2015 League of Ireland
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| Season | 2015 |
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The 2015 League of Ireland was the 95th season of the League of Ireland, the highest football league of the Republic of Ireland. The league began on 6 March 2015.[1] Dundalk were the defending champions.
On 9 October, Dundalk retained the title after a 1–1 draw with Shamrock Rovers.[2][3][4]
Contents
Premier Division
The Premier Division consists of 12 teams. Each team will play each other three times, a total of 33 matches in the season.
Longford Town, the 2014 First Division champion, returns to the top level after seven years. Galway promoted after winning the promotion/relegation playoffs.
Teams
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 10,000 |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds | 7,000 |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 7,485 |
| Derry City | Derry | Brandywell | 7,700 |
| Drogheda United | Drogheda | United Park | 2,000 |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4,500 |
| Galway United | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5,000 |
| Limerick | Limerick | Markets Field | 5,000 |
| Longford Town | Longford | City Calling Stadium | 6,850 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Tallaght) | Tallaght Stadium | 5,947 |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | 5,500 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park | 5,340 |
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 |
Derek Pender |
Hummel | Mr Green |
| Bray Wanderers | Alan Mathews Maciej Tarnogrodzki David Cassidy Trevor Croly David Cassidy Mick Cooke |
David Cassidy |
Nike | Royal Hotel |
| Cork City | John Caulfield |
John Dunleavy |
Nike | Clonakilty Sausages |
| Derry City |  Peter Hutton Paul Hegarty |
Ryan McBride |
Umbro | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | John McDonnell Mark Kinsella |
Michael Daly |
Nike | Scotch Hall Shopping Center |
| Dundalk | Stephen Kenny |
Stephen O'Donnell |
Umbro | Fyffes |
| Galway United | Tommy Dunne |
Paul Sinnott |
Macron | Comer Property Management |
| Limerick | Martin Russell |
Shane Duggan |
Macron | Galtee Fuels |
| Longford Town | Tony Cousins |
Mark Salmon |
Macron | City Calling |
| Shamrock Rovers | Pat Fenlon |
Conor Kenna |
Warrior | Pepper |
| Sligo Rovers | Owen Heary Joseph N'Do & Gavin Dykes Micky Adams |
Gavin Peers |
Umbro | Volkswagen |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Liam Buckley |
Ger O'Brien |
Umbro | Clune Construction Company L.P. |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk (C) | 33 | 23 | 9 | 1 | 78 | 23 | +55 | 78 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Cork City | 33 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 57 | 25 | +32 | 67 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 3 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 56 | 27 | +29 | 65 | |
| 4 | St Patrick's Athletic | 33 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 52 | 34 | +18 | 58 | |
| 5 | Bohemians | 33 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 49 | 42 | +7 | 53 | |
| 6 | Longford Town | 33 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 39 | |
| 7 | Derry City | 33 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 42 | −10 | 35 | |
| 8 | Bray Wanderers | 33 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 27 | 51 | −24 | 33 | |
| 9 | Sligo Rovers | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 39 | 55 | −16 | 31 | |
| 10 | Galway United | 33 | 9 | 4 | 20 | 39 | 61 | −22 | 31 | |
| 11 | Limerick (R) | 33 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 46 | 73 | −27 | 29 | Qualification to Relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Drogheda United (R) | 33 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 32 | 62 | −30 | 28 | Relegation to First Division |
Source: League of Ireland, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[5]
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[5]
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
- ↑ Since the winners of the 2015 FAI Cup, Dundalk, qualified for the Champions League based on league position, the spot awarded to the Cup winner (Europa League first qualifying round) is passed to the second-placed team, Cork City, and the spot for the third-placed team (Europa League first qualifying round) is passed to the fourth-placed team, St Patrick's Athletic.
