Category: Sligo Rovers

Sligo Rovers ended up 1-0 victors over our local frenemies Finn Harps after a stagnant first half gave way to a refreshing, exciting second period, with Johnny Kenny getting off the mark for senior competitive goals in the 49^th minute after his doggedness in pressing the opposing defence led to a tap-in. Rovers dominated the clash after this and could’ve scored more through Walter Figueira and Jordan Gibson, but it was Robbie McCourt who secured the three points with a vital interception on Sean Boyd inside the box in the 90^th minute.

I could nearly copy & paste this paragraph from the Shams match, but only nearly. Liam Buckley used the side which ended the match against the fake Rovers from the start against Finn Harps, with our number 9, Ryan De Vries, taking Johnny Kenny’s place in the number 9 position. Our Ballybofey neighbours remained unchanged from their previous win against Waterford, with our former defender/midfielder Will Seymore remaining in the side.

The first half was admittedly, very boring, with one major chance through Romeo Parkes, whose attempted dink was saved well by Mark McGinley in the Harps net on 36 minutes after a long ball over the top. Apart from that fleeting moment, the half was fairly inert apart from a yellow card for Robbie McCourt, with Finn Harps content to play their defensive game drilled into them by Ollie Horgan and his coaching team.

As was the case in our last game, Ryan De Vries and Johnny Kenny were involved in a half-time substitution, but this time, it was Ryan De Vries making way for the 17-year-old. His introduction to the match signalled a paradigm shift in the match, injecting pace and impetus into a previously still fixture, and it was the young Riverstonian who pressed Mark McGinley into making a crucial error to allow him to tap in from point-blank range. The Bit O’Red controlled proceedings from then on, having some big chances through Figueira and McCourt on the left hand side who each had shots well saved. The match looked set and done from then until the beginning of added time, where a Finn Harps counter-attack allowed a cross into the box where Sean Boyd lurked, however this attack was halted by Robbie McCourt who had put in the hard yards to get back, who marshalled the ball safely into Ed McGinty’s hands.

Bohs at home this Sunday, how did I end up saying that? My apologies for that horrific error in the last report, now our next game is Bohs away from home on Tuesday. See you then for another report.

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS:  E McGinty, C Horgan, J Mahon, G Buckley, R McCourt, J Gibson, G Bolger, N Morahan, W Figueira, R Parkes (D Cawley 78), R De Vries (J Kenny 45).

FINN HARPS:  M McGinley, D Webster, E Boyle (S Doherty 69), K Sadiki, S McEleney, M Russell (R Shanley 69), K O’Sullivan (S Boyd 83), W Seymore (S Folan 83), M Coyle, Barry McNamee, A Foley (T Owolabi 55).

REF: Paul McLaughlin

Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 6 – Wasn’t busy in a shot-stopping sense, but his ability to claim crosses is remarkable.

Colm Horgan: 7 – Very good today. Kept the width really well when Gibson went infield.

Garry Buckley: 6 – Another solid performance.

John Mahon: 6 – This centre-back partnership could achieve great things here.

Robbie McCourt: 7 – Great on both ends of the pitch today. Won us the game with his block on Boyd late on.

Greg Bolger: 6 – Was poor in the first half but completely turned it around in the second.

Niall Morahan: 6 – Was effective in the middle of the park.

Walter Figueira: 8 – Was an absolute menace today, had the Harps defence on strings.

Jordan Gibson: 7 – Played very well alongside Figueria out wide. The two combined stretched Harps.

Ryan De Vries: 6 – I can’t be too harsh since I know he reads this but he was clamped by the Shams defence. Taken off at half-time.

Romeo Parkes: 6 – Didn’t do anything outstanding apart from his chance in the first half.

Johnny Kenny: 7 – Finally scored!! A great performance off the bench.

David Cawley: 7 – An efficient cameo.

Photo Credit: James Fallon

BORST After Match Reception

Sligo Rovers drew 1-1 to Shamrock Rovers in the Showgrounds on Saturday evening in a match where defensive blunders proved costly to both sides. Walter Figueira got off the mark for official Rovers goals when his speculative effort creeped under Alan Mannus and into the net in the 82nd minute, but his blushes were spared when Rory Gaffney equalised after a mix-up in the Sligo Rovers defence, which had remained impenetrable until that moment. The result means we lay 3rd in the league table, with 8 points from 4 games.

