far this year on flares being let off. This is money which is invaluable to the club.

Anyone found to let off flares will be removed from the ground and banned from further games.

Tickets to our European home leg against Bala Town are available to buy from our club shop, which is situated inside the turnstiles on your left.

There is 20% off all club merchandise this evening from our club store.

Away fans must enter via the astro turf entrance.

Car parking is limited and we ask fans to respect our local community when parking.

We thank supporters for their assistance as always #bitored

Sligo Rovers return to competitive action this Saturday night at The Showgrounds against Finn Harps from 7.45pm.

The sides have had a mid-season break so far in June, with no game in three weeks, meaning both squads should be fresh leading into this game.

Rovers have got the better of Harps so far this season, with two victories at The Showgrounds and Finn Park respectively. Aidan Keena’s hattrick secured the points back in March at The Showgrounds while ex Harps winger Karl O’ Sullivan secured a narrow 1-0 win in Ballybofey in May.

The Bit O’ Red defeated Derry City in our last home fixture which was followed by a draw against UCD away from home in our most recent league game.

Finn Harps come into the game having drawn 2-2 at The Brandywell against Derry City last time out.

Greg Bolger and Adam McDonnell are both suspended while Harps are without two midfielders of their own in Ryan Connolly and Bastien Hery, also unavailable due to suspension.

Manager John Russell takes the team officially for the first time tomorrow night and remains unbeaten after taking interim charge initially for the Derry City and UCD games before being appointed to the role some days later.

Russell:

‘’We’re all looking forward to the game tomorrow night. Finn Harps were very unlucky not to beat Derry City in their last game so we know it will be a tough encounter.

The players have worked extremely hard over the past two weeks and are eager to get the season going again after the mid-season break. Greg and Adam miss out through suspension, but we’ve got a lot of quality in our group so it’s a chance for other players to make their mark.

We’re expecting a big crowd tomorrow night and we’re hoping for a good performance in front of our home fans.’’

In team news, Rovers are without Greg Bolger and Adam McDonnell through suspension but have no other injury concerns. Nando Pijnaker is back in Sligo following his international duty and Luke McNicholas also returns, however the Mayo goalkeeper is unavailable until July 1^st following his loan spell with Cliftonville FC.

Gates open from 6.30pm and supporters are asked to arrive early as a big crowd is expected.

Tickets will be on sale from our Merchandise store for our upcoming Europa Conference League home game against Bala Town on July 14^th.

Our match sponsors are Lough Gill Brewing while loyal supporter Steve Taylor is our Match Ball Sponsor.

Tickets for our Europa Conference League Round 1 Qualifying Second-Leg tie at home to Bala Town on Thursday July 14th are on sale from this morning (Thursday) online and at The Showgrounds.

Adult tickets are €20, OAP/Under 18/Student tickets are €15 (ID Strictly required) and Under 12 tickets are €10. All Under 12’s must be accompnaied by a paying adult or else will be refused entry on the night, as with all home matches.

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

Details will be confirmed for Bala Town fans wishing to attend this fixture over the next couple of days as we discuss with our opponents.

All online tickets concession or kids tickets will be checked for ID on the gate on the night.

For Sligo Rovers fans wishing to attend the game in Owestry (First Leg) we will issue details as soon as we can on the ticketing process for these games.

As of now, there is no guaranteed allocation as we await confirmation from our opponents and UEFA.

We expect to have a clearer picture by Friday afternoon.

Please do not contact either club in relation to away leg tickets as this is outside of our control at the moment.

The Bit O’ Red have been drawn to face Bala Town of Wales in our Europa Conference League Qualifying Round one tie in July.

Rovers are away first, a game that is expected to take place on Thursday July 7th at Park Hall Stadium, Owestry. This is subject to change so we ask supporters to refrain from committing themselves to any bookings for the moment. There will be no charter plan organised for this fixture.

The home tie is expected to take place at The Showgrounds on Thursday July 14th at 7pm. Again this is to be confirmed.

For supporters wishing to travel to the away leg, we ask you to await confirmation before booking as there is no guarantee what the away support allocation is at the moment.

The club will notify supporters of any further updates as soon as possible.

Tickets for the home leg will be on sale as follows from the front office at The Showgrounds. (Front Window beside Turnstiles)

• Tomorrow, Wednesday June 15th: Season Ticket Holders Only 10.30am – 4pm

• Thursday and Friday June 16th and 17th: General Sale 10.30am – 4pm

• Saturday June 18th: Finn Harps home game from 6.30pm at club merchandise shop.

It will be the first ever meeting of the clubs in what promises to be a great occasion at both legs with plenty of interest around the tie all day.

Bala are currently out of season, after finishing their league campaign in in 2nd place in the 2021/22 season.

Clinical and efficient would best describe Peamount Utd as they made a worthwhile visit to the Showgrounds today where they picked up three valuable Women’s National League points with a 5-0 win against Sligo Rovers.

Stephanie Roche (two) and Alannah McEvoy in the first-half, an own goal from Amy Roddy and a Roche penalty in the second-half accounted for the tally in what was an impressive display by the Dublin side.