Fixture table
Matches 1–22
Teams play each other twice (once at home, once away)
| Home ╲ Away | BOH | BRW | COR | DER | DRO | DUN | GAL | LIM | LON | SHM | SLI | StP |
| Bohemians | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| Bray Wanderers | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–5 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| Cork City | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | |
| Derry City | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | |
| Drogheda United | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | |
| Dundalk | 1–2 | 8–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 6–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | |
| Galway United | 5–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–4 | |
| Limerick | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | |
| Longford Town | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | |
| Shamrock Rovers | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 1–0 | |
| Sligo Rovers | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
Matches 23–33
Teams play each other once
| Home ╲ Away | BOH | BRW | COR | DER | DRO | DUN | GAL | LIM | LON | SHM | SLI | StP |
| Bohemians | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |||||||
| Bray Wanderers | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | ||||||
| Cork City | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–3 | |||||||
| Derry City | 2–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | |||||||
| Drogheda United | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 0–4 | |||||||
| Dundalk | 4–0 | 6–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | ||||||
| Galway United | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | ||||||
| Limerick | 4–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | ||||||
| Longford Town | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | |||||||
| Shamrock Rovers | 1–1 | 3–0 | 5–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | ||||||
| Sligo Rovers | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | ||||||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richie Towell |
Dundalk F.C. | 25 |
| 2 | Karl Sheppard |
Cork City F.C. | 13 |
| 3 | Vinny Faherty |
Limerick F.C. | 12 |
 Jake Keegan |
Galway United | ||
| Enda Curran |
Galway United | ||
| Michael Drennan |
Shamrock Rovers | ||
| David McMillan |
Dundalk F.C. | ||
| Daniel Corcoran |
Sligo Rovers F.C. | ||
| 9 | Christopher Forrester |
St. Patrick's Athletic F.C. | 11 |
| Brandon Miele |
Shamrock Rovers |
LOI Premier Division Team Of The Year
| Year | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Micheál Schlingermann, Drogheda United |
Sean Gannon, Dundalk FC Brian Gartland, Dundalk FC Andy Boyle, Dundalk FC Dane Massey, Dundalk FC |
Richie Towell, Dundalk FC James Chambers, St Pats Stephen O'Donnell, Dundalk FC |
Brandon Miele, Shamrock Rovers Mark O'Sullivan, Cork City Daryl Horgan, Dundalk FC |
First Division
The First Division has 8 teams. Each team will play each other four times, twice at home and twice away, for a total of 28 matches in the season.
Teams
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 5,000 (2,500 Seated) |
| Cabinteely | Dublin (Blackrock) | Stradbrook Road | 1,300 |
| Cobh Ramblers | Cobh | St. Colman's Park | 5,000 |
| Finn Harps | Ballybofey | Finn Park | 6,000 |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 9,600 |
| UCD | Dublin (Belfield) | UCD Bowl | 3,000 |
| Waterford United | Waterford | Regional Sports Centre | 5,500 |
| Wexford Youths | 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 | Eddie Wallace Alan Mathews |
Brian Shortall [7] |
Nike | Nitro Sports |
| Cabinteely | Eddie Gormley |
Umbro | ||
| Cobh Ramblers | Martin Cambridge Stephen Henderson |
Nike | Eirgrid | |
| Finn Harps | Ollie Horgan |
Kevin McHugh |
Legea | McGettigan Group |
| Shelbourne | Kevin Doherty (footballer) |
Macron | ||
| UCD | Collie O'Neill |
Robbie Benson |
O'Neills | O'Neills |
| Waterford United | Tommy Griffin Roddy Collins |
Vinny Sullivan |
Macron | SportsWorld |
| Wexford Youths | Shane Keegan |
Graham Doyle |
O'Neills | Galenisys |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wexford Youths (C, P) | 28 | 20 | 1 | 7 | 63 | 32 | +31 | 61 | Promotion to 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Finn Harps (O, P) | 28 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 42 | 23 | +19 | 55 | Promotion play-offs |
| 3 | UCD | 28 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 51 | 26 | +25 | 49 | |
| 4 | Shelbourne | 28 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 45 | |