The Bit O’Red and Liam Buckley returned to a side we have gotten to know quite well over the first two games of the season, with one change from the clash in Longford. Walter Figueira must have done enough with his brace in a friendly match against Finn Harps on Monday to warrant a start over David Cawley, with Danny Kane being unfortunately ruled out of the derby due to a knock. Shamrock Rovers also only made a single change to their previous lineup which triumphed over Dundalk, with Dylan Watts taking the place of Sean Gannon in the side. Roberto Lopes also reinstated himself to the Shams team sheet after international duty quarantine.
The beginning of the match was a frenzied affair with Shams displaying the qualities which made them unbeaten champions in the truncated previous season. The visitor’s intensity nearly proved too much for the Bit O’Red, but the real Rovers were able to weather the storm and reply with chances of their own when Greg Bolger forced Alan Mannus into a good save after a corner routine executed to perfection. Robbie McCourt also threatened with a free kick which arrowed just over the bar on the cusp of half time.

Ryan De Vries came on for Johnny Kenny to kick off the second half, which started in much of the same vein as the opening stages of the first half with Shams applying pressure to our defence. The match stayed somewhat stagnant (well, as stagnant as a Rovers derby can be) until the 78th minute, when Shams manager Stephen Bradley rolled the dice and brought on Rory Gaffney and Sean Gannon for Graham Burke and Ronan Finn. Rovers made use of the change in tactics after this change to isolate Walter Figueira, whose half-chance found its way into the Churchill Road end net after Alan Mannus botched his dive for the ball trickling into his near post. Rovers then attempted to dig deep but were undone by a deep cross into the feet of the aforementioned substitute Rory Gaffney, who managed to equalise with the help of a deflection. This deflated the Bit O’Red who ultimately settled for the tie.

A frustrating way to draw but at the same time, a good point against the champions. See you next Sunday when we play Bohs at home.

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS: E McGinty, C Horgan, J Mahon, G Buckley, R McCourt, J Gibson (W Figueira 83), G Bolger, N Morahan, W Figueira, R Parkes, J Kenny (R De Vries 45).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: A Mannus, S Hoare, L Grace, L Scales, R Finn (S Gannon 78), D Watts, C McCann, S Kavanagh, G Burke (R Gaffney 78), A Greene, D Mandriou.
REF: Derek Tomney

Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 6 – Was solid in claiming crosses.
Colm Horgan: 6 – Worked the right flank well but wasn’t always spotted.
Garry Buckley: 7 – Imperious at the back today.
John Mahon: 6 – Did well up until the equalizer.
Robbie McCourt: 6 – Decent in open play but his set-pieces…. if I say what I’m thinking I won’t be writing any more articles on here.
Greg Bolger: 6 – Séamus Coleman drilled the importance of the game to him via Zoom and it showed on the pitch with his effort.
Niall Morahan: 6 – He was tenacious today alongside Bolger.
Walter Figueira: 7 – His best game for the club so far. Got lucky with the goal but he deserved it due to his workrate.
Jordan Gibson: 6 – Not everything he tried today worked but showed his desire with a last-gasp block at 1-0.
Johnny Kenny: 6 – I can’t be too harsh since I know he reads this but he was clamped by the Shams defence. Taken off at half-time.
Romeo Parkes: 6 – Not a classic Romeo-oh-oh performance by any means.
Ryan De Vries: 6 – Influenced the game well, came deeper to get the ball and it generally worked in our favour.

Sligo Rovers executed a vintage away day performance away to Longford Town on Friday evening, with a 1-0 win propelling the Bit O’Red to the top of the Premier Division table. Garry Buckley netted the only goal of the game with a header from a Robbie McCourt corner after 47 minutes.
Liam Buckley’s side today was one very easily predicted, with only a single change from our previous two games with Walter Figueira being replaced by David Cawley, a change from the off rather than during the second half, as was the case in both league games so far. Lewis Banks was unfortunately ruled out of the clash at Bishopsgate after a late fitness test regarding a thigh strain. Longford also only made one change from their previous starting XI against Bohemians, with Callum Warfield taking the place of Sam Verdon after a good performance off the bench in Dalymount.

