SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division Agony for Rovers as Galway take the spoils with late goal

Emma Doherty and Jodie Loughrey score for the Bit O’Red in tough home loss to Galway Utd

SSE Airtricity

Women’s Premier Division Sligo Rovers 2 Galway United 3

NOW into their third season in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division, it seems that Sligo Rovers are forever on a learning curve.

Last Saturday’s was another ridiculous turn of a horrible rollercoaster – and not in the Bit O’Red’s favour – as they lost 3-2 at home to league leaders Galway United.

The visitors netted an 89th minute winner via Jenna Slattery’s well-taken spot-kick but the penalty call from referee Glen Geraghty was questionable.

Jenna Slattery burst into the Rovers’ penalty area – and was possibly fouled just outside it – and when the ball broke it was swept home by Julie-Ann Russell, who was an effective substitute for Galway.

But the referee awarded the penalty, Galway scored and Rovers were left heartbroken for the umpteenth time (actually 35 times as this was their 35th loss in 49 SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division games).

This was possibly the cruellest loss, however, because twice the home side came back from a goal down thanks to second-half goals from Emma Doherty and Jodie Loughrey.

Having improved against opponents that they lost to 2-0 the previous weekend in the Avenir Sports AllIsland Cup at the same venue (a game played in difficult weather conditions), Rovers merited at least a draw here.

Galway were immediately a threat, with Jenna Slattery pulling the strings, although Lynsey McKey, Kate Thompson and Isabella Beletic were among their other standouts.

Rovers needed Kelly Crompton’s goal-line clearance after seven minutes to keep Galway from scoring following a corner and a Muireann Devaney tackle on Rolake Olusola showed that Rovers were fully aware