The 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons,[1] 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,[2] having won their sixth league title the previous season. Shamrock Rovers went on to retain the title.[3][4]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports in the Republic of Ireland, the FAI met with the National League Executive Committee on 2 January 2021 and a decision was reached to move the start date for the Premier Division until at least 19 March 2021.[5]

Teams

Ten teams compete in the league – the top eight teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams are Drogheda United and Longford Town, after respective top flight absences of four and five years. They replaced Cork City (relegated after nine years in the top flight), and Shelbourne (relegated via play-off after only a year back in the top flight).[6][7]

Stadiums and locations

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Locations of Premier Division teams
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Locations of Dublin Premier Division teams
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Bohemians Dublin (Phibsborough) Dalymount Park 3,640
Derry City Derry Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium 3,700
Drogheda United Drogheda Head In The Game Park 3,500
Dundalk Dundalk Oriel Park 4,500
Finn Harps Ballybofey Finn Park 6,000
Longford Town Longford Bishopsgate 5,097
St Patrick's Athletic Dublin (Inchicore) Richmond Park 5,340
Shamrock Rovers Dublin (Tallaght) Tallaght Stadium 8,000
Sligo Rovers Sligo The Showgrounds 3,873
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 Republic of Ireland Keith Long Republic of Ireland Keith Buckley O'Neills Des Kelly Interiors
Derry City Northern Ireland Ruaidhrí Higgins Northern Ireland Eoin Toal Adidas Diamond Corrugated
Drogheda United Republic of Ireland Tim Clancy Republic of Ireland Jake Hyland Umbro Scotch Hall Shopping Center
Dundalk Republic of Ireland Vinny Perth Republic of Ireland Brian Gartland Umbro Bet Regal
Finn Harps Republic of Ireland Ollie Horgan Republic of Ireland David Webster Joma Guild Esports
Longford Town Republic of Ireland John Martin Republic of Ireland Dean Zambra Macron Bishopsgate
St Patrick's Athletic Republic of Ireland Stephen O'Donnell Republic of Ireland Ian Bermingham Umbro MIG Insurance Brokers
Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland Stephen Bradley Republic of Ireland Ronan Finn Umbro 888sport
Sligo Rovers Republic of Ireland Liam Buckley Republic of Ireland David Cawley Joma Avant Money
Waterford Canada Marc Bircham Republic of Ireland Oscar Brennan Umbro WIT Arena

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of
departure 		Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of
appointment
Dundalk Italy Filippo Giovagnoli Change of role 10 March 2021 Pre-season Republic of Ireland Shane Keegan 10 March 2021
Dundalk Republic of Ireland Shane Keegan Resigned 19 April 2021 9th Northern Ireland Jim Magilton (interim) 19 April 2021
Derry City Northern Ireland Declan Devine Sacked 22 April 2021 10th Northern Ireland Ruaidhrí Higgins 23 April 2021
Waterford Republic of Ireland Kevin Sheedy Resigned 5 May 2021 10th Republic of Ireland Mike Geoghegan (interim) 5 May 2021
Waterford Republic of Ireland Mike Geoghegan (interim) End of interim spell 12 May 2021 10th Canada Marc Bircham 12 May 2021
Dundalk Northern Ireland Jim Magilton (interim) End of interim spell 16 June 2021 8th Republic of Ireland Vinny Perth 16 June 2021
Longford Town Republic of Ireland Daire Doyle Sacked 2 November 2021 10th Republic of Ireland John Martin (interim) 2 November 2021
Waterford Canada Marc Bircham Sacked 23 November 2021 9th England Ian Hendon 24 November 2021

League table

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Shamrock Rovers (C) 36 24 6 6 59 28 +31 78 Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round
2 St Patrick's Athletic 36 18 8 10 56 42 +14 62 Qualification for Europa Conference League second qualifying round[a]
3 Sligo Rovers 36 16 9 11 43 32 +11 57 Qualification for Europa Conference League first qualifying round
4 Derry City 36 14 12 10 49 42 +7 54
5 Bohemians 36 14 10 12 60 46 +14 52
6 Dundalk 36 13 9 14 44 46 −2 48
7 Drogheda United 36 12 8 16 45 43 +2 44
8 Finn Harps 36 11 11 14 44 52 −8 44
9 Waterford (R) 36 12 6 18 36 56 −20 42 Qualification for relegation play-offs
10 Longford Town (R) 36 2 9 25 22 71 −49 15 Relegation to League of Ireland First Division
Source: SSE Airtricity League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[8]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Since the winners of the 2021 FAI Cup (St Patrick's Athletic) 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.

Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536
Bohemians879666687666655544454444556555555445
Derry City1010101010101078888887767667655444444444554
Drogheda United256455555544444455545566665666666777
Dundalk478998766777778876776777999988777666
Finn Harps211244444455566788888898777777999888
Longford Town12477791099999910101010101010101010101010101010101010101010
St Patrick's Athletic431123112223333211332222222222222222
Shamrock Rovers465511221111221122111111111111111111
Sligo Rovers431331333332112333223333333333333333
Waterford897889891010101010109999999989888899888999
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

Results

Teams will play each other four times (twice at home, twice away).

Matches 1–18

Home \ Away BOH DER DRO DUN FHA LON SHM SLI STP WAT
Bohemians — 1–2 5–0 5–1 4–0 2–2 1–0 1–3 0–1 3–0
Derry City 1–1 — 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 1–2
Drogheda United 1–1 1–2 — 0–1 1–1 4–1 0–1 1–1 3–1 1–0
Dundalk 0–1 2–1 2–1 — 1–2 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–1 1–3
Finn Harps 1–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 — 1–1 0–2 1–2 0–2 2–1
Longford Town 0–2 2–0 0–4 2–2 0–0 — 0–1 0–1 1–3 1–2
Shamrock Rovers 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 2–1 — 0–1 1–1 3–0
Sligo Rovers 4–0 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–1 — 1–1 3–0*
St Patrick's Athletic 2–1 2–0 2–1 0–2 4–1 3–0 1–2 2–0 — 1–0
Waterford 0–1 0–1 0–7 0–3 1–2 1–0 1–4 1–2 1–1 —
Source: [1], Extratime.ie
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

*Note Sligo Rovers were awarded a 3–0 victory by the FAI after Waterford opted out of playing the game due to COVID-19 cases in their squad.[9]

Matches 19–36

Home \ Away BOH DER DRO DUN FHA LON SHM SLI STP WAT
Bohemians — 3–3 2–1 1–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 1–0 3–2 1–2
Derry City 1–1 — 3–0 1–0 2–2 3–0 2–4 2–0 1–0 2–0
Drogheda United 3–2 1–0 — 0–1 3–1 2–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–2
Dundalk 2–1 1–2 1–2 — 1–0 2–0 1–0 4–1 1–4 1–0
Finn Harps 1–2 1–1 0–0 2–2 — 5–0 2–1 2–2 3–1 0–1
Longford Town 1–4 0–2 1–1 1–0 0–3 — 0–1 0–1 1–4 1–1
Shamrock Rovers 1–1 2–1 2–1 3–1 3–0 1–0 — 2–0 3–1 2–0
Sligo Rovers 1–1 1–2 2–0 2–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 — 2–0 1–1
St Patrick's Athletic 2–2 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–2 3–2 0–1 0–3 — 2–1
Waterford 1–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 4–1 4–1 1–3 1–0 0–0 —
Source: [2], Extratime.ie
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Season statistics

Top scorers

Last updated after fixtures on 19 November 2021.

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Republic of Ireland Georgie Kelly Bohemians 21
2 Republic of Ireland Danny Mandroiu Shamrock Rovers 15
3 Republic of Ireland Mark Doyle Drogheda United 13
4 Republic of Ireland Patrick Hoban Dundalk 12
5 Scotland Matty Smith St Patrick's Athletic 11
Republic of Ireland Johnny Kenny Sligo Rovers
Republic of Ireland Graham Burke Shamrock Rovers
8 Republic of Ireland John Martin Waterford 10
Belgium Tunde Owolabi Finn Harps
10 Republic of Ireland Chris Lyons Drogheda United 9
Scotland Liam Burt Bohemians

Clean sheets

Last updated after fixtures on 19 November 2021.

Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1 Northern Ireland Alan Mannus Shamrock Rovers 13
2 Republic of Ireland Ed McGinty Sligo Rovers 12
3 Czech Republic Vítězslav Jaroš St Patrick's Athletic 11
4 Northern Ireland Nathan Gartside Derry City 9
5 Republic of Ireland James Talbot Bohemians 8
6 Republic of Ireland David Odumosu Drogheda United 7
7 Republic of Ireland Mark McGinley Finn Harps 6
8 Scotland Peter Cherrie Dundalk 5
9 Republic of Ireland Brian Murphy Waterford 3
Albania Alessio Abibi Dundalk

Play-offs

First Division play-off Semi-finals

First leg

3 November 2021 Bray Wanderers 0–0 Galway United Carlisle Grounds
19:45 IST
3 November 2021 Treaty United 0–3 UCD Markets Field
19:45 IST Tadhg Ryan 34' (o.g.)
Colm Whelan 79', 92'

Second leg

7 November 2021 Galway United 0–1
(0–1 agg.)		 Bray Wanderers Eamonn Deacy Park
17:00 IST Brandon Kavanagh 22'
7 November 2021 UCD 1–2
(4–2 agg.)		 Treaty United UCD Bowl
17:00 IST Adam Verdon 67' Conor Melody 8'
Anthony O’Donnell 52'

First Division play-off Final

19 November 2021 Bray Wanderers 0–2 UCD Dalymount Park
19:45 IST Colm Whelan 68'
Paul Doyle 86'		 Referee: Oliver Moran

Promotion/relegation play-off

26 November 2021 Waterford 1–2 UCD Richmond Park
19:45 IST Anthony Wordsworth 5'
Niall O'Keeffe Yellow card 87' Yellow-red card		 Report Dara Keane 26'
Colm Whelan 34'		 Referee: Paul McLaughlin

Awards

Monthly awards

Month Player of the Month Ref.
Player Club
March/April Republic of Ireland Chris Forrester St Patrick's Athletic [10]
May Republic of Ireland Greg Bolger Sligo Rovers [11]
June Republic of Ireland Georgie Kelly Bohemians [12]
July Republic of Ireland Dawson Devoy Bohemians [13]
August Scotland Ali Coote Bohemians [14]
September Republic of Ireland Georgie Kelly Bohemians [15]
October Republic of Ireland Danny Mandroiu Shamrock Rovers [16]
November Republic of Ireland Colm Whelan UCD [17]

Annual awards

Award Winner Club
PFAI Player of the Year Republic of Ireland Georgie Kelly Bohemians
PFAI Young Player of the Year Republic of Ireland Dawson Devoy Bohemians
PFAI Premier Division Manager of the Year Republic of Ireland Stephen Bradley Shamrock Rovers
PFAI Team of the Year
Goalkeeper Republic of Ireland James Talbot (Bohemians)
Defenders Republic of Ireland Ronan Boyce (Derry City) Cape Verde Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers) Republic of Ireland Liam Scales (Shamrock Rovers) Republic of Ireland James Brown (Drogheda United)
Midfielders Republic of Ireland Chris Forrester (St Patrick's Athletic) Republic of Ireland Dawson Devoy (Bohemians) England Will Patching (Derry City/Dundalk)
Forwards Republic of Ireland Rory Gaffney (Shamrock Rovers) Republic of Ireland Georgie Kelly (Bohemians) Scotland Liam Burt (Bohemians)

See also

References

  1. ^ "SSE Airtricity extends title sponsorship of League of Ireland". The Irish Times. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Shamrock Rovers crowned champions and Cork City relegated after Finn Harps win over Bohs". The 42.ie. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Shamrock Rovers ease past Harps to claim 19th league title". RTE Sport. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Shamrock Rovers claim 19th Premier Division title with victory over Finn Harps". Irish Independent. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ "League of Ireland season deferred until mid-March". RTÉ.ie. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Drogheda seal promotion as play-off places are decided". RTÉ.ie. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Longford earn promotion as Shels' collapse completed". RTÉ.ie. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Premier Division 2021". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Sligo Rovers awarded victory following Waterford withdrawal due to Covid-cases". rte.ie. RTÉ. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  10. ^ "CHRIS FORRESTER NAMED SSE AIRTRICITY/SWI APRIL PLAYER OF THE MONTH". 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Bolger lands monthly honour after leading Sligo top". RTÉ.ie. 10 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Free-scoring Georgie Kelly named League of Ireland Player of the Month". 6 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Bohs' teen sensation Dawson Devoy recognised after a string of outstanding performances". 10 August 2021.
  14. ^ Team, The42 (8 September 2021). "Bohemians winger Ali Coote named Player of the Month after excellent August". The42.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Kelly lands monthly award as Bohs make it four on spin". RTÉ.ie. 14 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Mandroiu finally lands monthly honour for Hoops". 9 November 2021 – via www.rte.ie. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ^ "Ireland U21 striker Whelan named November's Player of the Month after netting 25 goals in 2021". 7 December 2021.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_League_of_Ireland_Premier_Division
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