Hard-working Bohemian FC, with an outstanding display from Lisa Murphy, edged out Sligo Rovers at Dalymount Park on Saturday evening in the first game after the mid-season break, writes Conall Collier

Both teams failed to score last time out, but the Dublin side took a point at the Belfield Bowl while Sligo Rovers conceded five against Peamount.

The opening exchanges were fairly tentative and both teams looked a little rusty, but the sharpness soon returned.

The Bit O’Red had to rely on a smart Amy Mahon save in the 21st minute as she turned a well-struck Abbie Brophy effort around the post.

From the resultant corner, there was a bit of pinball in the Sligo penalty area before the ball was blazed over the bar.

Brophy continued to cause problems for the visitors, but the hosts were kept at bay until the 43rd minute when hesitation at the back gave Erica Burke an opening and she finished smartly to give Bohemian FC a 1-0 interval lead.

Sligo Rovers created a 55th minute opening when Emma Hansberry had a great chance, but her effort was blocked by Rachael Kelly, the ball broke to Paula McCrory, but she hit over.

Gemma McGuinness had Sligo on terms in the 70th minute when she finished well after breaking through, but Bohemian FC reacted positively and substitute Aoife Robinson restored the lead three minutes later.

That was sufficient to give the Dublin side the points as they moved up to seventh.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney was disappointed not to get something from the game and will now turn his attention to preparations for next weekend’s FAI Cup tie against Douglas Hall.

“We conceded goals that were of the soft variety, but we also needed the game after the break,” stated Feeney.

“I thought we were the best team for about half-an-hour in the second-half and we have definitely improved from our performance the first day against Bohs,” he added.


Bohemian FC – Rachael Kelly; Abbie O’Hara, Ann Marie Byrne, Lisa Murphy, Isobel Finnegan, Katie LOvely, Kira Crosbie Bates, Chloe Darby, Abbie Brophy, Bronagh Kane, Erica Burke. Subs – Aoife Robinson for Darby 68 mins,Lara Phipps for Kane 77m,Leah HUghes for Murphy 89m.
 

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Erin Coyle, Amy Roddy, Paula McCrory, Jessica Casey. Subs – Kerri O’Hara for Hansberry 61 mins, Katie Melly for Hyndman and Fiona Doherty for Casey both 81m, Lauren McClellan for McGrory 87m.

Referee -Sarah Dyas.

The Bit O’ Red made it three home wins on the spin lastnight at a rain soaked Showgrounds against Dubliners Shelbourne.

Manager John Russell made one change to his starting line up from last week’s draw against Drogheda United, with Nando Pijnaker replacing Lewis Banks at the back. Garry Buckley wasn’t risked as he continues to recover from injury, with the defender expected to play in this week’s Europa Conference League tie with Bala Town.

The visitors started the better and took an early lead when Jack Moylan ran towards the Rovers penalty area before finding JJ Lunney inside the box. Lunney teed up Brian McManus who’s shot was deflected past Ed McGinty to give his side the lead.

Rovers recovered well from this early setback and went in search of an equaliser and they got it on 23 minutes. Niall Morahan’s defensive header found Aidan Keena inside his own half. Keena flicked it into the path of Will Fitzgerald who drove forward across half way before slipping in Max Mata who beat Aaron O’ Driscoll and powered a shot low under Brendan Clarke for his fourth goal for the club.

It was all Rovers at this stage and it wasn’t long before we took the lead. Shane Blaney passed to Paddy Kirk at left back and he played a forward ball to Mata who turned it around the corner for Aidan Keena to run onto. Keena drove towards the area before teeing up Mata again who looked to be working an angle to shoot but he spotted Keena in a better position and the striker beautifully dinked the ball over Clarke and into the net for his tenth goal of the season and to put John Russell’s side in front at the break.

The second half was as action packed as the first. Both sides looked for a fourth goal with Rovers playing some nice football from back to front but it was the visitors who came closest on a couple of occasions late in the half.

First, Jack Moylan’s cross come shot deceived Ed McGinty and had to be cleared off the line by Colm Horgan.

Keena again threatened when he turned well 30 yards from goal and played a fine through ball toward debutant Frank Liivak, introduced shortly beforehand, who was upended in the box but the referee waved away Rovers’ penalty appeals.

Then Moylan had the ball in the net for Shels but sub Sean Boyd was standing in front of McGinty and it was ruled out for offside.

