Sligo Rovers are excited to announce we will host a mid-season friendly with Celtic FC ‘B’ at The Showgrounds on Tuesday, July 11^th at 7pm.

The game will see the Scottish side travel to Ireland as part of their pre-season preparations.

There are a number of connections between the clubs, most notably the likes of former Rovers’ man Willie McStay who was Player/Manager from 1992 to 1994 where he won the FAI Cup, First Division and First Division Shield in the 93/94 season. Willie is currently Head of Academy Scouting at the club.

Sean Fallon was born in Sligo in 1922 and joined the Bit O’ Red in the late 1940’s before joining Celtic a couple of years later. Fallon went on to become a Celtic legend, making over 250 appearances in Glasgow over an eight-year period.

The Sligoman would then go on to become the club’s Assistant Manager from 1962-1975, taking the team shortly afterwards as Caretaker when Manager Jock Stein was involved in a near-fatal car crash.

In 2014, The Showgrounds All-Weather pitch underwent development works to improve the club’s facilities and it was announced that the new facility would be named in Fallon’s honour and to this day is named The Sean Fallon Centre, the home of the Bit O’ Red’s Academy.

Speaking on the announcement of the game, Manager John Russell is looking forward to welcoming Celtic to The Showgrounds:

‘’It promises to be a good occasion for both clubs here at The Showgrounds.

‘’I know there is a good history between the clubs with various players or staff having played or managed both here and in Scotland.

‘’It will be a good test for us, and it will also be good for the supporters of both clubs to come to The Showgrounds and see a good game of football’’.

Club Chairman Tommy Higgins:

‘’We are very happy to welcome Celtic Football Club to The Showgrounds on July 11^th.

‘’The game will hopefully be an entertaining one for the supporters and we hope to see a large Celtic support here on the night too.

‘’Celtic are a hugely followed club around the world, particularly here in Ireland and we are all looking forward to the game’’.

There is one more, possibly the most important Sligo link to Celtic. Founder of the club, Brother Walfrid was born in Ballymote.

Walfrid founded the club in 1888 as a means of raising funds for the Catholic Community in the area.

He is remembered at both Celtic Park in Glasgow and the Community Park in Ballymote where there are two sculptures in his honour.

Tickets for the match are now available on https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/ and are priced at €15 for Adults, €10 for Seniors and Students and €5 for Under 12’s.

We look forward to welcoming Celtic to The Showgrounds.

Sligo Rovers are back in action this Friday night at The Showgrounds at 7.45pm when Bohemians are the visitors in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.

Tickets for home supporters are available now via the link below:

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

Rovers fans can also pay on the gate Friday evening from 6.30pm.

It was an action packed weekend for our Academy with all six teams in action from Friday to Sunday.

First up on Friday evening at The Showgrounds, our Under 14 side defeated Derry City 3-2 in the Under 14 Eddie Wallace Cup.

Goals from Conor Whittaker (2) and Ryan Lang sealed the win, meaning the side have now won two out of the first three group games.

On Saturday, our Under 17 Women fell to defeat in Athlone, with the hosts winning 6-0 at Athlone Town Stadium.

At The Showgrounds, our Under 17 Men’s side won 1-0 at home to Bray Wanderers in the first game of Phase Two of the League campaign thanks to a late goal from substitute Femi Olajide.

Thats two wins in a row now for the side after a recent cup win over Finn Harps.

Sunday saw three games down for decision with one home game and two games away from home.

At The Showgrounds, our Under 15 side had a 3-0 victory over UCD in the Under 15 Cup thanks to goals from Liam McLaughlin, Jamie O’ Malley and Cathair Tighe.

This was the fifth win on the bounce for this side who are having an impressive season so far.

Our Under 19 Womens team took on Galway United away from home on Sunday afternoon and came away with a 5-3 win in the first game of Group C of their Under 19 Cup.

Katie McGuire scored an impressive hat-trick and Rebecca Doddy added a brace in a high scoring game.

A Conor Campbell goal saw our Under 19 Men’s team win 1-0 away from home against Bray Wanderers in the first game of Phase Two of the League season. This was the second win on the spin for Declan Boyle’s side after a win over Kildare before the break.

In other news, the club were delighted to see eight of our Under 17 Womens team at Under 15 Ireland Assessments on Sunday afternoon.