The first half was an admittedly somewhat drab affair, with both teams finding each other out in the opening exchanges. Rovers needed time to adapt to a flatter 4-3-3 shape than in their previous fixtures, with no number 10-type player due to the tactical changes made. As a result, finding the pass from midfield to attack was quite tough. Robbie McCourt came close with a free kick after 7 minutes, but this attack was met with a subsequent volley over the bar from Dean Byrne. The game stagnated after that half-chance, until Longford were forced into 2 changes after 2 separate injuries to Dean Byrne and Callum Warfield within 6 minutes of each other. The game turned in Rovers’ favour after these changes, with Johnny Kenny having a huge chance to score from a flicked Romeo Parkes header saved brilliantly by Lee Steacy.

Rovers started the second half with fervour, and were able to make an early period of pressure pay when an inswinging corner from the left boot of Robbie McCourt was met by Romeo Parkes, whose header looped into the path of Garry Buckley who headed into the top corner from point-blank range. The Bit O’Red were then content to shut out the match with the help of Mark Byrne, Ryan De Vries and Walter Figueira replacing David Cawley, Johnny Kenny and Jordan Gibson respectively. Longford threatened on 84 minutes through Aodh Dervin when his deflected effort from 20 yards ran just wide, but were unable to find a late equalizer.

Job done, then. Next up is the derby, Shams come to the Showgrounds to throw down on Saturday the 10th. See you then.

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS: E McGinty, C Horgan, J Mahon, G Buckley, R McCourt, J Gibson (W Figueira 83), G Bolger, N Morahan, D Cawley (M Byrne 64), R Parkes, J Kenny (R De Vries 75).

LONGFORD: L Steacy, P Kirk, D Zambra (A McNally 69), A O’Driscoll, J Gorman, A Dervin, A Bolger, D Byrne (C Thompson 30), C Warfield (A Dobbs 36), K Chambers (C Davis 69), D Grimes.
REF: Damien MacGraith
Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 6 – Wasn’t busy by any means but his distribution was sharp.
Colm Horgan: 6 – Rigid in attack and defence.
Garry Buckley: 8 – Ultimately won us the game with his header, and was generally solid in defence.
John Mahon: 6 – His passing allowed us to build from the back.
Robbie McCourt: 6 – His set-piece deliveries were venomous today.
Greg Bolger: 6 – Wasn’t quite as imperious as he was against Dundalk and Waterford but was still reliable in the middle.
Niall Morahan: 6 – A complete performance but nothing unbelievable.
David Cawley: 6 – Looked a tougher unit to break down with Cawley in the team, as you would expect considering his role.
Jordan Gibson: 6 – Provided some impetus and trickery but was taken off for Figueira in the 82nd.
Johnny Kenny: 6 – Was extremely unlucky not to score before half time after a great stop from Steacy. Taken off for De Vries after 75 minutes.
Romeo Parkes: 6 – Not Romeo’s best performance but still caused the goal and was unlucky not to score himself late on. Got a yellow for winning the ball which I found perplexing.
Mark Byrne: 6 – Always looked for the ball on the break but unfortunately didn’t always get it.
Ryan De Vries: 6 – An efficient cameo from the New Zealander.
Walter Figueira: N/A – Didn’t play for long enough to warrant a rating but he was very effective in pressing Longford’s defenders.

Waterford United, despite hitting the front after 5 minutes, were unable to see the game out against a Sligo Rovers side quickly becoming familiar to the eye on Friday night. Cian Kavanagh headed home for Waterford from a corner after 5 minutes, but it was Romeo Parkes who volleyed home with 10 minutes until half time to equalise. In the second half, Jordan Gibson found the top corner brilliantly after cutting inside from the left wing. Today’s game was also the first time we saw the Bit O’Red’s stunning new white strip in action at the RSC.

Liam Buckley obviously saw no weaknesses in the line-up which contested the match against Dundalk last Saturday at the Showgrounds, and as such fielded an unchanged XI, with Ryan De Vries returning to the bench after returning from quarantine. Waterford made 3 changes from their last game which ended in defeat to Drogheda United, with Tunmise Sobowale being replaced by Darragh Power, Shane Griffin in place of Katlego Mashigo, and Cian Kavanagh replacing Jamie Stafford.                                 

