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 league began on 14 February 2020 and concluded on 9 November 2020. The fixtures were announced on 20 December 2019.[3] The season was halted in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland following the directive of the Irish government and the Football Association of Ireland.[4][5] The FAI subsequently announced a contingency plan with a view to completing the domestic season at a later date with a reduced number of games.[6] It resumed on 31 July.[7] On 24 October, Finn Harps won 2–0 at Bohemians which meant Shamrock Rovers won the league and Cork City were relegated.[8][9]
Overview
The Premier Division consists of 10 teams. Ordinarily each team plays each other four times for a total of 36 matches in the season. Following a meeting of the Football Association of Ireland regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided that the season would be played on an 18-match basis with teams playing each other twice: once at home and once away.[7]
Shelbourne, the 2019 First Division champions, were promoted to the league for the first time since 2013, replacing fellow Dublin side UCD, who were relegated to the League of Ireland First Division after finishing bottom of the league in 2019.[10]
Teams
Stadia and locations
Dublin
Locations of Premier Division teams
Locations of Dublin Premier Division teams
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 3,640 |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 7,845 |
| Derry City | Derry | Brandywell Stadium | 3,700 |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4,500 |
| Finn Harps | Ballybofey | Finn Park | 6,000 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park | 5,340 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Tallaght) | Tallaght Stadium | 8,000 |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 3,700 |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | 5,500 |
| Waterford | Waterford | Regional Sports Centre | 5,500 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians |  Keith Long
|
Keith Buckley
|
O'Neills
|
Des Kelly Interiors |
| Cork City | Colin Healy
|
Gearoid Morrissey
|
 Adidas
|
University College Cork |
| Derry City |  Declan Devine
|
Conor McCormack
|
Adidas
|
Diamond Corrugated |
| Dundalk |  Filippo Giovagnoli
|
Brian Gartland
|
 Umbro
|
Fyffes |
| Finn Harps | Ollie Horgan
|
Gareth Harkin
|
 Joma
|
KN Group |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen O'Donnell
|
Ian Bermingham
|
Umbro
|
MIG Insurance Brokers |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley
|
Ronan Finn
|
Umbro
|
JD Sports |
| Shelbourne | Ian Morris
|
Lorcan Fitzgerald
|
Umbro
|
FLYEfit |
| Sligo Rovers | Liam Buckley
|
Kyle Callan-McFadden
|
Joma
|
Avantcard |
| Waterford | Fran Rockett
|
Brian Murphy
|
Umbro
|
24/7 Cardiac Care |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford | Alan Reynolds
|
Resigned | 16 June 2020[11] | 6th | John Sheridan[12]
|
8 July 2020 |
| Dundalk | Vinny Perth
|
Sacked | 20 August 2020[13] | 3rd | Filippo Giovagnoli[14]
|
25 August 2020 |
| Waterford | John Sheridan
|
Moved to Wigan Athletic | 11 September 2020[15] | 4th | Fran Rockett[16]
|
24 September 2020 |
| Cork City | Neale Fenn
|
Resigned | 8 October 2020[17] | 10th | Colin Healy[a][18]
|
9 October 2020 |
- ^ Healy was initially appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season. He was made permanent manager on 24 December 2020.
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shamrock Rovers (C) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 7 | +37 | 48 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Bohemians | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 37 | Qualification for Europa Conference League first qualifying round[a] |
| 3 | Dundalk | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 23 | +2 | 26 | |
| 4 | Sligo Rovers | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 23 | −4 | 25 | |
| 5 | Waterford | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 22 | −5 | 24 | |
| 6 | St Patrick's Athletic | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 21 | |
| 7 | Derry City | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 20 | |
| 8 | Finn Harps | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 20 | |
| 9 | Shelbourne (R) | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 22 | −9 | 19 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 10 | Cork City (R) | 18 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 30 | −20 | 11 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Source: SSE Airtricity League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[19]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[19]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Since the winners of the 2020 FAI Cup (Dundalk) qualified for European competition based on their league position, the final spot awarded to the Cup winner passed to the next best-placed team, i.e. fourth-placed team.
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterward.
Source: Extratime.com
= Leader and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round; = UEFA Conference League first qualifying round; = Qualification to the Relegation play-offs; = Relegation to the League of Ireland First Division
= Leader and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round; = UEFA Conference League first qualifying round; = Qualification to the Relegation play-offs; = Relegation to the League of Ireland First Division
Results
Teams will play each other twice (once at home, once away).
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Hoban
|
Dundalk | 10 |
| 2 | Jack Byrne
|
Shamrock Rovers | 9 |
| 3 | Graham Burke
|
Shamrock Rovers | 8 |
| Andre Wright
|
Bohemians | ||
| 4 | Daniel Grant
|
Bohemians | 7 |
| Aaron Greene
|
Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 5 | Ronan Coughlan
|
Sligo Rovers | 6 |
Last updated: 6 November 2020.