Lucy Gavin, Lesley Anne Sweeney, Mairead McIntyre, Casey Ruane, Kya McKenna, Amy Murphy, Eve Capriani and McKenzie Reynolds represented the Bit O’ Red in Dublin.

Sion Swifts took the Group C Avenir Sports Women’s All-Island Cup spoils this afternoon with a comprehensive 4-1 second round victory against Sligo Rovers at the Melvin Sports Complex, writes Conall Collier.

The opening half was a cagey affair and the teams turned over on level terms (1-1), but Sion Swifts dictated the exchanges after the break.

Both teams lost in the first round of Group C last weekend with Sion Swifts edged out by the odd goal in three away to Cliftonville while the Bit O’Red lost at home to Bohemian FC.

Both teams needed to win to have any chance of earning a semi-final ticket and Sion Swifts achieved that target, but will need favourable results elsewhere to progress.

Despite the best efforts of the players in this encounter the opening 40 minutes was scoreless.

However, the deadlock was broken a minute later when another Sligo Rovers own goal, this time a deflection off Kate Nugent, gave Sion Swifts the lead.

Undaunted by the setback, the Bit O’Red got back on level terms when Sarah Kiernan rifled a free into the bottom corner of the Swifts net in first-half added time to leave it 1-1 at the interval.

The hosts resumed smartly for the second-half and hit the front again in the 51st minute with a Kerry Brown goal.

The hosts remained in the ascendancy and were rewarded with a third goal with about 20 minutes remaining when Caoirse Doherty finished to the net and effectively sealed the win.

It got worse for the Bit O’Red in the 81st minute when Sion Swifts substitute Tara O’Connor-Farren added a fourth goal for an impressive victory for the hosts.

Sligo Rovers will complete the Group C campaign next weekend with a trip to Belfast to tackle Cliftonville while Sion Swifts will play Bohemian FC.

Sion Swifts – Jennifer Currie: Aimee Neal, Tasmin McCarter, Saoirse Healy, Kelly
Crompton, Zoe McGlynn, Kerry Brown, Cora Chambers, Teegan Lynch, Aoibhe O’Neill, Caoirse Doherty. 

Subs – Caoimhe Walsh for Neal 45 mins, Lauren Haynes for Healy 58m, Tara O’Connor-Farren for Doherty 76m.
 
Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKiernan; Emma Hansberry, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Casey Howe, Aoife Brennan, Jodie Loughrey, Keela Scanlon, Sarah Kiernan, Alice Lillie, Kate Nugent. 

Subs – Amy Roddy for Nugent, Leah Kelly for Scanlon and Keri Loughrey for Hansberry all 64 mins, Katie Melly for J Loughrey 71 mins, Ciara Henry for Boles 80m.

Sligo Rovers suffered defeat in Dublin on Friday night after a second-half comeback from UCD ensured they took all three points at The UCD Bowl.

Rovers went into the game having to make two changes to the side that drew with Shelbourne in our previous game with Frank Liivak and Greg Bolger both replaced by David Cawley and Stefan Radosavljevic.

The game started with Rovers on top in the early stages. Long spells of possession saw half chances for Max Mata and Stefan Radosavljevic and some good play down the right hand side from Johan Brannefalk.

Rovers took the lead on 23 minutes. Brannefalk’s corner was headed down by John Mahon into the path of David Cawley who’s effort went in off former Rovers’ man Jack Keaney and into the net.

It could have been 2-0 on 39 minutes when Mata was played through by Cawley but the New Zealander’s strike was saved by Kian Moore in the UCD goal.

The second half was much the same as the first. Both sides looked to keep possession but neither goalkeeper were worked in truth and Rovers seemed to be in control.

Greg Bolger and Frank Liivak came on for Cawley and Radosavljevic and the game’s major turning point happened on 73 minutes.

A long ball from UCD ran through toward goalkeeper Luke McNicholas on the edge of his penalty area. McNicholas looked to clear the ball down field but it was charged down by substitute Samuel Clarke and the ball rebounded into the net to bring the Students level.

Kailin Barlow was introduced for Niall Morahan and immediately he found Mata with a good cross but his header went just over the crossbar.