Both teams started the match with vigour, but it was clear that Waterford had come out of the blocks quicker, with a lofted corner from Mascoll’s boot finding the head of an unmarked Cian Kavanagh who struck home with a nice headed effort on 5 minutes. It could have been 2-0 if not for some Ed McGinty heroics, producing a stupendous double save using his foot to deny Waterford their 2^nd goal of the match – and of the season. Rovers enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball after this period, with Johnny Kenny stinging the foot of the post with a headed effort after 10 minutes. The Bit O’Red kept this momentum until the 35^th minute, where Jordan Gibson evaded trouble with a mesmerizing run and delivered a powerful cross into the path of the onrushing Romeo Parkes, with the Jamaican international providing a wonderful volley into the roof of the net. Rovers’ pressure only increased thereafter until half time, with Parkes again coming close while being one on one with Brian Murphy after an excellent pass from Garry Buckley.

Rovers kept this adamant pressure going into the second half with Jordan Gibson coming close with a free after Johnny Kenny was fouled outside the area. He would get a second chance just minutes later, and take it in splendid style, cutting in from the right wing and using his “weaker” left foot to arrow the ball off the post and into the net. Waterford switched on again after this, having plenty of half-chances on McGinty’s goal, none of which would trouble the Glasgow-born keeper. David Cawley came on for  Walter Figueira for the second consecutive game to anchor the midfield on 68 minutes, followed by Ryan De Vries getting some minutes into the tank after his lack of pre-season, replacing Johnny Kenny.

All in all, our trip to the Regional Sports Centre was a very productive one, and we look forward now to Longford in… Longford! See you on Wednesday for another report.

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS:  E McGinty, C Horgan, J Mahon, G Buckley, R McCourt, J Gibson, G Bolger, N Morahan, W Figueira (D Cawley 68), R Parkes, J Kenny (R De Vries 72).

WATERFORD:  B Murphy, D Power, K Ferguson, C Evans, J Mascoll, J Waite, O Brennan, S Griffin (E Molloy 66), A O’Reilly, C Kavanagh (J Martin 81), P Mutswunguma (D Murphy 64)

REF: Paul McLaughlin

Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 8 – Pulled out some great stops including a terrific double save in the first half to keep it at 1-0.

Colm Horgan: 8 – A very impressive performance at both ends. His and Gibson’s linkup could be scary – but not for us.

Garry Buckley: 7 – Was labelled a Toby Alderweireld-type defender on commentary because of his pinpoint passing, and I can’t think of anything more clever to say than that so I’ll reciprocate it here.

John Mahon: 7 – Was tough in his tackling, which was needed against the strikers of Waterford’s calibre.

Robbie McCourt: 6 – Thought he was shaky defensively in the first half but he improved in the second period.

Jordan Gibson: 9 – The guys a star, he played like a clone of Arjen Robben tonight on the right.

Greg Bolger: 7 – Grew into the game, got a hold of the ball more in the second half and stamped his mark on the game.

Niall Morahan: 6 – An overall solid performance.

Walter Figueira: 5 – Didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as the rest of the team tonight but I’m sure those errors will be seldom once he beds into the squad.

Romeo Parkes: 7 – Was quiet until his goal, which was a beaut. Kicked on after that and got himself more into the game.

Johnny Kenny: 6 – Wasn’t blessed with service and still managed to hit the post from a header he had no right to win early on.

David Cawley: 6 – Looked a lot more solid in a 4-3-3 with him on the pitch.

Ryan De Vries: 6 – Brought on for some match sharpness as he missed all of pre-season because of restrictions.

Sligo Rovers and Dundalk delivered a delightful duel in the Showgrounds on Saturday’s Premier Division opener, with the returning Romeo Parkes back amongst the goals and a myriad of club debutants displaying their qualities in a 1-1 draw. Patrick McEleney opened the scoring for Dundalk after a mix-up at the back, but their lead was short-lived, with Parkes rising to meet a beautiful Robbie McCourt free kick.

The first game of our season led to an all-new lineup for this game, with the home-grown talent Johnny Kenny making his senior competitive debut at just 17, joined up top by a returning Romeo Parkes. 5 of the 11 starting the match were signings made over the winter, with Horgan, McCourt, Figueira, Gibson and Bolger all linking up with the squad for the first time over the pre-season.

