2020 League of Ireland First Division

Last updated

League of Ireland First Division
Season2020
Dates21 February 2020 – 27 October 2020
Champions Drogheda United (5th title)
Promoted Drogheda United, Longford Town
Matches played90
Goals scored265 (2.94 per match)
Top goalscorerYousef Mahdy (15 league goals + 1 playoff goal)
Biggest home win UCD 8-0 Wexford
(4 September 2020)
Biggest away win Cobh Ramblers 0-6 UCD
(12 September 2020)
Highest scoring UCD 8-0 Wexford
(4 September 2020) Longford Town 2-6 Galway United
(3 October 2020)
← 2019
2021 →

The 2020 League of Ireland First Division season was the 36th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The league began on 21 February 2020 and concluded on 27 October 2020. Drogheda United won the league title for a record 5th time, winning promotion to the League of Ireland Premier Division for 2021. [1] [2] [3] The Coronavirus pandemic in Ireland halted the season in mid-March as per directive of the Irish Government and the Football Association of Ireland. [4] [5] On 13 July 2020, the league announced the season restart with a reduced fixture list of two rounds only (18 games in total, per team for the regular season) and the play-off series as announced pre-season. [6]

Contents

Overview

The First Division has 10 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 27 matches in the season. This format was changed after the league was postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic meaning each team would now play each other only two times, once home and once away. Additionally, the promotion play-off semi-finals, usually played over two legs, were played over one leg. UCD were relegated from the 2019 League of Ireland Premier Division. A reserve side of Shamrock Rovers F.C. competed in place of the Limerick team that encountered financial difficulty prior to the commencement of the season. Drogheda United finished top of the league table after a 2–0 away win over Cabinteely sealed the league title and promotion to the League Of Ireland Premier Division for 2021. It was the Drogs' record 5th First Division title. Wexford FC were wrongly applied forfeits in four games by the FAI, which was subsequently overturned and results restored. [7]

Teams

Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Dublin
TransparentPlaceholder.png
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the First Division teams
Dublin map.png
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
UCD
class=notpageimage|
Locations of Dublin First Division teams

Stadia and locations

TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Athlone Town Athlone Athlone Town Stadium 5,000
Bray Wanderers Bray Carlisle Grounds 4,000
Cabinteely Dublin (Cabinteely) Stradbrook Road 1,620
Cobh Ramblers Cobh St. Colman's Park 3,000
Drogheda United Drogheda United Park 2,000
Galway United Galway Eamonn Deacy Park 5,000
Longford Town Longford Bishopsgate 4,960
Shamrock Rovers II Dublin (Tallaght) Tallaght Stadium 8,000
UCD Dublin (Belfield) UCD Bowl 3,000
Wexford Crossabeg Ferrycarrig Park 2,500

Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
Athlone Town Flag of Ireland.svg Adrian Carbury Flag of Ireland.svg Darren Meenan Flag of the United States.svg Nike Nitro Sports
Bray Wanderers Flag of Ireland.svg Gary Cronin Flag of Ireland.svg Paul Keegan Flag of England.svg Umbro Matt Britton Carpets
Cabinteely Flag of Ireland.svg Pat Devlin Flag of Ireland.svg Conor Keeley Flag of Germany.svg Uhlsport Edufit
Cobh Ramblers Flag of Ireland.svg Stuart Ashton Flag of Ireland.svg Paul Hunt Flag of Spain.svg Joma Metropole Hotel
Drogheda United Flag of Ireland.svg Tim Clancy Flag of Ireland.svg Jake Hyland Flag of England.svg Umbro Scotch Hall Shopping Center
Galway United Flag of Ireland.svg John Caulfield Flag of Ireland.svg Shane Duggan Flag of Germany.svg Puma Comer Property Management
Longford Town Flag of Ireland.svg Daire Doyle Flag of Ireland.svg Dean Zambra Flag of Italy.svg Macron Bishopsgate
Shamrock Rovers II Flag of Ireland.svg Aidan Price Flag of Ireland.svg Darragh Nugent Flag of England.svg Umbro JD Sports
UCD Flag of Ireland.svg Andy Myler Flag of Ireland.svg Jack Keaney Flag of Ireland.svg O'Neill's O'Neill's
Wexford Flag of Ireland.svg Brian O'Sullivan Flag of Ireland.svg Dan Tobin Flag of Ireland.svg BodibroPremier Tickets

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of
departure		Date of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of
appointment
Galway United Flag of Ireland.svg Alan MurphySacked18 August 2020 [8] 9th Flag of Ireland.svg John Caulfield [9] 21 August 2020