| 5 | Athlone Town | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 33 | |
| 6 | Cobh Ramblers | 28 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 27 | 45 | −18 | 30 | |
| 7 | Waterford United | 28 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 25 | 51 | −26 | 21 | |
| 8 | Cabinteely | 28 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 22 | 50 | −28 | 20 |
Fixture table
Matches 1–14
Teams play each other twice (once at home, once away)
| Home ╲ Away | ATH | CAB | COB | FHA | SHE | UCD | WAT | WEX |
| Athlone Town | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| Cabinteely | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| Cobh Ramblers | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–4 | |
| Finn Harps | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | |
| Shelbourne | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–4 | |
| UCD | 1–2 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | |
| Waterford United | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–4 | |
| Wexford Youths | 2–0 | 7–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
Matches 15–28
Teams play each other twice (once at home, once away)
| Home ╲ Away | ATH | CAB | COB | FHA | SHE | UCD | WAT | WEX |
| Athlone Town | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 3–1 | |
| Cabinteely | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–3[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | 2–3 | |
| Cobh Ramblers | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | |
| Finn Harps | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | |
| Shelbourne | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | |
| UCD | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | |
| Waterford United | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | |
| Wexford Youths | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 |
- ↑ Cabinteely were found to have played an ineligible player, Dean Ebbe, in their SSE Airtricity League First Division match against UCD on July 31, 2015, which they lost 1-3. In accordance with FAI Rules 88.1 and 127, Cabinteely forfeit the fixture 0-3 with immediate effect and have received a fine of €2,500. [8]
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Furlong |
Wexford Youths | 30 |
| 2 | Ryan Swan |
UCD A.F.C. | 12 |
| 3 | Philip Gorman |
Athlone Town | 10 |
| 4 | Kevin McHugh |
Finn Harps | 9 |
| 5 | Stephen Kenny |
Cobh Ramblers, | 7 |
| Philip Hughes |
Shelbourne F.C. | ||
| Robert Benson |
UCD A.F.C. | ||
| Aidan Keenan |
Wexford Youths | ||
| Gareth Coughlan |
Shelbourne F.C. | ||
| Daniel Purdy |
Athlone Town |
Promotion/relegation playoffs
Semi-final
1st Leg
| 23 October 2015 | UCD | 0–1 | Finn Harps | UCD Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:45 | Coll  1' |
2nd Leg
| 30 October 2015 | Finn Harps | 2–1 | UCD | Finn Park |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:45 | Boyle 76' Mailey 89' |
O'Connor 59' |
- Finn Harps won 3–1 on aggregate and proceed to the final of the Promotion/Relegation Playoff.
Final
1st Leg
| 2 November 2015 | Limerick | 1–0 | Finn Harps | Markets Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly 34' |
Report | Referee: Rob Rogers |
2nd Leg
| 6 November 2015 | Finn Harps | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Limerick | Finn Park |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funston 38' Banda 117' |
Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Derek Tomney |
- Finn Harps won 2–1 on aggregate and are promoted to the Premier Division for the 2016 season. Limerick are relegated to the First Division.
League of Ireland clubs in Europe 2015–16
UEFA Champions League
Second qualifying round
One Republic of Ireland club will enter in this round.
- Dundalk (winners of the 2014 League of Ireland)
UEFA Europa League
First qualifying round
Four Republic of Ireland clubs will enter in this round.
- St Patrick's Athletic (winners of the 2014 FAI Cup)
- Cork City (second place in the 2014 League of Ireland)
- Shamrock Rovers (fourth place in the 2014 League of Ireland)
- UCD (Fair Play spot)[12][13]
References
- ↑ http://www.stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=6559#.VHXGuojfWrV
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://athlonetownfc.ie/teams/first-team-squad/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/images/2015_Season_SSE_Airtricity_League_First_Division_Fixture_List_29-01-15.pdf
- ↑ http://www.fai.ie/domestic/news/sse-airtricity-league-promotionrelegation-play-off-dates
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