The first half of Rover’s season as a frenetic, swashbuckling affair, with the Bit O’Red maintaining a high-pressing philosophy from the first minute to the last. The Sligo crew weren’t afraid to go toe to toe with the recently crowned President’s Cup champions, with our 4-4-2 shape in stark contrast to Fillipo Giovagnoli and Shane Keegan’s 3-5-2 shape, which included a former Rovers player up top in Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe. Liam Buckley’s side was soon reminded of the dangers of playing such a patient, probing style of play however, with Ed McGinty playing the ball to a well-marked Greg Bolger who spilled the ball, which fell to Patrick McEleney, who still had a lot to do despite the mix-up and found the top corner well. Despite this unfortunate blow, the Bit O’Red refused to crumble and ended up driving on and scoring an equalizer through the head of Romeo Parkes, fresh from a year on loan in New Mexico, from a stupendous Robbie McCourt. We nearly finished the first half 2-1 down, when Ed McGinty misjudged the flight of a ball over the top and allowed Junior to square to Hoban, who struck wide.

The second half was as, if not more frenzied than the first, with Rovers dominating the last 25 minutes of the clash, with the first 20 minutes being somewhat controlled by Dundalk, who had some chances to score, most notably through Pat Hoban, heading just wide from an inswinging corner. Rovers responded well to this wake-up call, having the lion’s share of possession and chances. Walter Figueira and Romeo Parkes came off after 78 minutes for the young gun and the old hand, Mark Byrne and David Cawley. In the end, the Bit O’Red were unfortunate not to win the match, with some fluid interplay leading to some huge chances, the most obvious coming 2 minutes from time, with the two substitutes combining for Mark Byrne to poke home into an open net, but the play was called back for a controversial offside by referee Neil Doyle

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS:  E McGinty, C Horgan, J Mahon, G Buckley, R McCourt, J Gibson, G Bolger, N Morahan, W Figueira (M Byrne 78), R Parkes (D Cawley 78), J Kenny.

DUNDALK:  A Abibi, D Cleary, A Boyle, S Nattestad, R Jurkovskis, C Shields, P McEleney, C Dummigan, J Ogedi-Uzokwe (M Duffy 75), P Hoban (S Stanton 75).

REF: Neil Doyle

Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 5 – Seemed nervy today, was partly to blame for the goal and misjudged the flight of the ball late in the first half which lead to a scary moment, but improved in the second half.

Colm Horgan: 6 – A solid debut for the Galway man.

Garry Buckley: 6 – A quietly decent performance.

John Mahon: 8 – Seems a much better passer of the ball than last season, and also made some crucial tackles in the second half.

Robbie McCourt: 7 – Couldn’t have played a better ball in for Romeo’s equalizer but could have later on in the match.

Jordan Gibson: 8 – Another very solid debutant, got the official Man of the Match and quite rightly so due to some wonderful trickery on the right.

Greg Bolger: 7 – Bossed proceedings all through the match with his tenacity and workrate.

Niall Morahan: 6 – Played well, looked sharp despite his relative lack of pre-season game time.

Walter Figueira: 6 – Didn’t affect the game at the number 10 role as much he could/should have. Replaced by Cawley.

Romeo Parkes: 8 – Came up trumps to equalize midway through the first half. Was taken off for Byrne for some reason.

Johnny Kenny: 7 – A very good debut for a potentially very, very good player. Pressed with intent and nearly scored late on.

Shamrock Rovers were too tall an order for Sligo Rovers to overcome in Tallaght on Sunday’s FAI Cup semi-final tie after a first-half brace from Aaron McEneff left the Bit O’Red with it all to do in the second period. Rovers’ performance was an admirable one, however, with Alan Mannus being busier than he might have expected before the early kick-off.  The result shouldn’t hamper our European charge, as it all hinges on the winner of the Cup; if Dundalk triumph over Athlone Town, Europe is ours without needing to know the winner of the final.

Liam Buckley returned to his most trusted XI, with Niall Morahan and Jesse Devers returning from suspension to replace Will Seymore and Alex Cooper. Our last trip to Tallaght was one to forget, with the Bit O’Red on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline. Shams made 4 changes to the team that inflicted this trouncing, with Aaron Greene, Neil Farrugia, Rhys Marshall and Gary O’Neill all departing their starting squad.