Moylan was again narrowly offside on 86 minutes after Boyd’s flick on and Rovers escaped and battled on as the clock ticked past 90 minutes and into five minutes of added time.

Two minutes into that Rovers had a chance to seal the points. Frank Liivak burst away from the Shels defender Luke Byrne and found Fitzgerald who broke into the box and put the ball around Brendan Clarke who fouled the Rovers’ winger and referee John McLoughlin pointed to the spot.

Aidan Keena grabbed the ball and sent Clarke the wrong way and Rovers secured an important 3-1 win.

Next up is a trip to face Bala Town on Thursday evening in The First Round of The Europa Conference League Qualifiers.

Sligo Rovers’ Women’s National League manager Steve Feeney has made his first signing of the summer transfer window with Aife Haran returning to the club.

The 20-year-old was part of the club’s first ever Under-17 Women’s National League side, before moving on to play for Athlone Town.

The Ballinacarrow native started her football with Strand Celtic at the age of eight, and played up as far as Under 18 level.

Haran won seven league medals Strand, while also representing Sligo/Leitrim Emerging Talent squads, and represented Connacht at Under 15 level.

The midfielder spent two years with the Rovers Under 17s team and scored the club’s first goal in the underage Women’s National League as she scored versus Peamount, which she says she is very proud of. 

Aife then moved on to Athlone Town where she played her football for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“I learnt a lot there and gained lots of WNL experience,” Haran told sligorovers.com

Haran studies Sports Therapy in Dublin, and has been playing for the Sligo senior GAA team for the last few months, having not played any Women’s National League this season.

She explained: “Back in November 2021 I was contacted by Conor O’Grady who was in the process of forming a senior womens team at Sligo Rovers, to see if I would be interested in playing for the coming season. 

“I had decided that being in college in Dublin, it would not be possible to return to Athlone so my instinct was to return to Rovers, where I started my National League career. 

“I had at that stage committed to Sligo Senior Ladies GAA for the coming season but said I would join mid season, which I am delighted to do now.”

Growing up, for Haran there was no senior women’s football in the county, so she appreciates the importance of having a senior Rovers WNL team.

“I am so excited to get back playing for Sligo Rovers again at a higher level. It’s great to finally have a women’s senior team in the county especially for the young girls coming through in the future. 

“I help coach the Coolaney United u13 girls and I can see how much it means for them to have role models to look up to and something for them to aim towards in their future careers, so it’s great even from that aspect of things.”

Haran is familiar with a number of players within the squad from her time with the under 17s, and she’s been impressed with what she’s seen so far this season.

“The team has done unbelievably well considering it’s their first year in the WNL. It goes to show how hard working and determined each player is which is exactly what is needed to be successful in this league. 

“I’ve been to a few home games and I’ve been impressed with the quality of players in the squad. I’m excited to be involved in this squad and ready to work hard for the team. 

“From underage I’ve played with several of the current squad and I look forward to getting to know the rest of my teammates.

“I’ve been at a few training sessions so far and I have enjoyed getting back playing at this level.”

Haran is available to play today (Saturday) as Rovers travel to Dalymount Park to take on Bohemian in their first game following the mid-season break.

We wish to remind all supporters attending tonight’s game to please respect the following guidelines:

• Random searches by security upon entry. Please respect our security staff if asked
• CCTV is in operation. With thanks to our partners Power Right Fire & Security, our state of the art CCTV cameras are in operation throughout the night. This is monitored throughout the game and anyone found to be behaving in a way that goes against our ground rules will be identified and might be removed from the ground and issued a suspension or ban from attending games.
• We ask supporters not to bring alcohol to the game. Security staff have confiscated large amounts of alcohol in recent weeks and will continue to do so in all games.
• We thank supporters for not using flares at our last game. It was the first game this season the club didn’t receive a fine for the use of flares at our games. The atmosphere was fantastic and we look forward to the same this evening.
• Away fans enter via our astro turf car park.
• Away supporters buses must park in the astro turf car park in our designated area. This increases safety and security for supporters
• Please respect the local area and park responsibly. We have come to an agreement with Nazareth House which is being finalised which will add up to 200 car parking spaces on match night. This will be in place from our European game with Bala Town.
• Children aged Under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
• With a COVID strain now back among and effecting many in the community, we ask supporters to consider wearing a face covering and to act responsibly in this regard.
  