Orna O’Dowd and Gemma McGuinness were absent for the Bit O’Red through injury on a day when Steve Feeney’s side needed their strongest starting 11.

Stephanie Roche headed Peamount into a seventh minute lead as the Dublin side dictated the early exchanges and she added a second in the 12th minute.

It was all Peamount at that stage and it could have been worse for the hosts as Aine O’Gorman shaved the woodwork soon after on two occasions.

On the half-hour mark Peamount made it 3-0 when Alannah McEvoy headed home after a series of corners, but to their credit Sligo Rovers countered and went close when Fiona Doherty’s speculative effort from the right hit the crossbar.

Aine O’Gorman was narrowly off target again in the 40th minute while at the other end a surging Kerri O’Hara run had the Peamount defence scrambling, but they cleared the danger at the expense of a corner.

The second-half was only two minutes old when Peamount pressure produced a fourth goal when the ball deflected off Sligo’s Amy Roddy and into her own net.

Despite that setback and despite constant Peamount pressure, Sligo kept a positive attitude and createda number of chances on the break without making any impact on the scoreboard.

Stephanie Roche completed her hat-trick when she converted a 72nd minute penalty and Peamount were never in any danger as they continued to create chances right up until the 90th minute.

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Ruth Monaghan, Amy Hundman, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Amy Roddy, Katie Melly, Kerri O’Hara, Fiona Doherty, Lauren McLellan. 

Subs – Jessica Casey for McLellan 58 mins, Emma Hansberry for Melly 65 mins, Ciara Henry for O’Hara and Helen Monaghan for E Doherty both 75 mins

Peamount Utd – Niamh Reid-Burke; Lauryn O’Callaghan, Tiegan Ruddy, Dora Gorman, Sadhbh Doyle, Alannah McEvoy, Stephanie Roche, Aine O’Gorman, Keran Duggan, Tara O’Hanlon, Erin McLaughlin.
Subs – Michelle Doonan for Doyle 70 mins, Dearbhaile Beirne for Roche and Rebecca Carroll for Ruddy both 75 mins, Rebecca McMahon for McEvoy 85 mins

Referee – Mark Houlihan.
Asistant Referees – Chris Campbell, Martin Cuddihy.

Fourth Official – Damien McGrath  

Almost four months after Steve Feeney donned the manager’s bib and watched his Sligo Rovers side concede six goals against Peamount Utd in the Women’s National League, the Bit O’Red boss now has an opportunity to address that opening day reversal when the Dublin side visit the Showgrounds this Saturday.

Peamount subsequently lost the points after they were deemed to have fielded an ineligible player and that deduction could yet prove very costly as they bid to close the gap on runaway leaders Shelbourne.

The Bit O’Red take a three-game unbeaten run and three successive clean sheets into the game and manager Steve Feeney will be looking for another big performance from his side ahead of the mid-season break.

A cautious approach is now likely from Peamount after Sligo Rovers caused a major shock last weekend when they recorded a sensational 1-0 victory over high-flying Wexford Youths.

“Amy (Mahon) produced that brilliant penalty save against Wexford in added time, but the girls deserved that win for the effort they put into the game,” suggested the Sligo Rovers boss.

“It wasn’t just the penalty save, Amy made a number of top class saves throughout the game and she has been excellent since she come in for Kristen (Sample) who broke her arm in the game against Galway.

“The whole team was excellent, they were going as strong in the 90^th minute as in the first, Wexford put us under a lot of early pressure, but we stood up to them and we stayed in the game, when you do that, you always have a chance,” he added.

Peamount manager James O’Callaghan has a link with the Showgrounds as he featured for Sligo Rovers during the final part of the Dermot Keeley-era back in the 1992 /’93 season.

“I went on loan to Sligo Rovers from Shelbourne, when Dermot (Keeley) was in charge, but then Willie McStay came in, I suppose I just missed the team that went on to win the FAI Cup the following season,” he commented about his link with the club.

However, he will have only one target on Saturday, to get three points and Peamount will have plenty of reasons for optimism on that front.

They hit Cork City for seven last weekend which was a real statement of intent as they bounced back after a few tough weeks.

Peamount controlled that game from the start and were in front from the 14th minute through Stephanie Roche while Áine O’Gorman got the second and Sadhbh Doyle grabbed a brace to make it 4-0 at the interval. O’Gorman added two more after the break and substitute Michelle Doonan made it 7-0 in the 79th minute.

That result will have hosts Sligo Rovers on high alert and they will aim to absorb the early Peamount pressure and stay in the game as long as possible according to manager Feeney.

“We didn’t manage to keep a clean sheet in the first series of games, now we have three and the obvious target is to try for four, but it will be a serious test against Peamount,” he commented.

“They hit seven last weekend, they hit six against us in what was our first game in the WNL, we want to give a better account of ourselves this time around.

“Peamount have very good players, but we have improved from that opening game last March, we will find out how much improvement after 90 minutes, hopefully we can get something out of the game,” he added.

With no men’s fixture this week, we encourage all Bit O’ Red supporters to attend the game and support the team.

Gates open at 1pm with adult admission at just €5.