Shamrock Rovers flew out of the blocks at the start of the match, with the Hoops generating several chances in the opening seconds, one of which led to a goal after a dangerous Jack Byrne corner led to Aaron McEneff finding the net after only 3 minutes. Shams’ quality was apparent in the first 15 minutes before the Bit O’Red took control of the fixture, with our lads having some dangerous attempts through Lewis Banks, Junior, and Ronan Coughlan, with the closest attempt to level the contest through the latter with a free header straight at Alan Mannus on 39 minutes. We kept up the pressure on Shams’ goal until the dying seconds of the half, when McEneff got free and clipped a daisy-cutter into the bottom corner from about 20 yards out in added time of the first half.

Sligo Rovers’ pressure didn’t let up in the break, with the Bit O’Red having the lion’s share of possession for most of the second half. Liam Buckley made his substitutions relatively early on, the first of which was at half time, with Jesse Devers hauled off for Alex Cooper. The departure of Niall Morahan and Ryan De Vries for Darragh Noone and Will Seymore was next up in the 67^th minute, the objective of which was to get some much-needed fresh legs in the midfield. David Cawley was the final Bit O’Red man to be called ahead of time, with Danny Kane replacing him. After this bout of substitutions, Shams saw out the game and in doing so, ended Sligo Rovers’ season.

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS:  E McGinty; L Banks, J Mahon, G Buckley, R Donelon, D Cawley (D Kane 74), N Morahan (D Noone 67), J Devers (A Cooper 46), R Coughlan, R De Vries (W Seymore 67), J Ogedi-Uzokwe.

SHAMROCK ROVERS:  A Mannus; G O’Brien, L Grace, L Scales, R Marshall, S Kavanagh (D Lafferty 76), R Finn (D Nugent 89), J McEneff, J Byrne (N Farrugia 76), D Watts (G Bolger 76), G Burke (D Williams 82).

Ref: P McLoughlin

Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 6 – Couldn’t stop either of the goals.

Lewis Banks: 7 – Was marauding down the right once again.

Garry Buckley: 6 – Wasn’t intent on closing down McEneff for the second goal.

John Mahon: 6 – Did decent as did the rest of the defence to only concede two against the unbeaten league winners.

Regan Donelon: 6 – Played decent. Some good set-piece deliveries.

Jesse Devers: 5 – Had no service on the right side. Replaced at half-time for Cooper.

David Cawley: 6 – Outclassed by Sham’s quality in the middle of the park. Replaced by Kane with 15 minutes left.

Niall Morahan: 6 – Didn’t have license to get forward like he usually does due to the strength of Shams’ midfield. Replaced by Noone.

Ryan De Vries: 6 – Didn’t get much of the ball at all. Replaced by Seymore in the second half to keep it at 2-0.

Ronan Coughlan: 6 – Had our best chance but headed straight at Mannus.

Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe: 6 – Had some half-chances in the first half but couldn’t score.

Alex Cooper: 6 – Cut in well off the right.

Will Seymore: 6 – Swept up decently while he was on.

Darragh Noone: 6 – Offered impetus but was too little, too late unfortunately.

Danny Kane: N/A – Didn’t get enough time to warrant a rating.

Thanks to everyone reading this far down for reading these reports. It’s been a good half-season. While I write this, Dundalk are in the heat of battle against Athlone in the other semi. Let’s hope the next article I put out will confirm our place in Europe for next season. I’ve just checked the score, it’s 6-0 before half-time. Let’s get out the banners, because Buckley’s Bit O’Red European tour is ON!!!

Derry City proved no match for Sligo Rovers in a penalty shootout with 4 misses, 4 goals, and remarkably, 0 saves. A scoreless 120 minutes which didn’t lack in intensity gave way to a 3-1 penalty triumph for the Bit O’Red.
Wednesday’s game was a long time coming, with the game being postponed from Friday the 20th due to alleged positive COVID tests in the Derry camp.

Liam Buckley made two enforced changes for Wednesday’s game, with Will Seymore and Alex Cooper replacing the suspended duo of Niall Morahan and Jesse Devers. Derry made 4 changes from our previous clash with the Candystripes, which ended 1-0 after a late Ryan De Vries goal.

