Steve Feeney confident Sligo Rovers have what it takes to beat DLR Waves in cup meeting
Steve Feeney is confident his Sligo Rovers side is good enough to beat DLR Waves in the Sports Direct Women's FAI Cup this weekend, but is also wary of the threat that Laura Heffernan's side can pose.
DLR Waves are currently bottom of the league, but picked up their first win of the season a week-and-a-half ago when they were 1-0 winners over Rovers at The Showgrounds.
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RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Women's Fai Cup wrap: Shelbourne and Athlone Town advance
Kate Mooney scored a late winner as holders Shelbourne edged past Galway United in their Sports Direct Women's FAI Cup first-round clash on Saturday. The striker, who scored a hat-trick in Shels' league win over Sligo Rovers last week, found in the 89th minute to send the north Dublin side past Phil Trill's westerners by a 2-1 scoreline at Tolka Park. Mooney's fellow forward Mackenzie Anthony had given Shelbourne the lead shortly after half-time but Amanda Smith levelled for Galway just before the hour mark, with the game remaining locked at one-goal apiece until the late winner. SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division leaders Athlone Town are also through to the second round after cruising past non-league Terenure Rangers by a 6-0 margin. Captain Izzy Groves found the net twice for the midlanders, including the opener, while Roisin Molloy, Kelly Brady, Natalie McNally and Hannah Waesch rounded off the scoring for an Athlone side who will face Cardiff City in the Champions League qualifiers next month. Treaty United were also free-scoring as they hit eight goals on the way to easily accounting for Ferns United 8-0. Ciaran Breslin was on the double in the first half before Aibhlinn Cotter's free-kick gave Treaty a three-goal advantage at the break. Kate Lee came on the break and quickly added a fourth with Sirena Celebrini, Amy Tierney and Cotter, again, on target before Hayley Nolan turned into her own net late on. DLR Waves edged a thriller with Sligo Rovers, the away side winning 3-2. Goals either side of the break from Keelin Dodd, a powerful header, and Amber Cosgrove had DLR Waves two ahead, before Mairead McIntyre showed good composure in the box to halve the deficit in the 62nd minute. It was Dodd though who secured their passage with an 87th minute penalty with Anna McDaniel striking late on in reply for Sligo. Shamrock Rovers came from behind to overcome Premier Division newcomers Waterford 3-1 at Tallaght Stadium. Olivia Shannon had given Waterford the lead but Lauren Walsh's own goal saw both sides go in level at the break. However, it was the Hoops who would push on in the second half as Anna Butler and Maria Reynolds sent Rovers through.
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Irish Times
LOI Talking Points: Bohs fall short of another miracle as Derry City fly up to second
Bohs fall short of another miracle One of the hardest parts of League of Ireland football is following up a big win with a routine one. Ruthless efficiency is a trait that, for quite a few years in the league, has only really applied to Shamrock Rovers. Moments away from a defeat at home to Sligo Rovers on Friday night, Bohemians were afforded the consolation prize of a late equaliser, but the prevailing image at full-time was of Dawson Devoy, collapsed in a heap and thumping the Dalymount turf in frustration. With the last kick of the game, Devoy had been inches away from completing another famous comeback – the sort that ignited his side's season in Tallaght on Easter Monday. Setting aside the misfortune of that moment though, this was a game that Bohs should long have had wrapped up. Sam Sargeant was inspired in Sligo's goal, but big early misses from Ross Tierney foreshadowed a wasteful evening for the Gypsies. Gallant in defence, Sligo Rovers had their 19-year-old talisman to thank for the lead. Owen Elding showed just how ferocious his left foot can be with a strike from distance against Shelbourne last month, and his opener on Friday may have been even sweeter. On both occasions, Elding took a heavy final touch to allow himself a second to wind up. Here, the ball never stopped rising. It flew bullet-like off the striker's boot and, in an instant, beyond the swivelling head and planted feet of Kacper Chorazka. READ MORE Despite the late concession, this is a week to build on for the Bit O'Red, who remain four points clear of Cork City. Bohemians slip to third – their mood will still be overwhelmingly positive, but whispered title talk may be premature. Rinse and repeat for Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers' Rory Gaffney scores his sides fourth goal. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho In contrast to the heightened emotions at Dalymount, a season-low home crowd turned out at Tallaght to watch Shamrock Rovers see off Waterford and move 11 points clear without much fuss. As is so often the case for the Hoops, strength in depth was the deciding factor. Rory Gaffney was only on the pitch 10 minutes when Stephen McMullan dropped a speculative Danny Mandroiu effort at his feet inside the six-yard box. There was plenty of good fortune about the goal, but Gaffney's nous is the other side of the coin. He had started the move by drifting wide to receive a throw-in, and by the time Mandroiu began shaping to shoot, he was the heavy favourite to meet any sort of rebound. In isolation, you could argue that Shamrock Rovers got away with one, but nine wins in 11 games is irrefutable. Their next game, away at Sligo on Saturday, will be their last in the league for nearly a month as cup and European commitments take hold. It makes Friday night's business-like win that little bit more significant. Derry City fly up to second Derry City are on a bit of a roll. The Candystripes' two away victories in Dublin last weekend flew slightly under the radar, but their dismantling of a stubborn Drogheda side on Friday night should draw some attention. A clever corner kick routine after half an hour resulted in Sam Todd heading powerfully into the corner, and just moments later Ronan Boyce made it two, turning home a loose ball after Andrew Quinn had scrambled back for a goal line clearance. Danny Mullen's late third put a gloss on the win and moved the home side narrowly ahead of Bohemians on goal difference. After an underwhelming start, Derry have landed on a quiet, steady run of form. Better yet, they may be growing less reliant on the individual brilliance of Michael Duffy, as Tiernan Lynch's attacking unit grows more cohesive. Odubeko shines but leaves Shels wanting more Galway's Jeannot Esua and Mipo Odubeko of Shelbourne. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Joey O'Brien is doing his best to steer Shelbourne's managerial interregnum ahead of their mammoth European ties against Linfield next month. There are early signs of life under the stand-in. In all honesty, Shelbourne should have six points from six since losing their commander-in-chief, Damien Duff, in shocking circumstances last Sunday. Then again, leaving points on the pitch has been a recurring issue for the champions all season. Duff wasn't the only messianic figure absent from Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night. Galway United began life without the league's top scorer, Moses Dyer, who is set to move to Cambodian outfit Phnom Penh Crown after his release clause was activated. John Caulfield started both Malcolm Shaw and Stephen Walsh in Dyer's stead, but neither produced the quality and guile that the New Zealander has shown all season. Mipo Odubeko, leading the line for Shelbourne alongside Sean Boyd, was a microcosm for the vicissitudes that have befallen the away side this year. Electric and perpetually in motion, Odubeko scored one great goal but should have had at least three. Some of his efforts on goal were better than others. When the chance is gilt-edged, he tends to lose all composure; a shot from distance, unlikely to beat any decent goalkeeper, is usually struck with confidence. Galway hung in long enough for Shels to begin retreating. Eventually, Conor Kearns wasn't strong enough as he came to claim a long ball. Under pressure from Cillian Tollett, the goalkeeper's spill allowed Bobby Burns to poke home. A solid point for the Tribesmen and another wasted opportunity for Shelbourne. Cork City finally keep a clean sheet It took 22 games, but Cork City managed to keep their opposition scoreless for the first time this season on Friday night. Over the last five games, Cork and St Pat's have been the worst performing sides in the league, so there was an understandable sense of gloom around Turners Cross as the two sides met desperate to find a spark. The Leesiders were marginally the better side and should have taken the lead through Kitt Nelson just before half-time. Pat's have been rightly accused of profligacy over the past month, during which time they have scored just one goal. Worryingly, their problems went beyond that here, as they struggled even to threaten the leakiest defence in the league. It was a positive result for Cork, but it will do little to quell growing fan unrest aimed at the club's ownership. As was the case against Drogheda on Monday, banners criticising Dermot Usher were unfurled in the stands.