The draw for The Europa Conference League Round 1 Qualifiers takes place next Tuesday, June 14th in Nyon, Switzerland.

The Bit O’ Red have qualified for the second year in a row having secured a third place finish last season in The SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

Rovers are unseeded in the draw along with Derry City who qualified by finishing in fourth place last season.

There are 30 possible opponents in the draw which should be narrowed down to a smaller group around 24 hours prior to the draw itself.

At the moment our possible list of opponents are:

• Flora Tallinn (Estonia)
• Shkendija (North Macedonia)
• Riga FC (Latvia)
• Alaszkert (Armenia)
• Olimpija Ljubljana & NC Mura (Slovenia)
• Fola Esch (Luxembourg)
• Budnucost Podgorica (Montenegro)
• Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
• Dunajska Streda (Slovakia)
• Kukesi (Albania)
• Drita (Kosovo)
• Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)
• B36 and HB (Faroe Islands)
• Petrocub & Milsami (Moldova)
• Breidablik (Iceland)
• Gzira (Malta)
• Zaligiris Kowno (Lithuania)
• Bala Town (Wales)
• Tre Penne (San Marino)
• Saint Joseph’s & Europa FC (Gibraltar)
• Crusaders (Northern Ireland)
• Pogon & Lechia (Poland)

Ties are expected to be played on July 7th and 14th with these dates to be confirmed following the draw.

The home leg will be an all ticket game at The Showgrounds with a kick-off time of around 7pm expected. Season Tickets and Associate Sponsor tickets are not valid and both will be given a priority window where they can purchase tickets before general sale. We expect our home leg not to change from a Thursday evening kick off.

The away leg kick off date and time will be confirmed shortly after the draw following discussions with our opponents so we urge supporters not to book your travel until the date and time is confirmed officially as the Thursday’s are provisional only.

The club will also be assessing all travel options which would include a shared charter with supporters if viable. Details if this is or is not happening will follow shortly after the draw.

Sligo Rovers caused a major shock at The Showgrounds today when they recorded a sensational 1-0 victory over high-flying Wexford Youths in the Women’s National League with Amy Mahon saving a 93rd minute penalty from Kylie Murphy, writes Conall Collier.

Second-placed Wexford made the journey to Sligo on Friday night for the crucial game against Sligo Rovers at a sun-drenched Showgrounds.

However, that was as good as it got for Wexford as they were undone in the 67th minute when Emma Doherty gave the Bit O’Red the lead in the 67th minute.

Wexford had a 93rd minute Kylie Murphy penalty saved by Sligo keeper Amy Mahon to keep the lead intact.

The opening exchanges were fast with chances at each end as Amy Mahon saved from Wexford’s Kylie Murphy and her opposite number, Maeve Williams denied Gemma McGuinness.

Wexford looked the more likely to score and continued to press.

Orlaith Conlon had a good chance in the 15th minute, but Mahon was well-placed to make the save while Sligo’s McGuinness threatened on the counter-attack.

Midway through the half some enterprising play from Lauren Boles earned a corner that the Wexford rearguard cleared and as the pace picked up again Wexford had a great chance when Ciara Rossiter broke through.

However, Rossiter’s  effort was capably dealt with by Amy Mahon as the hosts displayed tremendous determination to stay in the game.

Then, close to the interval, the Bit O’Red squandered an excellent chance when Lauren Boles blazed over from inside the six-yard box and that meant the teams went in scoreless at the interval.

Wexford dominated the early second-half exchanges and Edel Kennedy had a 51st minute header narrowly off target, a feat that was repeated by Emma Doherty at the other end when she directed a Paul McGrory cross the wrong side of the post.

Wexford continued to ask questions of the Sligo rearguard, but Orna O’Dowd and Amy Roddy stood strong and the hosts hit the front in the 67th minute.

Sligo substitute Kerri O’Hara chased a long clearance, but Wexford ‘keeper Mave Williams raced out of the area to clear. Emma Doherty pounced on the loose ball and from about 30 metres floated the ball into the Wexford net.

Wexford upped the tempo in an effort to find an equaliser and while they created lots of chances they were frustrated as efforts from Ellen Molloy and Ciara Rossiter were cleared.

Then, Wxford got that break in the 93rd minute, but Mahon denied Murphy with an excellent save.

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Amy Roddy, Fiona Doherty, Paula McGrory, Jessica Casey. Subs – Kerri O’Hara for Casey 59 mins; Ruth Monaghan for O’Dowd and Katie Melly for F Doherty both 74 mins, Lauren McLellan for McGuinness and Aoife Brennan for McGrory both 85 mins.

Wexford Youths – Maeve Williams; Orlaith Conlon, Della Doherty, Lauren Dwyer, Kylie Murphy, Edel Kennedy, Ellen Molloy, Ciara Rossiter, Maebh Russell, Nicola Sinnott, Siun Murdiff. Subs – Emma Donohoe for Dwyer 25 mins, Teegan Lynch for Murdiff 88 mins

Referee – Michael Connolly.
Assistant Referees – Richard Storey, Keenan Deering.
Fourth Official – Marc Lynch.