The first half proved to be a tense affair for the Rovers, where it was clear that neither team wanted to lose the match. City took control of the match and attempted to lay siege on the Churchill Road End goal where Ed McGinty stood, but he was rarely called into action due to our strong defense and lack of creativity on Derry’s part. We finished the second half with a flourish, with Coughlan drawing a good save from Peter Cherrie from a Junior through pass. Garry Buckley volleyed just over from the subsequent corner, and soon after, the half time whistle blew.

The game opened up a lot in the second half, with both sides having chances to score. Liam Buckley waited until the 84th minute to make his first of two substitutions, switching out David Cawley for the versatile Darragh Noone. McGinty then faced a fresh barrage of relatively easy shots before matching Stephen Mallon with a great save late on. The following corner resulted in Cameron McJannet hitting the crossbar with a thunderous header. Buckley’s squad woke up after this and took control of the match, with Regan Donelon nearly scoring by catching Cherrie out on a free kick, but the Derry netminder was equal to the task.

Buckley used the break between full time and extra time to reinforce the backline by bringing on a now fully-fit Danny Kane, sacrificing Ryan De Vries in the process. This change allowed Rovers to control the ball in extra time, and although it didn’t lead to a goal, it certainly settled the nerves for the dreaded penalty shootout.

Rovers got the first kick of the night, and what a nice kick it was, with Jorginho Ronan Coughlan proving his worth on the spot. 1-0. Conor Clifford steps up for Derry. 1-1. Can’t save those. Junior, the former Derry man approaches, and attempts to copy Jorginho Coughlan. Hits the post. 1-1. McCormack, to put Derry in the driving seat. Over the bar. 1-1. Cooper next. No messing with this one, Straight down the middle with all the power of a traction engine. 2-1. Figueira picks up the ball, puts it down and steps up. Slips. 2-1. Lovely, we’re in command. Garry Buckley now. Right into the bottom left corner. 3-1. Meite needs to score to keep Derry in it. He doesn’t. Rovers win. Easy as you like.

Teams

SLIGO ROVERS: E McGinty; L Banks, J Mahon, G Buckley, R Donelon, D Cawley (D Noone 84), W Seymore, A Cooper, R Coughlan, R De Vries (D Kane 90), J Ogedi-Uzokwe.

DERRY CITY: P Cherrie; C Coll, C McJannet, E Toal, C Horgan, J Malone, G Bruna (W Figueira 81), C McCormack, J Akintunde (I Meite 86), S Mallon (J Thomson 81), A Hammil (C Clifford 113).
Ref: N Doyle
Rovers Ratings

Ed McGinty: 7 – Made a good stop to deny Mallon but didn’t have much else to do apart from that.
Lewis Banks: 6 – Getting forward a lot more now and forced a good save from Cherrie in the second half.
Garry Buckley: 6 – Played good. Came close on the volley off a corner. Scored his penalty.
John Mahon: 6 – Looked more intent on playing from the back and stepping out, which was needed with Morahan’s absence.
Regan Donelon: 6 – Caught Cherrie off guard and nearly scored from a free at the cusp of full time.
Alex Cooper: 7 – Put in some beautiful crosses and had his man on strings on the right. Scored his penalty.
David Cawley: 6 – Had more freedom with Seymore behind him to attempt to dictate the play. Taken off for Noone.
Will Seymore: 6 – Apart from tackling his teammate in the first half (and what a tackle it was), he steadied the ship at the back and was able to play as an “anchor man”.
Ryan De Vries: 6 – Played in behind Coughlan but was a bit too far up to receive the ball where he likes it. Taken off for Kane at the beginning of extra time.
Ronan Coughlan: 6 – Suffered from a lack of service. Scored his penalty Jorginho-style.
Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe: 6 – Was persistently fouling down the left but when he wasn’t was winning the ball and driving well. Missed his penalty, but only because he wanted to give back to his old club (I need to stop making excuses for these).

Sligo Rovers defeated Europa League challengers Dundalk by 2 goals to nil on Monday night in Tolka Park to close out the league season. The result means that unless Athlone Town, Finn Harps, or Derry City (who we play next) win the FAI Cup, a European trip is on the cards for next season (!!!!!!) for the first time since 2013. 