Irish Examiner
20 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
'He is definitely a student of the game': Bradley wishes Andrews well in Brentford gaffer role
'I'm sure he's cursing me' joked a jovial Stephen Bradley when speaking about his match winner from Friday night, Rory Gafffney. The 35-year old sprung from the bench to net a crucial winner against a stubborn and talented Waterford side, showing reactions of a player half his age to capitalise on a Stephen McMullan error as the Northern Irish man failed to gather Danny Mandroiu's stinging effort, allowing Gaffney to tap home. And his gaffer is fully aware of the frustration his experienced and reliable front man justifiably feels. ''He should have started tonight, I'm sure he feels the same,' admitted Bradley. 'He was brilliant here against Cork City last Friday. He played 90 minutes so you leave him out of Monday's squad obviously. I know he's really annoyed he doesn't start tonight and that's the hardest part of this job is leaving good people like that out of the squad, obviously good players, but good people too out of the team and out of the squad and I knew he was annoyed, rightly so. 'But he's played at the level he's played at for such a long time because of his character and how professional he is and I knew once you call upon him he'll be ready. And he was tonight, I thought he played like he has done all year to be fair, so I'm sure he's cursing me but he comes on and wins us the game.' That huge win restored Rovers ominous lead at the top back to 11-points over Bohemians and Derry City in the title race, with the gap nine points prior to kick off, and The Hoops boss feels his side are in a good place with an healthy lead going into what promises to be a crazy July, adding: 'That's why it (Friday's) win was an important one, it was important we got three points. "We go to Sligo Rovers, FAI Cup and then into Europe so we're in a position that i would have taken your hand off at the start of the year so it's important that you push as hard as you can coming into this period because you have a little break that allows you to fully focus on what's to come and not looking at what's around the corner. They were excellent tonight and its a nice lead to have.' Bradley was quick to praise his players who bounced back from Monday's Dublin derby defeat that brought an end to their 11-game unbeaten run but insists, as always, that its just about themselves. 'The thing that disappointed me on Monday was not losing the game, but our performance in the game.' said the 40-year-old. 'We've been that good this year, but we were miles off our levels and that's what annoyed us. You can win and lose games, that's football. It was more just get back to our levels, get back to what we do. "So if Waterford had left Tallaght with a draw, we can't complain about our performance, it was really high level and you take that, but we don't accept Monday. "We asked the players to respond from Monday in terms of our performance levels and they did that, I thought they were excellent all over the pitch, in and out of possession, showed a real hunger to get back to our levels and we get a really important win.' "So it wasn't about extending the lead, it was just about getting back to our performance levels and everything after that takes care of itself.' On the same day Rovers stretched their lead at the summit, a fellow Dubliner was handed the reigns in the Premier League at Brentford in a somewhat surprising move, but did not come as a shock to Bradley who had started his pro-licence with Andrews before the latter having to defer to the following year due to work commitments. 'Yeah it's great. I really, really hope he does well. I got to have a lot of discussions with him on tactics and football in general. You can see he is definitely a student of the game and thinks about it. I'm absolutely delighted, a young Irish manager in the Premier League and I just really, really want it to go well for him. I texted him today, and I hope it goes really well. That's what we want, we want our managers managing at the highest level, and in England, that's the highest level. As well as being proud of a fellow Irish manager at the top table in English football - the first Irish Premier League manager since Chris Hughton in 2019 - he was insistent that the former set-piece coach got the job on merit, adding: 'I think Brentford have always been bold and brave in what they've done. "We all look at Frank now as an established, really good manager but he wasn't always. He was an assistant, he was involved in the B team. The Sparta manager we played against last year, he was B team manager as well and was the next one to come in and then got the Sparta offer. They do that quite regularly. 'We had a really good relationship with Rob Rowan (Brentford technical director who died aged just 28 in 2018) who sadly passed a few years back and he was the one who set all that in motion and they have stuck to their plan. If Brentford have given Keith that job, they've given it to him because they really believe in what he does and how he does it. "They don't look to me like a club that makes rash decisions. They buy well, they sell well, they recruit good players, they recruit good managers and coaches. I think they have made this decision with their eyes open and that should fill you with confidence if you're Keith. "I can only imagine the amount of managers who would have wanted that job, so the fact they have gone straight for him is a massive vote of confidence. They have obviously seen something that they really, really like which is good."
