Sligo Rovers host Waterford FC on Saturday night in The Showgrounds. Kick off is the later time of 8pm.

The Bit O’ Red drew 0-0 with Shamrock Rovers last week and played a mid-season friendly on Monday, beating Accrington Stanley.

New signing Danny Kane is awaiting international clearance. 

Lewis Banks serves a one-game ban.

Regan Donelon (hamstring) and Romeo Parkes (ankle) will undergo late fitness tests. 

Niall Morahan has been called up to the Ireland Under-19 squad for the European Championships so will miss out.

Liam Buckley said: “We were superb without the ball in Tallaght in terms of organisation, tenacity and overall defensively. We battled and scrapped and wouldn’t give in. With the ball, we could have been a lot better. It was a very good point from where we are at. Not many teams are getting a result there currently.

“Monday’s game was useful in that we got minutes for lads who needed them and it was actually a very good game. It was competitive and we played quite well. It was good for the likes of Danny Kane to play a part and a couple of others coming back from knocks. 

“We’ve got 12 games left. I think the players have worked extremely hard, and a late run could make it an exciting end of the season for us. We’re still in a position to kick on and going into this game that’s what we’re looking at.

“We will be without a couple of lads at least, the rest we’ll look at before the game. 

“It’s great for Niall to get the call-up, it’ll be a fantastic experience for him and he is progressing. 

“We’d like to put on a big performance in front of our supporters, we’d love a big crowd behind us and we’ll try to get the win because it could really get us closer to the top half teams.”

Sligo Rovers can today announce the signing of defender Danny Kane until the end of the season subject to international clearance.

The former Cork City and AFC Fylde man has been recovering from serious injury and has been part of the Rovers group for the majority of the season in that process. 

Kane, 22, has been recuperating from a serious ankle problem but is now back to fitness and played in the 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley on Monday.

Danny Kane said: “I’m delighted to officially be a Sligo Rovers player. It has been a long recovery but I’m happy to have been here for it. The lads are a fantastic group and it’s a great environment to be in. 

“I met Liam Buckley for the first time in January in Dublin and he ticked every box for me. I ended up going to Sligo the next day.

“He said I could do my recovery with a view to joining and the club would be totally open to me, help me and be part of things which was great. It has been frustrating watching on and mentally hard but being around the lads and the staff has been vital for me. They helped me settle in straight away.

“Playing on Monday was a great feeling. I think I did okay and I just need to get sharper. Now that I’m signed I want to show what I can do and get back flying. We have a few defenders in the squad. My preferred position is centre-half but I can play anywhere across the back four. I don’t mind, I just want to get back to my best.”

Liam Buckley said: “We lined Danny up earlier in the year. Both sides have had to be patient – it was a bad injury and he’s done the work to get back. We wanted to help him get back because we have a very good player on our hands at his best.

“He’s a baller. He can really play and also defend very well. He has that versatility and while we have good players in defence so he’ll have lots of competition, we have been low on bodies through the year. Not too long before the injury he was playing for the Ireland Under-21s and doing well and we think we can get him back to that form. 

“He played in the friendly with Accrington and came through that well. I think he can make a big contribution and I see the hunger in him. His grandmother is from the area so to have family around is great for him as well. 

“We are still looking. This window is difficult to pick up players. We don’t just want to go for someone for the sake of it. There’s still a couple of weeks to go so we are certainly not ruling anything out.”

Danny is awaiting clearance to be ready to be involved in competitive action. 

Sligo Rovers are partnering with Nazareth Nursing Home Sligo and Ballymote Community Nursing Unit in 500 km/1000 km Challenge in aid of both nursing homes.

Together, they challenge you to get out and about and to cover 500km or 1000km in one year all while raising funds for this very worthy cause.

Walk it, jog it, run it or even dance it. The choice is yours. You will need to walk just 1.4km every day to cover the 500km in the year and double it to cover the 1000km. You may already be a keen walker or runner and achieve this over a number of marathons or you may be starting off from the couch to 5km, either way, do it your way.

Take this on as a personal challenge, or better still, get your family, friends and colleagues involved.

Whatever way you take part, the sponsorship you raise is supporting Nazareth Nursing Home Sligo and Ballymote Community Nursing Unit to build and refurbish their Nursing homes, so that people living there have the most comfortable homes where they can live out their lives in style.

Each participant will receive a medal and certificate on completion of the challenge.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to be supporting our neighbours with the campaign, further evidence to the club being at the heart of the community once again.

It’s free to join, all you have to do is go to www.thenazarethcarefund.com/walkingchallenge and fill in your details to register. The 365 days begins the day you register.

Sligo Rovers will play Glebe North away in the first round of the Extra.ie FAI Cup in August.

The draw was made at the Aviva Stadium. Club officials were present for the draw.

Rovers face the Leinster Senior League outfit from Balbriggan on weekend ending 11 August. More details will be confirmed shortly

Sligo Rovers can confirm that Jack Keaney has left the club to join UCD.