Before Monday’s game, 4^th was possible by two means; we win and Waterford lose, or we win by two and Waterford draw 0-0 (why not both!); so if we were to qualify, we owe our neighbours Finn Harps a favour. 

Rovers made one change for their final league game of the season, with David Cawley returning to the XI in place of Will Seymore. Dundalk made 6 changes from their last game, with former Rovers man Gary Rogers returning as net-minder. 

Rovers made a scintillating start to the game and had the Lilywhites on the retreat from the off aside from a potshot from 20 yards about 2 minutes in. Rovers made their advantage count after 9 minutes when Banks was equal to Nathan Oduwa’s rainbow flick attempt and was able to find De Vries. Our New Zealander flicked away and brought the transition out right to Jesse Devers, who c̶o̶u̶l̶d ̶r̶u̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶y̶l̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶r̶o̶s̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ hit a looping cross-shot which evaded Rogers and nestled into the stanchion. After this certainly anomalous way to take the lead, Rovers began to take control of the game and pressured Dundalk into many sloppy mistakes, not something you’d expect from a team in European contention. Dundalk did manage to rally a series of corners which forced a save of the season contender from Ed McGinty on 43 minutes. Junior nearly doubled our lead before half-time from Banks’ cross but our man couldn’t muster a powerful effort. 

In the second half, Dundalk attempted to pile on the pressure; but that proved to be to Liam Buckley’s advantage, as the Bit O’Red stood firm and mustered quite a few counter-attacking chances. Regan Donelon, on a yellow, was taken off for Alex Cooper to provide some fresh legs down the left on the hour. Chances came and went for both sides, before Ryan De Vries’ evening was drawn to a close with Darragh Noone replacing him. Shortly after, Niall Morahan pulled up with cramp (it looked to be cramp anyway) and was swapped for Will Seymore. In doing this, Buckley looked to preserve the one goal lead and brought the team into a more defensive shape, inviting Dundalk forward to lay siege on our fortifications. The breaches in the fortifications were seldom but caused huge panic, especially on two occasions, where carnage in the area ultimately led to a tame shot into McGinty’s grasp. The ball was hoisted into the air in Dundalk’s half soon after, and Junior rose to win the duel in the air. The ball then fell to our top scorer Ronan Coughlan, who took a touch, set himself, and delivered an absolute postage stamp into the top bins (as the kids say these days) from 20 yards out, and with that, Rovers’ job was done. 

Teams 

SLIGO ROVERS:  E McGinty; L Banks, J Mahon, G Buckley, R Donelon (A Cooper 64), D Cawley, N Morahan (W Seymore 78), J Devers, R Coughlan, R De Vries (D Noone 74), J Ogedi-Uzokwe. 

DUNDALK:  G Rogers; S Hoare, B Gartland, C Dummigan (D Leahy 83), D Cleary, G Sloggett, G Morrissey, N Oduwa, S Murray (S Gannon 46), J Flores (J Mountney 74), S Colovic, P Hoban (D McMillan 45) 

Ref: D Tomney 

Rovers Ratings 

Ed McGinty: 8 – A clutch save (some more urban language) at the dying embers of each half. Sooner we sign him up for ‘21 the better. 

Lewis Banks: 6 – Gave some good attacking output in addition to his defence. 

Garry Buckley: 6 – Buckley (Liam I mean) seems to have found his best pairing with this duo. 

John Mahon: 6 – Settled at the back now. 

Regan Donelon: 6 – Played decent. 

Jesse Devers: 8 – Put in a bolt from the blue early on which allowed to momentum, and eventually the result, to come our way. 

David Cawley: 6 – Played good, kept it tight ahead of the defence. 

Niall Morahan: 6 – Didn’t get many opportunities to burst from deep 

Ryan De Vries: 7 – Kept the ball moving in the 10 position. 

Ronan Coughlan: 8 – Produced when we needed him. 

Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe: 6 – Evaded the Dundalk defence well. 

Alex Cooper: 6 – Did his job defensively. 

Darragh Noone: 6 – Was a presence in the air that we needed late on. 

Will Seymore: 6 – Did what he was instructed to do – kept it tight.