The 2019 League of Ireland First Division season was the 35th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The league began in February 2019 and concluded in October 2019. Shelbourne emerged as champions after beating title rivals Drogheda United 3–1 away from home on 13 September 2019, earning them promotion to the top flight for the first time since 2012.
| Season | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 2019 – October 2019 |
| Champions | Shelbourne (1st title) |
| Promoted | Shelbourne |
| Matches played | 135 |
| Goals scored | 501 (3.71 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Rob Manley (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Shelbourne 7-0 Limerick (21 September 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Athlone Town 0-5 Bray Wanderers (17 May 2019), Cabinteely 0-5 Drogheda United (19 May 2019) |
| Total attendance | 75,795 |
| Average attendance | 561[1] |
← 2018 2020 → | |
Overview edit
The First Division has 10 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 27 matches in the season.
Teams edit
Dublin
Locations of the First Division teams
Locations of Dublin First Division teams
Stadia and locations edit
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds | 4,000 |
| Cabinteely | 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 |
| Limerick | Limerick | Markets Field | 5,000 |
| Longford Town | Longford | City Calling Stadium | 4,960 |
| Shelbourne | Drumcondra | Tolka Park | 3,500 |
| Wexford | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 2,500 |
Personnel and kits edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town |  Terry Butler
|
Committee | Nike | Nitro Sports |
| Bray Wanderers | Gary Cronin
|
Paul Keegan
|
Umbro | Matt Britton Carpets |
| Cabinteely | Pat Devlin
|
Stephen McGuinness
|
Uhlsport | Dublin School of Grinds |
| Cobh Ramblers | Stephen Henderson
|
Paul Hunt
|
Joma | Tony & William O'Shea Fuels Rushbrooke |
| Drogheda United | Tim Clancy
|
Jake Hyland
|
CX+ Sport | Scotch Hall Shopping Center |
| Galway United | Alan Murphy
|
Stephen Walsh
|
Puma | Comer Property Management |
| Limerick | Tommy Barrett
|
Shaun Kelly
|
Umbro | Daly Car Sales |
| Longford Town |  Neale Fenn
|
Dean Zambra
|
Macron | City Calling |
| Shelbourne | Ian Morris
|
Dean Delaney
|
Umbro | abbeyseals.ie |
| Wexford | Brian O'Sullivan
|
Craig McCabe
|
Bodibro | Premier Tickets |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelbourne (C, P) | 27 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 19 | +31 | 60 | Promotion to League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Drogheda United (Q) | 27 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 51 | Qualification to Promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Longford Town (Q) | 27 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 51 | |
| 4 | Cabinteely (Q) | 27 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 50 | |
| 5 | Bray Wanderers | 27 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 46 | |
| 6 | Cobh Ramblers | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 38 | 51 | −13 | 31 | |
| 7 | Galway United | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 26 | |
| 8 | Athlone Town | 27 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 30 | 61 | −31 | 18 | |
| 9 | Wexford | 27 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 22 | 65 | −43 | 11 | |
| 10 | Limerick | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 10[a] |
Source: SSE Airtricity League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[3]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[3]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Results edit
Season statistics edit
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Manley
|
Cabinteely | 17 |
| 2 | Chris Lyons
|
Drogheda United | 13 |
| 3 | Dean Byrne
|
Longford Town | 12 |
| Mark Doyle
|
Drogheda United | 12 | |
| 5 | Ciarán Kilduff
|
Shelbourne | 10 |
| Dylan McGlade
|
Bray Wanderers | 10 | |
| Stephen Meaney
|
Drogheda United | 10 | |
| 8 | Danny Furlong
|
Wexford | 9 |
| 9 | Jaze Kabia
|
Shelbourne | 8 |
| Sam Verdon
|
Longford Town | 8 |
Last updated: 25 September 2019.
Source: SSE Airtricity League of Ireland
Play-offs edit
3rd vs. 4th-place play-off edit
| 4 October 2019 | Cabinteely | 0-0 | Longford Town | Stradbrook Road |
| 11 October 2019 | Longford Town | 1-1 (1-1 agg.) | Cabinteely | Strokestown Road |
Cabinteely advances on away goals.
2nd vs. Winner 3rd/4th play-off edit
| 18 October 2019 | Cabinteely | 1-1 | Drogheda United | Stradbrook Road |
| 25 October 2019 | Drogheda United | 5-1 (6-2 agg.) | Cabinteely | United Park |
Promotion/relegation playoff edit
| 27 October 2019 | Drogheda United | 1-0 | Finn Harps | United Park |
| 31 October 2019 | Finn Harps | 2-0 (2-1 agg.) | Drogheda United | Finn Park |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "League of Ireland enjoys huge increase in crowds since last pre-Covid season". the42. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ "Limerick FC prop up First Division after 26-point deduction". RTE Sport. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "First Division 2019". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 February 2020.