The #bitored have worked with six primary schools in the region over the last two weeks, in conjunction with a poster competition developed by the club.

We asked children to design our match poster for our home league game with Shamrock Rovers next month, in schools such as Ransboro, Scoil Ursula, Rathcormac, St. Johns, The Mercy Primary and Carraroe.

The competition was aimed at children in third, fourth, fifth and sixth class respectively.

The club received over 300 entries to the competition, with the club picking a winner in each classroom and presenting them with a small prize from the club.

The club then picked an outright winner from each respective school, with these final six drawings now going to public vote to decide which design will be used as our match poster next month.

To show our appreciation to every child who entered the competition, the club have committed to displaying every entry to the competition in the ground on the night of the game against Shamrock Rovers on October 5^th.

The outright winner of the competition will be invited to the game with their family as VIPs, receive a signed match poster and match day programme from the club, be introduced to the crowd at half time and will also get their picture taken on the night for local media.

Below are the finalists for the competition, the child’s name, age and school listed also. Voting will be open for 24 hours and the winner will be contacted on Thursday.

Vote for your winner here.

Tickets for the FAI Cup semi-final with Dundalk will be on sale again from 10.30am in The Showgrounds on Monday.

Sales will finish at 5pm.

A handful of concession/kids tickets will be sold from the beginning of the day that were reserved for anyone that missed the pre-sale and were eligible but these will quickly sell.

From there on, it will only be adults tickets remaining. These tickets can be used to admit any age.

We wish to point out we have sold a large amount of concession tickets and gave ample time for fans to get these tickets and as this is an “all-ticket” game there is a limited amount of each variety.

Tickets can be purchased 24/7 on www.sligorovers.com/match-tickets

Dundalk fans can buy from their club with details on their website.

We expect the game to sell out later in the week

Sligo Rovers can confirm the club will host a 25^th anniversary celebration for the 1994 FAI Cup winning side on Friday 1^st November in the Clayton Hotel.

Willie McStay and members of the 1994 team will be guests at the dinner dance event which will include a complimentary drinks reception, two course meal with tea/coffee, music and more.

Among the guests confirmed so far are Eddie Annand, Riccardo Gabbiadini, Mark McLean, David Reid and Gerry Carr.

The night will also coincide with the Player of the Year awards for this season, from senior to underage and women’s team.

The awards will be presented on the night.

Sligo Rovers legends will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the night as well as honouring a volunteer who has made a massive mark on the club.

Captain on the day of the FAI Cup victory to seal the treble win, Gavin Dykes, said: “It’s fantastic that the club are honouring the team and there is a great deal of excitement among all of us to catch up with the group.

“It looks like we’ll have nearly all the team with us and I know Willie is thrilled to be coming.

“The 1994 era was a special time in all our lives. For us it’s important to celebrate that time and we are delighted the club are organising this event.

“There’ll be a lot of stories, a lot of catching up and we hope to have a really memorable night.”

Tickets for the event are limited and will go on sale from The Showgrounds from Wednesday at 12pm, priced €50.

Tables of 10 are also available for corporate, please e-mail administrator@sligorovers.com

The 1994 team will also be honoured by the FAI at the FAI Cup final at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday 3 November.

Ticket update: Children tickets are all but sold out as of Saturday morning and will be sold out online shortly, we may have a small amount in ground Monday morning.

Concessions are also very limited, we expect these to go by Monday afternoon.

Overall we are down into hundreds left and expect a sell-out crowd possibly before Sunday.

Dundalk FC will have the regular away area plus the other side of Jinks Avenue, this is over 800 as per FAI guideline for semi-final, tickets have been issued and away fans should purchase there when available from their club.

Home fans will have the two other stands and usual standing areas

Tickets will be available here all weekend sligorovers.com/match-tickets/

If adult tickets are only available it is due to sell-out of others. Sales in the Showgrounds will recommence Monday morning

Please use our Twitter or Facebook for queries #bitored

Sligo Rovers secured their top flight status for next season as they overcame UCD at the Bowl.

A calamitous Conor Kearns own goal along with Romeo Parkes’ eleventh league goal of the season also means the Students will be effectively relegated, should they lose to Finn Harps in two weeks time.

Rovers played 70 minutes of this game with ten men, after Ronan Murray was sent off for a foul on Harry McEvoy.

That single point from safety, Sligo shaded the initial exchanges.

Kearns had to sweep the ball from Danny Kane’s feet after Lewis Banks nodded Regan Donelon’s corner towards the full back.

This was the only real opening early on.

Maciej Tarnogrodzki’s side rallied on the quarter hour. Richie O’Farrell and Mark Dignam combining before the latter fired narrowly past Ed McGinty’s post.

The Rovers goalkeeper was called into play again on 18 minutes.

McGinty’s two handed save denying Yoyo Mahdy’s low drive towards the far corner after Paul Doyle picked out the striker with a crafty through ball.

Liam Buckley’s team were reduced to ten two minutes later.

Murray left a late foot on McEvoy at the edge of the UCD box. And although there was a hint of an accident about the challenge, there was little protest from Murray when referee Neil Doyle issued him his second red of the season.

The numerical disadvantage played no part in the direction of this game, for the remainder of the half at least. Although there was more than a hint of fortune when Rovers had their opener on 33.

Kearns totally mis-judged the flight of David Cawley’s corner when the ball bounced off the outside of closed fist and into his own net.

Sligo had their second on the stroke of half time.

Fordyce led the break from the edge of his own area before laying play into the path of Parkes.

There was little panic or fuss from the Jamaican, who strolled his way past the last UCD defender before finishing deftly past Kearns.