This would come back to haunt Rovers as a minute later, UCD were in front. Alex Nolan’s free kick was brilliantly headed to the net by Jake Doyle on 86 minutes and what looked to be a game in control was all of a sudden turned and UCD hung on for the win, despite a late Mata header which saw a magnificent save from Moore in added time.

Next up for Rovers is a home game with Bohemians on Friday night at The Showgrounds at 7.45pm.

Sligo Rovers are back in action on tonight as we face UCD away from home at 7.45pm.

It will be the second game in a row that Rovers travel to Dublin after our 1-1 draw with Shelbourne at Tolka Park last time out.

The game marks the return to action for all teams following the International break and will be the Bit O’ Red’s 21^st game of the 2023 season.

Manager John Russell is looking forward to getting back to action this evening:

‘’We’re all looking forward to getting back on the pitch on Friday evening. The players have trained well this week and it’s important that they bring that into the game tonight.

‘’We’re still nursing a few injuries but we’re hoping over the next few weeks we will see the return of a few players. We welcome back Max, Nando and Stefan from international duty who will all go into the squad.

UCD are on bottom of the table at present, with Rovers in 8^th position heading into the game.

The last time the sides met was a 3-1 Rovers victory at The Showgrounds in April following February’s 3-2 win for Russell’s side thanks to Max Mata’s hat-trick.

Russell knows the importance of the game on Friday:

‘’We know the threat UCD bring. They have got some good young players and are well coached by Andy Myler and his staff. We will need to be at our best to get a result.

‘’The last time we played in Belfield we had a big support and we’re hoping for another big following this evening’’.

In team news, Rovers have a number of injury worries going into the game.

Long-term absentees Garry Buckley, Gary Boylan, Mark Byrne, Karl O’ Sullivan, James Finnerty, Fabrice Hartmann and Eanna Clancy are all out with their respective injuries.

There was more bad news for Rovers before the game against Shelbourne when Reece Hutchinson as injured in the warm-up and he will miss the next number of weeks with an achilles problem.

Greg Bolger was forced off in the same game and is a doubt for Friday and goalkeeper Conor Walsh is expected to miss out once again with an ankle injury, but is progressing in his rehabilitation.

Max Mata, Nando Pijnaker and Stefan Radosavljevic all returned from International duty with no concerns and all three are available for the game.

The game is Live on LOI TV with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Another tough outing for Sligo Rovers this weekend as manager Steve Feeney takes the team on a relatively short journey to Strabane to tackle Sion Swifts in the Avenir Sports Women’s All-Island Cup at 2pm, writes Conall Collier

It’s yet another first for a fledgling Sligo Rovers team that is surely due a large dollop of good luck after last weekend’s reversal against Bohemian FC where a couple of own goals contributed to a flattering 3-1 victory for the Dublin women.

Sion Swifts came into this competition as a late replacement for Derry City and are currently eight games into the Women’s Premiership and sit in fourth place some nine points adrift of leaders Glentoran.

The Northern Ireland Women’s Premiership has expanded to 10 teams this season with the addition of Ballymena Utd and Larne and this year also marked the advent of professionalism for women’s football in Northern Ireland.

The Sion Swifts women’s club was formed in 2010 and made the top division in 2015 following a play-off victory.

The club has enjoyed success also and won the Women’s Irish Cup in 2017 and the League Cup last season, the manager is Tony McGinley and home games are played at the Melvin Sports Complex in Strabane.

Both teams lost in the first round of Group C last weekend with Sion Swifts edged out by the odd goal in three away to Cliftonville after taking a first-half lead through Zoe McGlynn while the Bit O’Red ended up on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Bohemian FC.

Consequently, both teams need to win this encounter to have any chance of finishing top of the four-team group and earning the semi-final ticket.

It’s a tall order as other results will have to be favourable also, but that won’t deter either side from going for victory in what should be a well-contested encounter.

Sion Swifts didn’t have too much time to brood over the narrow loss against Cliftonville as they were in action on Wednesday night and bounced back with an impressive 4-0 League Cup quarter-final victory against Mid Ulster.

Sion Swifts recorded a 6-1 win in the preliminary round of the competition in mid-June against Ballymena Utd and will face Crusaders Strikers in the semi-final next month.

This weekend the Tyrone women will be looking to players like Zoe McGlynn and Caoirse Doherty, who both scored against Mid Ulster, to hit the target again on Saturday.

