League of Ireland First Division
Season2019
DatesFebruary 2019 – October 2019
ChampionsShelbourne (1st title)
PromotedShelbourne
Matches played135
Goals scored501 (3.71 per match)
Top goalscorerRob Manley (17 goals)
Biggest home winShelbourne 7-0 Limerick
(21 September 2019)
Biggest away winAthlone Town 0-5 Bray Wanderers
(17 May 2019), Cabinteely 0-5 Drogheda United
(19 May 2019)
Total attendance75,795
Average attendance561[1]
← 2018
2020 →

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.

Overview

The First Division has 10 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 27 matches in the season.

Teams

Map of the Republic of Ireland with the ten League of Ireland First Division teams
Athlone Town
Bray Wanderers
Cobh Ramblers
Drogheda United
Galway United
Limerick
Longford Town
Wexford
Dublin
Dublin
Dublin teams Cabinteely Shelbourne
Locations of the First Division teams
Map of Dublin with the two League of Ireland First Division Dublin teams
Shelbourne
Cabinteely
Locations of Dublin First Division teams

Stadia and locations

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

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 Republic of Ireland Terry Butler Committee Nike Nitro Sports
Bray Wanderers Republic of Ireland Gary Cronin Republic of Ireland Paul Keegan Umbro Matt Britton Carpets
Cabinteely Republic of Ireland Pat Devlin Republic of Ireland Stephen McGuinness Uhlsport Dublin School of Grinds
Cobh Ramblers Republic of Ireland Stephen Henderson Republic of Ireland Paul Hunt Joma Tony & William O'Shea Fuels Rushbrooke
Drogheda United Republic of Ireland Tim Clancy Republic of Ireland Jake Hyland CX+ Sport Scotch Hall Shopping Center
Galway United Republic of Ireland Alan Murphy Republic of Ireland Stephen Walsh Puma Comer Property Management
Limerick Republic of Ireland Tommy Barrett Republic of Ireland Shaun Kelly Umbro Daly Car Sales
Longford Town England Neale Fenn Republic of Ireland Dean Zambra Macron City Calling
Shelbourne Republic of Ireland Ian Morris Republic of Ireland Dean Delaney Umbro abbeyseals.ie
Wexford Republic of Ireland Brian O'Sullivan Republic of Ireland Craig McCabe Bodibro Premier Tickets

League table

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:
  1. ^ Limerick were deducted 26 points for failure to comply with LOI profitability and sustainability rules.[2]

Results

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Republic of Ireland Rob Manley Cabinteely 17
2 Republic of Ireland Chris Lyons Drogheda United 13
3 Republic of Ireland Dean Byrne Longford Town 12
Republic of Ireland Mark Doyle Drogheda United 12
5 Republic of Ireland Ciarán Kilduff Shelbourne 10
Republic of Ireland Dylan McGlade Bray Wanderers 10
Republic of Ireland Stephen Meaney Drogheda United 10
8 Republic of Ireland Danny Furlong Wexford 9
9 Republic of Ireland Jaze Kabia Shelbourne 8
Republic of Ireland Sam Verdon Longford Town 8

Last updated: 25 September 2019.
Source: SSE Airtricity League of Ireland

Play-offs

3rd vs. 4th-place play-off

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

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

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

References

  1. ^ "League of Ireland enjoys huge increase in crowds since last pre-Covid season". the42. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Limerick FC prop up First Division after 26-point deduction". RTE Sport. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  3. ^ "First Division 2019". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
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