League table

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Drogheda United (C, P)1812333917+2239Promotion to League of Ireland Premier Division
2 Bray Wanderers 1812243013+1738Qualification to Promotion play-offs
3 UCD 189364429+1530
4 Longford Town (P)189272623+329
5 Galway United 187652619+727
6 Cobh Ramblers 188372220+227
7 Cabinteely 188282233−1126
8 Shamrock Rovers II 1843112228−615
9 Athlone Town 1833122143−2212
10 Wexford 1833121339−2612
Updated to match(es) played on 27 September 2021. Source: SSE Airtricity League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored. [10]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Results

Matches 1–18

Teams play each other twice (once at home, once away). Wexford were wrongly applied a forfeit in four matches, which was subsequently overturned.

Home \ Away ATH BRW CAB COB DRO GAL LON SHA UCD WEX
Athlone Town —0–11–32–13–31–40–40–42–41–3
Bray Wanderers 3–1—3–00–00–10–13–01–02–02–0
Cabinteely 1–14–2—1–00–20–10–31–00–31–5
Cobh Ramblers 3–21–21–2—0–22–22–00–00–64–0
Drogheda United 0–23–15–10–1—1–00–13–25–12–0
Galway United 2–20–00–20–11–3—0–12–12–21–0
Longford Town 2–00–21–30–11–12–6—2–03–13–1
Shamrock Rovers II 3–10–20–20–12–21–11–2—2–52–0
UCD 2–11–35–11–01–30–30–03–1—8–0
Wexford 0–11–30–00–40–30–02–10–21–1—
Updated to match(es) played on 27 October 2020 including revised results for Wexford following FAI ruling. Source: SSE Airtricity League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Top scorers

Last updated: 27 October 2020.
Source: SSE Airtricity League First Division Statistics

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of Ireland.svg Yousef Mahdy UCD 15
2 Flag of Ireland.svg Colm Whelan UCD 14
3 Flag of Ireland.svg Mark Doyle Drogheda United 13
4 Flag of Ireland.svg Brandon Kavanagh Shamrock Rovers II 9
Flag of Ireland.svg Rob Manley Longford Town
5 Flag of Ireland.svg Ronan Manning Athlone Town 8
6 Flag of Ireland.svg Gary Shaw Bray Wanderers 7
7 Flag of Ireland.svg Darragh Lynch Bray Wanderers 6
Flag of Ireland.svg Sam Verdon Longford Town
8 Flag of Ireland.svg Shane Barnes Cabinteely 5

Play-offs

First Division play-off Semi-finals

31 October 2020 Bray Wanderers 0–1 Galway United Carlisle Grounds
15:00Wilson Waweru Soccerball shade.svg86'
31 October 2020 UCD 2–3 (a.e.t.) Longford Town UCD Bowl
15:00Colm Whelan Soccerball shade.svg18'
Yousef Mahdy Soccerball shade.svg110'		Joe Gorman Soccerball shade.svg90'
Joe Gorman Soccerball shade.svg113'
Dean Byrne Soccerball shade.svg120'

First Division play-off Final

6 November 2020 Galway United 1–2 Longford Town UCD Bowl
19:45 Vinny Faherty Soccerball shade.svg88' Report Karl Chambers Soccerball shade.svg43'
Aodh Dervin Soccerball shade.svg82'		Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)
Referee: Mark Moynihan

Promotion/relegation play-off

15 November 2020 Shelbourne 0–1 Longford Town Richmond Park
14:30 Report Rob Manley Soccerball shade.svg46'Attendance: 0
Referee: Neil Doyle

[11]

See also

Related Research Articles

The 2015 League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2015 EA Sports Cup, was the 42nd season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams.

The 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 32nd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on 4 March 2016 and concluded on 28 October 2016; the relegation play-offs followed on 31 October and 4 November 2016. The prize fund for the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions was €475,500 for the 2016 season.

The 2016 League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2016 EA Sports Cup, was the 43rd season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams.

The League of Ireland U19 Division is the under-19 division of the League of Ireland. The current division is the successor of earlier U21 and U20 divisions. Like the Premier Division and First Division, the U19 Division is currently sponsored by Airtricity and as a result it is also known as the SSE Airtricity U19 League. The earlier U21 and U20 divisions were sponsored by Eircom and as a result were referred to as the Eircom U21 League or the Eircom U20 League. The division is also sometimes referred to as the Dr Tony O'Neill League because the winners are awarded the Dr Tony O'Neill Cup. In 2016 Cork City became the first team to represent the division in the UEFA Youth League.