There are a number of positives for Sligo Rovers going into this game, the first one is that away form this season is more encouraging and then there is the display last weekend against a Bohemian FC side that is enjoying a good season in the Women’s Premier Division.

If hard work, grit and determination were sufficient to win a game, then Sligo Rovers would be relatively short-priced for this encounter.

However, a kinder bounce of the ball is overdue for the Bit O’Red and with players like Casey Howe, Emma Doherty, Lauren Boles, Alice Lillie, Ciara Henry and Kate Nugent all poised to capitalise, Saturday’s showdown in Strabane could produce lots of goals.

Booking is now open for our week long Summer Camp in Westport using the below link

https://westportunited.com/categories/camp/products

The camp takes place from July 31st – 4th August – Monday to Friday and begin at 10am and finish at 1pm.

The camps are for children aged between 7 and 13 and include a free Rovers training top and a meet and greet with some of our first team players during the week.

Places are limited, so booking early is recommended to avoid disappointment.

We would like to thank our friends at Westport United for partnering with us on this initiative helping to make Rovers more accessible to all across the region and we look forward to spending the week in Westport.

The 500 Club members draw for April and May were recently made by the 500 Club Committee.

These monthly draws see ten members drawn each month for cash prizes, with the top prize being €500.

The 500 Club continues to be one of the club’s most important Fundraisers and we thank the 500 Club committee for their continued hard work.

The following are the winners for April and May:

April:

1st: €500 – Brian Boland, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

2nd: €100 – Marie Casserly, Grange, Sligo

3rd: €100 – Micheal Keane, Scaredenmore, Sligo

4th: €100 – Kieran O’ Dowd, Gurteen, Sligo

5th: €100 – Joe Davey, Ballisodare, Sligo

6th: €100 – Joe Burns, Aughamore, Sligo

7th: €100 – Colm Foley, Goatstown, Dublin 14

8th: €100 – Susan Fallon, Cranmore, Sligo

9th: €100 – Ultan Guilfoyle, Ballisodare, Sligo

10th: €100 – Ballymote Community, Ballymote, Sligo

May:

1st: €500 – Stephen Cunningham, Ballymote, Sligo

2nd: €100 – Francis Hopper, Church St, Sligo

3rd: €100 – Joe Gilroy, The Orchard, Kevinsfort

4th: €100 – James Creed, Rosses Point, Sligo

5th: €100 – Bernie Fowley, Thurles, Tipperary

6th: €100 – Brian McNally, Westport, Co. Mayo

7th: €100 – Garrett O’ Sullivan, Decantur, USA

8th: €100 – Elizabeth Cullen, Ballinamallard, Fermanagh

9th: €100 – Michael Guilfoyle, Ballygawley, Sligo

10th: €100 – Paul Gilleece, Circular Rd, Sligo

Congratulations to all our prize winners. June’s draw will take place soon.

Our Academy teams are back in action this weekend following a break for examinations throughout June so far.

We have six games taking place across a busy weekend both at The Showgrounds and away from home.

It all starts on Friday evening at The Showgrounds when our Under 14’s take on Derry City at 7pm in the Under 14 Eddie Wallace Cup.

Saturday sees our Under 17 Men’s team on the Sean Fallon Centre from 1pm against Bray Wanderers in the first game of Phase Two of the League. Rovers are in a group with Bray Wanderers, Athlone Town, Bohemians, Drogheda United, Finn Harps, St. Patrick’s Athletic and Longford Town.

Darren Kelly’s Under 17 Womens side are in Cup action on Saturday away to Athlone Town. This is the first group game of the campaign with Rovers joined by Athlone Town, Bohemians and Longford Town in Group A.

There are three games on Sunday afternoon.

Our Under 19 Men’s team travel to Bray Wanderers in Phase Two of the League. Kick off is at 2pm. Other teams in their section include Athlone Town, Derry City, Finn Harps, Dundalk and Longford Town.

Our Under 19 Womens team face Galway United away from home, also at 2pm to mark the start of their cup campaign. There are four teams in Group C, Rovers, Galway United, Treaty United and Athlone Town.

Lastly, our Under 15 boys team are at home to UCD at 1pm at The Sean Fallon Centre in the Under 15 Cup. Admission to the game is free of charge.