We have employed a new security team this season who liaise with our local An Garda Siochana at each game and are in communication with our CCTV operator. These are in addition to our regular, dedicated volunteers who act as stewards and security.

We thank supporters for their assistance and support in all the above matters. This will help everyone have a better experience on match night and enhance The Showgrounds experience.

Sligo Rovers are back at The Showgrounds and hoping to make it three wins on the spin on Churchill Road when Shelbourne come to visit on Saturday night (7.45pm)

Shelbourne have got the better of Rovers on both occasions so far this season with 1-0 and 2-1 wins respectively in April and May.

Rovers are in good form and unbeaten in four matches since Russell has taken over (Interim versus Derry City and UCD).

Shelbourne come into the game having drawn with Dundalk at Tolka Park last Friday night and Rovers had a scoreless game themselves away to Drogheda United at the same time.

Manager Russell expects another tough encounter:

‘’There was a lot of positives to take from our match against Drogheda last week. I felt we controlled the game for large parts and we were defensively very secure. We know there are areas where we can improve and this week has allowed us to work more on our principles of play.

Tomorrow night, we welcome Shelbourne to The Showgrounds who have beaten us twice this year. I know our players are relishing the challenge ahead.

It’s another home game for us in front of our fans so we’re hoping for a big performance’’.

In team news, Rovers should have a fully fit squad to choose from as Nando Pijnaker and Greg Bolger have recovered from illness and Garry Buckley should return from a muscle injury. Frank Liivak has joined the club this week and will await international clearance before knowing if he can participate.

The club wish to announce that ticket sales for our home European tie with Bala Town will be on sale inside the ground as well as Annual Draw tickets for our upcoming 2022 draw.

Gates open from 6.30pm.

The club also wish to thank supporters for their assistance at our last home fixture where no pyro was used and no flares let off which we appealed for help with. Thankfully, this is the first time the club were not issued with any fines resulting from the use of flares at The Showgrounds this season.

The game is also live on LOI TV with Jessica Farry and Alan Keane on commentary.

Ocean FM will also have live commentary on the night.

Bohemian FC get set to welcome Sligo Rovers to Dalymount Park for the first time on Saturday evening, 6pm, as the Women’s National League returns after a mid-season break.

The Dublin club will be eager to build on the form that saw them draw with Galway, beat Peamount and draw with DLR Waves while Sligo Rovers will be determined to put a five-goal reversal last-time-out against Peamount behind them.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney summed up the impact of conceding five goals without reply to a resurgent Peamount Utd side when he suggested that the players were disappointed not to have taken something from the game.

“We have improved to a certain standard and we now have to push on again, we have to come back stronger after the break,” commented Feeney in the aftermath of the reversal.

“If someone had told us that we would be in this position after 14 games into our inaugural season, playing Peamount at home and going out with the expectation of getting a result, it just demonstrates how much progress the team has made.

“The mid-season break is welcome, we can get everyone refreshed again and ready to go to Dalymount for the next game against Bohemians,” he added.

Two goals from Sinead Taylor and one from Chloe Darby gave Bohemian FC the points in a 3-1 victory at the Showgrounds last March and the formbook suggests that on home turf, the Dublin women will be a difficult proposition.

The immediate goal for Bohemian FC manager Sean Byrne and his players is to take another three points as they currently sit in eighth position two points adrift of Sligo Rovers.

Of concern for the Bohs boss will be the fact that they failed to score against DLR Waves in a game of few chances.

However, the loss of striker and captain, Sinead Taylor after just 20 minutes was a major setback and manager Byrne will be looking for a more fluent performance this time around.

The Sligo Rovers players have demonstrated an ability to bounce back and they will be determined to hold on to seventh place and build on what has been an impressive first-half of the season for the newest team in the WNL.

LAST TIME

Sligo Rovers 1, Bohemian FC 3

TEAMS

Sligo Rovers – Kristen Sample; Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Orna O’Dowd, Amy Hyndman, Gemma McGuinness, Lauren Boles, Emma Doherty, Amy Roddy, Fiona Doherty, Paula McGrory.