The 20-year-old moves to the Students on their scholarship programme.

Keaney played 54 times since graduating from the underage teams, scoring six goals. 

Liam Buckley said: “We are sorry to lose Jack from the squad. He has had this offer from UCD for a couple of seasons.

“He has decided, at this final juncture to do so, to take it up and we respect that decision. 

“Jack has made great strides and for a man of his age he has had a big influence on the pitch, as well as off of it. He can be very proud of that progress made.

“As a club we do not want to lose any player. Our education partnership will help that cause going forward. The underage system here is very good and it shows that players get opportunities. 

“We are likely to lose one more player come the end of the month but we will look to bring in one or two to add to the squad. We will update on that shortly.”

Jack Keaney said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, and I want to thank everyone at Sligo Rovers, and the Sligo Rovers fans, for all the support they have given me over the last number of seasons. 

“When I arrived at Sligo in January 2016 as a kid and I leave here not only having grown as footballer, but more importantly as a person too. 

“I also want to take this opportunity to personally thank Danny O’Leary, Niall Harrison, Colm Jinks, Dave Robertson, Gerard Lyttle, Kevin Deery, John Russell, Liam Buckley, Brian Dorrian and my teammates, who have all been instrumental in both my personal and professional development. 

“This is special club that will forever hold a place in my heart, and I want to wish everyone at Sligo Rovers all the best for the rest of the season.”

Sligo Rovers chairman Martin Heraghty has said Monday’s friendly with Accrington is an important night for bringing funds into the club.

Rovers host the League 1 side on Monday with the game ear-marked in the mid-season update as one of the ways to contribute to the club. The match kicks off at 7:45pm.

The Annual Draw generated over €78,000 as another one of those methods but the chairman said the game still represents a worthwhile opportunity.

He told sligorovers.com: “We were very proud of what the Annual Draw became. It was a shining light of the spirit we have at the club and created genuine astonishment at the level of support we receive. 

“I’ve made the point already that as €78,000 was coming into the club, it was quickly being used for expenditure. It allowed us to meet our commitments and we continue to do that with the help of the Sligo public.

“The thinking behind Monday’s game is to offer an evening’s entertainment as a money-spinner for the club because there is little cost to the game. We are charging our usual prices and it was debated on what to do with that. In the end we decided to with our normal pricing to try to maximise revenue on the night. 

“We have been trying to find a balance on things that affects fans. For example the previous family night at a home game was free of charge. The Bit O’ Red Trust provided travel to fans to the game with Harps. We will continue to look at methods to invest, such as the development projects. However, we have to accept that the first-team set-up is our priority because it dictates so much.

“We are speaking to Liam in relation to the transfer window. We want to provide the opportunity to bring in players. I think the fans will agree that recruitment has been very good this year. He has his belief on what works in this window and what doesn’t, but what we want to do is be in a position to go for a player if he comes along. Liam, John Russell and Dave Campbell do that work very well. We need to utilise it when we can.”

The Rovers chairman said that the committee are trying to plan long-term to increase income streams.

“The landscape is changing year on year. The budget of the title challengers compared to ours is getting further and further away. We never stop looking at different revenue streams to allow us to even compete. Fundraising will stay at the cornerstone of it but we need more creative methods and outside of football. 

“What I would say today is Monday night will be a benefit to us and the amount of support we receive will dictate the extent of that benefit. I’d encourage our fans to come out and we have a host of families activities for children for just €5 two hours before the game.

“We welcome John Coleman who was fundamental in making this game happen. He wanted to help us and pushed to make the game happen. Andy Holt, the Accrington chairman, is a great guy and we welcome all that visit from Lancashire.

“Seamus Conneely is very well regarded by our fans and I know they will enjoying seeing him again. If you can come on Monday night, your support is massively appreciated. Last night’s result – and more so the sheer determination not to give in – resonates with us all.

“We want to compete and we want to be at the top table in the country. We do that together and your role is key. I wanted to explain our thought process and where we are and pass on our continuing gratitude for all our fans do.

“Our position is good one but we want to improve on it and that work is ongoing. See you on Monday night.”

Ed McGinty was Sligo Rovers’ hero as the Bit O’Red emerged from a second half Shamrock Rovers onslaught, to take a point from Tallaght.

McGinty pulled off several impressive stops in each half to repeatedly deny the home side.

The Hoops even had goalkeeper Alan Mannus in the Rovers box for two late corners, but Rovers held out.

Jack Byrne, instrumental in Sligo’s last visit to Dublin 24, showed form once more and went close early on.

His cheeky turn past his marker allowed him time and space to launch an effort at goal from the edge of the area.

The in-form McGinty doing enough to keep the Irish international at bay.

The Bit O’Red were sloppy in their distribution from the back at times and almost paid for this on 19 minutes.

A loose ball from deep was set upon by Dylan Watts whose initial effort was blocked.

Possession falling to Sean Kavanagh who steadied himself before blasting over from ten yards.