The 2017 season was St. Patrick's Athletic F.C.'s 88th year in existence and was the Supersaint's 66th consecutive season in the top-flight of Irish football. It was the sixth year that Liam Buckley is the team's manager, following replacing Pete Mahon in December 2011. With the new change to the League of Ireland structure, 3 clubs were set to be relegated from the Premier Division, which has created an intense relegation between many clubs, including Pats' due to their lower budget than previous years following a poor 2016 season in which they finished 7th in the league, making 2017 the first year in 7 years without European football. The relegation battle went right down to the last day of the season, where Pat's secured the necessary point to stay up following a 1–1 draw away to Derry City.

The 2017 League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2017 EA Sports Cup, was the 44th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams.

The 2018 League of Ireland First Division season was the 34th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The league began on 23 February 2018 and concluded on 22 September 2018. Contrary to the previous editions, this tournament had 10 teams, which was the largest number since the 2011 season, and saw the return of the promotion/relegation playoffs.

The 2018 League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 EA Sports Cup, was the 45th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. Derry City won the cup for a record 11th time.

The 2018 FAI Cup was the 98th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national cup competition. It began with the qualifying round on 21 April 2018, and concluded with the final on 4 November 2018. The winner qualified for the 2019–20 Europa League first qualifying round.

The 2019 League of Ireland Premier Division is the 35th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began in February 2019 and concluded in October 2019. Fixtures were announced in December 2018.

The 2019 season was St. Patrick's Athletic F.C.'s 90th year in existence and was the Supersaint's 68th consecutive season in the top-flight of Irish football. It was the first season Harry Kenny took charge of the club, following Liam Buckley's spell in charge for the previous seven seasons. The fixtures were announced on 19 December 2018, with the Saints facing Cork City at home on the opening day of the season for the second year in a row, with the Inchicore side set to play champions Dundalk away from home on the final night of the season. Harry Kenny left his post on 24 August following a 3–1 loss away to bottom of the table UCD in the FAI Cup. He was replaced by Stephen O'Donnell on 31 August, his first managerial role. Pats finished 5th in the league and won the Leinster Senior Cup, playing the semi-final and final with their underage sides after the league season had ended for the senior team.

The League of Ireland U17 Division is the under-17 division of the League of Ireland. Like the Premier Division, the First Division and the National U19 League the National U17 League is currently sponsored by SSE Airtricity and as a result it is also known as the SSE Airtricity National U17 League.
FAI High-Performance Director Ruud Dokter and then Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane officially launched the inaugural SSE Airtricity National U17 League at FAI headquarters in Abbotstown on 27 July 2015.

The 2019 FAI Cup was the 99th edition of the annual Republic of Ireland's cup competition. Forty teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the Premier Division and First Division. The competition began on 19 April 2019 with the first of five rounds and ended on 3 November 2019 with the final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010.

The 2019 League of Ireland Cup, also known for sponsorship reasons as the 2019 EA Sports Cup, was the 46th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup featured teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. Dundalk defeated Derry City in the final in a penalty shoot-out, following a 2-2 draw.

The 2020 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons, was the 36th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division.

The 2020 League of Ireland Cup, also known for sponsorship reasons as the 2020 EA Sports Cup, was the 47th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. The competition was deferred indefinitely on March 20 by the Football Association of Ireland as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The 2021 League of Ireland First Division season was the 37th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of Ireland's association football league. The fixture list was released on 8 February 2021 and the competition commenced on 26 March 2021. Shelbourne were confirmed Champions and promoted to the League of Ireland Premier Division on 1 October 2021.

The 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 37th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers were the defending champions, having won their sixth league title the previous season. Shamrock Rovers went on to retain the title.

The 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 38th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers were the defending champions, having won their nineteenth Premier Division title the previous season. They retained the title on 24 October as a result of Derry City drawing 0-0 away to Sligo Rovers.

The 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 40th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985.

References

  1. ↑ "Drogheda seal promotion as play-off places are decided". RTE Sport. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Drogheda seal promotion to Premier Division". The 42. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "SSE Airtricity League Fixtures". sseairtricityleague.ie. League of Ireland. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "FAI postpones all football activity with immediate effect". FAI. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Irish sports events cancelled". irishmirror.ie. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "2020 SSE Airtricity League - Fixture List". SSE Airtricity League. League of Ireland. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Wexford win appeal over fielding ineligible player, Galway United replace Cabinteely in play-offs".
  8. ↑ "Club legend Alan Murphy leaves role as Galway boss". The42.ie. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Galway United appoint John Caulfield as new manager". The42.ie. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "First Division 2020". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  11. ↑ "2020 Season SSE Airtricity League Fixtures" (PDF). www.sseairtricityleague.ie. SSE Airtricity League. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.