Subs – Ruth Monaghan for O’Dowd, Aoife Brennan for McGrory both half-time, Kerri O’Hara for Hyndman, Katie Melly for F Doherty both 68 mins, Helen Monaghan for Kelly 74m, 

Bohemian FC – Rachael Kelly; Abbie Brophy, Katie Burdis, Lisa Murphy, Ciara Maher, Katie Lovely, Chloe Darby, Erica Burke, Kira Bates-Crosbie, Fiona Ryan, Sinead Taylor. 

Subs – Isobel Finnegan for Burdis and Ann Marie Byrne for Ryan both 60 mins, Bronagh Kae for Bates-Crosbie 83m.

Our Academy go into July with five games this weekend between Saturday and Sunday.

Our Under 14 boys get their League season underway with a game away to Klub Kildare in Tougher at 1pm. The sides recently met in the SETU Cup in Waterford where Rovers won the game.

Our Under 15 side are in action away to Bray Wanderers on Sunday at Ballychorus at 3.30pm. The lads drew 2-2 with Athlone Town last time out.

Our Under 17 Men’s team face Cavan/Monaghan in the cup in Cootehill at 2pm on Saturday afternoon. The sides have met twice in the league so far in 2022 with Rovers winning one and drawing the other.

Our Women’s Under 17s are in action away to Athlone Town, also on Saturday at 3.30pm at Lissywoolen. The sides played out a scoreless draw already this year.

On Sunday our Under 19 men host Shamrock Rovers at 2pm at Sean Fallon Centre. The lads won 2-1 against Treaty United on Wednesday night in the cup thanks to Josh Mulrennan’s free kick and Kailin Barlow’s late penalty to secure a spot in the next round.

Our Women’s Under 19 side have no game this weekend however many of the squad will be part of Steve Feeney’s senior Womens squad against Bohs on Saturday night in Dalymount Park.

Our SSE Airtricity League match against UCD at The Showgrounds, originally scheduled for Sunday July 16th has been moved to Sunday July 17th at 6pm.

This is due to our Europa Conference League game with Bala Town on Thursday July 14th at The Showgrounds.

It has been another season of great progress for Lusail FC from Qatar and in particular their Technical Director and former Bit O’ Red hero Ciaran Kelly as they finished 3^rd in the Qatari Second Division and are now on the verge of being fully accredited as a professional club by the Qatar FA which would mean they would be entitled to centralised funding:

“The season is just over here, we are playing in the Qatari Second Division and finished 3^rd in the League which is a great achievement seeing as we are only allowed by the league to play amateur status players. Other clubs in the League are allowed to sign up to 5 professional players – one from the Middle East, one from Asia and three from the rest of the World. For us to be able to do the same you have to meet the criteria that has been laid down by the Qatar Football Association and be operating as a club in the second division for over 3 years and then to be accredited by them and received funding from them towards the signing of players and the hiring of staff. In that respect it is very like the centralised system used in the MLS in America. We have gone from 7^th to 5^th to 3^rd which is a great achievement for all involved given we no revenue from gate receipts so are entirely reliant on out academy structure and our sponsors. Technically we wouldn’t have been able to get promoted due to our status but we still ended up only three points off 2^nd place. We finished very strong considering there was a transition for the players during the season when our new head coach came in. We appointed Fabio Cesar who is an ex Qatari international with a Brazilian background. He came in initially to do some support work with our staff and then when the role came up, he was offered it and accepted the job and has done really well. To finish how we did and have the run of games where we came so close to finishing second was a huge achievement.”

In keeping with Kelly’s proud Cup final tradition Lusail also reached the final of the Qatar FA Cup where they were beaten by top flight side Al-Arabi but for Kelly it was another milestone in their continuing progression as a club:

“We also reached the final of the Qatar FA Cup. The cup is run a little different here. There are two competitions the Amir Cup and then the FA Cup. The FA Cup is for all of the teams not playing in the Asian Champions League. We finished top of our group and then won our quarter-final and semi-final and got to the final against Al-Arabi who play in the top flight, the Qatar Stars League. They are a good side have some high profile players in their side including Icelandic international Aron Gunnarsson who used to play for Cardiff City and Gabon international Aaron Boupendza. You would be frightened if you knew his salary which is $7million dollars a year and he was the difference between the two sides. We were 2-0 down after 14/15 minutes but came back to make a game of it and ended up losing 3-2. The age profile of our side is 23 years old and because of our status and budget we have to look to sign young players who we can develop and move on. We look to see that we have what we are looking for in terms of desire and passion and that they want to use the club as a platform to kick-on in their career. We have to look to develop players for now and for the future and to be winning games. And then creates an issue in its own right in that our players and staff attract the attention of other clubs in the League who would have bigger budgets. That creates a headache for us and adds to all the work that goes on in the off season. Currently the club is in discussions with the QFA about our status for next season and if we are accredited then that will be life changing.”