McGinty was called into play eight minutes into the second period as the home side sought to fight their way back into contention.

Jason McClelland testing the Scot with a laced effort from 15 yards, before Kearns had to be alert at the opposite end to keep out substitute Niall Watson from the angle.

Dara Keane and Kris Twardek had chances at either end as Rovers held out for their fifth win over the Dubliners this term.

Kearns then pulled off a super double save from both Parkes and Cawley with six to go.

The first from Parkes was low down at his post, before the UCD number one leapt to push Cawley’s rocket from 20 yards over his crossbar.

UCD: Conor Kearns; Dan Tobin, Liam Scales, Harry McEvoy, Evan Farell; Paul Doyle, Dara Keane; Jason McClelland, Mark Dignam (Sam Byrne 57); Richie O’Farrell; Yoyo Mahdy.

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Lewis Banks, Kyle McFadden, John Mahon, Danny Kane (Niall Watson HT); Kris Twardek, David Cawley, Daryl Fordyce, Regan Donelon (Niall Morahan 69); Ronan Murray, Romeo Parkes. 

Referee: Neil Doyle.

16 players remaining in the running to win €1000 in Sligo Rovers last man stanidng. The team selections for week 6 are listed below.

A general sale for Extra.ie FAI Cup semi-final tickets begins at 10am on Friday morning.

The link is www.sligorovers.com/match-tickets. Click here for it.

These tickets are available to all supporters. Note: Dundalk FC fans should not purchase here and should only purchase from Dundalk FC.

Details for online purchase: 

• Tickets are unreserved so no seats or stand are reserved. All seating on the day is unreserved. 
• Tickets are e-tickets so will not be posted. Please download your ticket/s and print them or have it available on your phone on match day. It is essential you have the ticket available to scan or entry will not be granted.  
• All tickets will be scanned at entry. Please be patient and wait for the turnstile operator to scan all tickets and arrive early on the day to ensure wait time is limited. Several hundred tickets will have to be scanned.  
• Following the pre-sale and Dundalk FC receiving a large allocation, tickets are now limited so we advise purchasing ASAP. We expect a sell-out next week. 
• Ticket scanners will be accompanied by a steward who will ask for relevant ID for concessions. Sligo Rovers reserve the right to refuse admission without relevant ID for concessions. This will be strictly imposed. 
• Please use our social media channels for queries, we will happily answer your all questions. You can also email shane@sligorovers.com 

Enjoy the game and thank you for your support as always, stand up for the #bitored 

Sligo Rovers face UCD on Friday night in the UCD Bowl in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

The Bit O’ Red continued their good run of form with a 3-1 win over Finn Harps last week to make it four victories out of five games.

Rovers will play the Students for a fifth and final this season, with a 100% record so far. 

In team news, Dante Leverock and Sam Warde are suspended. Johnny Dunleavy is out a foot problem.

Liam Buckley said: “I was happy with the moments of quality we produced in the game last week and overall we did quite well.

“We switched a few things in terms of team selection and the players that came in took their opportunity.

“It showed that every player in this squad contributes. I’ve said it all year we wouldn’t have a player in the group that doesn’t make an impact in our season. I was very pleased with all of them and no doubt they are giving us something to think about.

“In football you are always playing for something and that can be for a place in the team for a big game like a semi-final, your future at a club, your next contract. It is the nature of it so there’s no dropping of levels or anything like that because of what is to come later in the season.  

“We have to see out the league in the right manner. We’ve put a lot of work into it and because of that there has to be a determination to get as many points as we can. As I’ve said we want that sixth place and we need a few more results to ensure we get it.

“UCD had a good result this week and they will be doing their all to catch Finn Harps so we expect a hard game as every game in this league is.” 

Children’s tickets for the FAI Cup semi-final with Dundalk will now be pre-sold.

Please note we are expecting a sell-out crowd for this game

Fans are ask to note that while we were initially going to only pre-sell adult and concession tickets and sell children’s tickets on the day, we will now sell pre-sell all tickets including children’s tickets due to expected high demand and Dundalk FC being due a large allocation of tickets.

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday in the clubhouse in The Showgrounds at 12pm for members and season tickets holders.

We ask that fans go directly to the clubhouse and not the main office.

A general and online sale begins on Friday.

Sligo Rovers can confirm the club will host a 25^th anniversary celebration for the 1994 FAI Cup winning side on Friday 1^st November in the Clayton Hotel.

Willie McStay and members of the 1994 team will be guests at the dinner dance event which will include a complimentary drinks reception, two course meal with tea/coffee, music and more.

Among the guests confirmed so far are Eddie Annand, Riccardo Gabbiadini, Mark McLean, David Reid and Gerry Carr.

The night will also coincide with the Player of the Year awards for this season, from senior to underage and women’s team.

The awards will be presented on the night.

Sligo Rovers legends will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the night as well as honouring a volunteer who has made a massive mark on the club.

Captain on the day of the FAI Cup victory to seal the treble win, Gavin Dykes, said: “It’s fantastic that the club are honouring the team and there is a great deal of excitement among all of us to catch up with the group.

“It looks like we’ll have nearly all the team with us and I know Willie is thrilled to be coming.

“The 1994 era was a special time in all our lives. For us it’s important to celebrate that time and we are delighted the club are organising this event.

“There’ll be a lot of stories, a lot of catching up and we hope to have a really memorable night.”

Tickets for the event are limited and will go on sale from The Showgrounds from Wednesday at 12pm, priced €50.

Tables of 10 are also available for corporate, please e-mail administrator@sligorovers.com

The 1994 team will also be honoured by the FAI at the FAI Cup final at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday 3 November.