Debutant Graham Cummins should have had the Hoops ahead three minutes from the break.

Unmarked and with Sligo’s centre halves and sixes and sevens, the former Cork City man could only crack his free header from a Greg Bolger cross straight on to McGinty’s crossbar.

The Scot continued to keep the westerners in this. Twice denying Kavanagh before the break with a couple of fine stops.

McGinty was at it again moments after the re-start as he got a finger-tip to Byrne’s belter from distance.

While the same man was alert to come and meet Cummins to block down the striker’s go at goal just before the hour.

It remained one way traffic and McGinty was again the hero as he spread himself to divert Cummins’ next effort away.

Substitute Dan Carr could only drag his effort from the angle wide of the target on 65 with Stephen Bradley’s charges remaining frustrated.

McGinty then had to push Watts’ cross on to his own crossbar with fifteen to go as the Dubliners continued to smother Sligo with pressure.

Cummins, Carr and Gary O’Neill all had chances to convert as news of Derry’s late leveller against Dundalk filtered through.

However, Rovers somehow held out for a valuable point on the road.

Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Joey O’Brien, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace, Sean Kavanagh; Dylan Watts (Aaron Greene 76), Greg Bolger (Gary O’Neill 63); Jack Byrne, Ronan Finn (Dan Carr 59), Trevor Clarke; Graham Cummins.

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Kyle Callan-McFadden, John Mahon, Dante Leverock; Jonny Dunleavy, Lewis Banks; David Cawley (Niall Morahan 77), John Russell (Sam Warde 67); Ronan Murray (Kris Twardek 67), Romeo Parkes; Ronan Coughlan.

Referee: Neil Doyle.

Attendance: 2,612.

Sligo Rovers take on Shamrock Rovers on Friday night in Tallaght Stadium in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

Ahead of a third meeting of the season, both sides have one win each so far, 3-0 in Tallaght and 2-1 in Sligo.

Rovers are in sixth position in the table and will stay there regardless of the result on Friday, trailing St Pat’s by five points and four ahead of Cork.

In team news, Regan Donelon is the only injury double (hamstring) and will be tested pre-game. Otherwise it’s a full squad as Daryl Fordyce returns from an Achilles problem.

Liam Buckley said: “It was a good response on Monday. I said to the lads afterwards that while we may have regrets over our performance and result against Finn Harps that it is in the past now.  

“Beating UCD didn’t make up for it. but there is nothing we can do about it except go to games like this and try to make up points where we can in every game.

“I said at the break that our medium-term goal is take as many points as we can from all the games and that must include grit and determination and desire to do so.  We look forward now.

“I thought we kept it simple, kept it moving and we want to build on that. When we went to Tallaght for the first game, we didn’t really perform at all. That was 15th March and I think we’re a lot different team now and I’d like us to go out and do ourselves justice.

“It’s not easy at all to do that in Tallaght. I think the only defeats they have had there are ones they can count themselves unfortunate against Dundalk and Bohs so it’s a tough, tough game for us.

“That said, we’ll go there looking to take the football we played on Monday into this game and see where that takes us.”

Buckley added on transfer targets in this window.

“We are looking at what we can do certainly but at this moment everything is still undecided. If the right player is there for us we’ll try to make it work.

“There is no concrete update on players going in or out and this stage. But the club, the staff and I are monitoring the situation of ins and outs and when we have news we’ll let the fans know.”

Accrington Stanley’s Seamus Conneely is looking forward to a return to Sligo next Monday.

Stanley are back in pre-season and face their first friendly game in The Showgrounds against the Bit O’ Red.

At the time of chatting to www.sligorovers.com, Conneely had just completed his latest session as Accrington get put through their paces at an army base in Oxfordshire.

https://twitter.com/ASFCofficial/status/1146385481141293056

“It’s hard going yes. We just did a run there where you have all the equipment so you feel it.

“There’s a lot of the drills that you would do and the soldiers are with us so it’s very much some of the experience.

“We had footballs out earlier in pre-season. It’s structured to build up fitness and obviously to get going on the pitch. I think we are looking forward to starting the games at this stage though!”

Conneely still keeps an eye out on Rovers and his home club Galway United ahead of his return to Ireland on Monday.

“I look out every week for Sligo’s result and Galway as well.

“I’m disappointed for Galway United and where they are at. I think with even a small bit more investment that could change but it’s hard I know.

“Sligo are doing okay, I see the gap growing from the top clubs because of the European money so they are doing well in that respect. I’m sure they are looking to break into that top four.

“John Coleman mentioned a few times that he was trying to get a friendly in Sligo at the end of last season and I kept asking him so I was delighted when it was confirmed.

“John was really keen to go there. He knows Sligo will be the ideal game and has an affection for the club and the place.

“My Dad will be there and friends of the family and I can’t wait to see some old friends from the club.

“I’m sure a lot of the lads based locally who were part of the teams from 2012 and 2013 and that will come out too. “

The full interview will appear in the Sligo Rovers match programme on Monday.