The club is continuing to grow at a rapid pace and Kelly is keen to continue that growth through strong community programmes and recently their academy was visited by former England international David Beckham:

“This club started in 2014 as a group of ex pats getting together to train on a Tuesday and then play a game on the Saturday in the amateur leagues so nearly like a Castlebar Celtic. Then all of a sudden few years later look how far we have come. I joined as Head Coach in 2017 and then in 2019 we won the Qatar Amateur League to get into the Second Division where we have been since. We have to serve our 3 years to get professional status and to think how much the club has changed in such a short period and now is a huge structure. We run it on a business model which is no different to that of any other club in the World and I draw on the experience of having worked with good people in the past and of making sure we have strong community programmes. We work with ‘Generation Amazing’ who have just won the ‘Football For All’ award from the QFA and through this scheme they arranged for David Beckham to come and visit our academy. Our community scheme is called A-Fereej which translates as village in Arabic and was the closest word we could get to community. We have set up youth leagues and currently are in the midst of a 5 week youth tournament which has over 700 players taking part from ages 7 up to 17 and we have linked in with Pepsi and Aquafina for that. We have gone full cycle in terms of setting up a pathway for players. We have kids starting with us as young as 3 and then all the way to the first team and we have to close that gap so this season we introduced a second team that are playing in the Qatar Amateur League and they actually won the League this season.”

Having experienced the lows and highs in his playing career especially during his  spells with Sligo Rovers, Kelly feel that all of this has given him great examples to draw from as he looks to help Lusail get to the next level:

“I suppose now that I look back at that time period as some of the happiest memories of my life and there times every day when I draw on certain experiences that I had and use that in my decision making with Lusail. I think of scenarios that happened at the clubs I was involved with and what might have went right or what went wrong. For me one of the main things I took from my time with Sligo Rovers is to surround yourself with the best people who want the best for your club and that includes staff, players, committee members. That can be a difficult process to get right but it is all about togetherness. One of the posters we had up in the dressing room in the Showgrounds was ‘Together we are Stronger’ and we use that as a hashtag here. You have to be like a family and that’s what we had in Sligo, we were one big family from the groundsman to the bus driver to the supporters, we were all in it together. At that time we all wanted to win and to bring success to the club. The hurt of losing the 2009 FAI Cup Final drove us one to win first the EA Sports Cup in 2010 and then when we had won that we believed we could win further and that period ran until 2014.”

When asked would he consider a return to Ireland, Kelly admits that is a difficult question to answer as he does keep in touch with what is happened in the League but that ultimately he is happy where is at career wise:

“That’s a difficult question and I don’t know the answer. An hour can be a long time in football and I know that in this industry you nearly have to take it one day at a time. But I am happy here and am surrounded by good people who have given me a platform to grow the club and to be put in the right people to move this club forward. This has been a long process since 2017 but it has been an enjoyable one. And we couldn’t have done it with the support of everyone involved with the club and our partners. Around 3 years ago I did have the opportunity to take over as head coach of the first team here and the players were pushing for me to take over and I was chomping at the bit as I believed I could do a good job. But the President and Vice President said that I could never have that job as if I took it then they would lose me from my current role which was reassuring to hear as it showed that they believed in the work I was doing. In face recently the President of the club referred to me at ‘the brain’! That said I do stay in contact with the goings on in the League of Ireland and see that a lot of young managers and coaches are being given opportunities so part of me is like wow am I missing that window to go and have a go. But I have to be real and look at where I am. I am lucky to have a fantastic work/life balance and am enjoying what I am doing.”

By Keith O’ Dwyer

Sligo Rovers Womens team will play our first ever Women’s FAI Cup match on Saturday July 9th at 3pm at The Showgrounds.

The game sees Rovers welcome Cork side Douglas Hall in a first ever meeting of the sides.

The winners of the tie will progress to the quarter finals. The game must be finished on the day after 90 minutes or via extra time or penalties.

The game will be streamed live on LOI TV and admission is €5 on the day.

Gates open from 2pm.