Source: Extratime.com
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Burke |
Shamrock Rovers | Cork City | 6–0 | 21 February 2020 | 5 |
| Daniel Grant |
Bohemians | Shelbourne | 1–3 | 3 October 2020 | 3 |
Play-offs
First Division play-off Semi-finals
| 31 October 2020 | Bray Wanderers | 0–1 | Galway United | Carlisle Grounds |
| 15:00 | Wilson Waweru  86' |
Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) |
| 31 October 2020 | UCD | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Longford Town | UCD Bowl |
| 15:00 | Colm Whelan 18' Yousef Mahdy 110' |
Joe Gorman 90' Joe Gorman 113'Dean Byrne 120' |
Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) |
First Division play-off Final
| 6 November 2020 | Galway United | 1–2 | Longford Town | UCD Bowl |
| 19:45 | Vinny Faherty 88' |
Report | Karl Chambers 43' Aodh Dervin 82' |
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 46' |
Attendance: 0 Referee: Neil Doyle |
Source:[20]
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | References | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| February | Jack Byrne
|
Shamrock Rovers | |
| August | Daniel Grant
|
Bohemians | |
| September | Jack Byrne
|
Shamrock Rovers | |
| October | Sean Murray
|
Dundalk | |
| November | David McMillan
|
Dundalk | |
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| PFAI Player of the Year | Jack Byrne
|
Shamrock Rovers |
| PFAI Young Player of the Year | Daniel Grant
|
Bohemians |
| PFAI Premier Division Manager of the Year | Stephen Bradley
|
Shamrock Rovers |
| PFAI Team of the Year | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alan Mannus (Shamrock Rovers)
| |||||||||||
| Defenders | Andy Lyons (Bohemians)
|
 Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers)
|
Lee Grace (Shamrock Rovers)
|
Tyreke Wilson (Waterford)
| ||||||||
| Midfielders | Keith Buckley (Bohemians)
|
Aaron McEneff (Shamrock Rovers)
|
Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers)
| |||||||||
| Forwards | Daniel Grant (Bohemians)
|
Andre Wright (Bohemians)
|
Michael Duffy (Dundalk)
| |||||||||
See also
- 2020 League of Ireland First Division
- 2020 FAI Cup
- 2020 League of Ireland Cup
- 2020 Bohemian F.C. season
- 2020 Dundalk F.C. season
- 2020 Shelbourne F.C. season
- 2020 St Patrick's Athletic F.C. season
Notes
- ^ Total attendance and average attendance figures only account for the first four weeks of the season after which no spectators were allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
References
- ^ "League Report: Shamrock Rovers 3 - 2 Dundalk". extra time. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "2020 SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREMIER DIVISION". extra time. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "2020 Premier Division season begins with Dublin derby". RTÉ Sport. 20 December 2019.
- ^ "FAI postpones all football activity with immediate effect". Football Association of Ireland. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Quinn, Gavin (12 March 2020). "Which Irish sports events have been cancelled due to coronavirus? FAI, GAA and IRFU suspend all activity until March 29". Irish Daily Mirror. Dublin: Reach plc.
- ^ "League to resume on June 19th & finish in December with EA Sports Cup deferred". League of Ireland. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Airtricity League confirm that season will restart on July 31st". The Irish Times. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ Buttner, Paul (25 October 2020). "Shamrock Rovers are league champions as Harps down Bohs". RTÉ Sport.
- ^ Donnelly, Dave (24 October 2020). "Shamrock Rovers crowned champions and Cork City relegated after Finn Harps win over Bohs". The42. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Shelbourne promoted to Premier Division". RTÉ Sport. 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Manager Alan Reynolds departs Waterford FC". RTÉ Sport. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "John Sheridan named as new Waterford FC boss". RTÉ Sport. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Malone, Emmet (20 August 2020). "Vinny Perth sacked by Dundalk following Champions League exit". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ "'A lot of people are sceptical but I am not afraid' – Dundalk confirm arrival of little-known Italian Giovagnoli". The42. TheJournal.ie. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ O'Hehir, Paul (11 September 2020). "John Sheridan leaves Waterford for Wigan insisting he didn't disrespect League of Ireland". Irish Daily Mirror. Dublin: Reach plc. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Niall (24 September 2020). "Waterford appoint Rockett to take over from John Sheridan as first-team manager". The42. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ McDonnell, Daniel (8 October 2020). "Neale Fenn 'devastated' after Cork City departure as Preston owner eyes up takeover deal". Irish Independent. Dublin: Independent News & Media. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "Cork City appoint Colin Healy as head coach". The Irish Times. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ "Premier Division 2020". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ "2020 Season SSE Airtricity League Fixtures" (PDF). SSE Airtricity League. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
