2010 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2010 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 26th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 10 teams. Shamrock Rovers were champions while Bohemians finished as runners-up.
| Season | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Shamrock Rovers (16th title) |
| UEFA Champions League | Shamrock Rovers |
| UEFA Europa League | Bohemians Sligo Rovers St. Patrick's Athletic |
| Setanta Cup | Shamrock Rovers Bohemians Sligo Rovers St. Patrick's Athletic Dundalk UCD |
| Matches played | 180 |
| Goals scored | 479 (2.66 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Gary Twigg: 20 (Shamrock Rovers)[1] |
| Biggest home win | Sligo Rovers 6–0 Drogheda United |
| Biggest away win | Bray Wanderers 0–6 UCD |
| Highest scoring | Sligo Rovers 4–3 Sporting Fingal |
| Longest winning run | Shamrock Rovers (6) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Shamrock Rovers (17) |
| Longest losing run | Drogheda United (5) |
| Highest attendance | Shamrock Rovers–St. Patrick's Athletic (5500) |
| Lowest attendance | Bray Wanderers–Sligo Rovers (300) |
| Average attendance | 1,657 |
← 2009 2011 → | |
Teams
Overview
Airtricity were announced as the new main sponsor for the League of Ireland on 26 February.[2][3] The prize fund for the season was set at €911,000.[4][5] The 2010 Premier Division featured 10 clubs. The regular season began on 5 March and concluded on 29 October. Each team played every other team four times, totalling 36 matches.[6] On the final day of the season, Shamrock Rovers won the title with a 2–2 draw away to Bray Wanderers.[7][8] Second placed Bohemians finished level on points with Rovers but lost out on goal difference.[9][10]
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shamrock Rovers (C) | 36 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 57 | 34 | +23 | 67 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Bohemians | 36 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 50 | 29 | +21 | 67 | Qualification to Europa League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Sligo Rovers | 36 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 61 | 36 | +25 | 63 | Qualification to Europa League third qualifying round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 4 | Sporting Fingal (R) | 36 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 60 | 38 | +22 | 62 | Withdrew from league[lower-alpha 2] |
| 5 | St Patrick's Athletic | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 57 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round |
| 6 | Dundalk | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 46 | 50 | −4 | 48 | |
| 7 | UCD | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 47 | 54 | −7 | 41 | |
| 8 | Galway United (O) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 38 | 59 | −21 | 38 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 9 | Bray Wanderers (O) | 36 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 35 | 72 | −37 | 27 | |
| 10 | Drogheda United | 36 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 30 | 74 | −44 | 21 | Spared from relegation[lower-alpha 3] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Sligo Rovers qualified for the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round after winning the 2010 FAI Cup Final.
- Sporting Fingal withdrew from League of Ireland due to financial difficulties shortly before the 2011 Premier Division season.
- Drogheda United were originally relegated but retained there place in the Premier Division after Sporting Fingal withdrew.
Results
Matches 1–18
Matches 19–36
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Scorer | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gary Twigg |
Shamrock Rovers[1] | 20 |
| 2 |  Pádraig Amond |
Sligo Rovers | 17 |
| 3 | Ciarán Kilduff |
UCD | 15 |
| 4 | Jake Kelly |
Bray Wanderers | 14 |
| 5 | Jason Byrne |
Bohemians | 12 |
 Fahrudin Kuduzović |
Dundalk | 12 |
Promotion/relegation play-off
The eighth and ninth placed teams from the Premier Division, Galway United and Bray Wanderers, played off after the regular season was completed. The winner would retain a place in the 2011 Premier Division. The loser would play off against the winner of the 2010 First Division play off. The winner of this match would also gain a place in the 2010 Premier Division.
- Premier Division
| 2 November 2010 | Galway United | 1 – 0 | Bray Wanderers | Terryland Park |
| 19:45 GMT | Karl Sheppard  16' Derek O'Brien  90+2' |
Report | Adam Mitchell 82' |
Attendance: 1,432 Referee: Damien Hancock (Dublin) |
Galway United retain their place in the 2011 Premier Division
- Premier Division v First Division
| 5 November 2010 | Monaghan United | 0 – 0 | Bray Wanderers | Kingspan Century Park |
| 19.45 GMT | Report | Matt Gregg 89' |
Referee: Damien Hancock (Dublin) |
| 8 November 2010 | Bray Wanderers | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) (7 – 6 p) | Monaghan United | Carlisle Grounds |
| 19.45 GMT | Jake Kelly 120+2' |
Report | Chris Shields 118' (o.g.) |
Referee: Declan Hanney (Dublin) |
| Penalties | ||||
Gary Dempsey  Jake Kelly Gary Shaw  Dane Massey Danny O'Connor Daire Doyle Shane O'Neill Chris Shields |
Karl Bermingham Philip Hughes Brian Gartland Barry Clancy Alan Byrne Dom Tierney Stephen McCrossan Paul Whelan |
|||
Bray Wanderers won 7 – 6 on penalties and retained their place in the Premier Division
See also
References
- "Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "Airtricity generates buzz for League with three-year deal". extratime.ie. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- "Airtricity named as new League sponsor". RTÉ. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- "FAI decide on Airtricity League prize fund". RTÉ. 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- "Domestic league prize money reduced". The Irish Times. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
- "Ireland 2010". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- "O'Neill relieved to seal title". RTÉ Sport. 30 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- "Shamrock hold nerve to claim Irish title". UEFA.com. 29 October 2010. Archived from the original on 1 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- "Twigg and Stewart clinch title for Rovers". The Irish Times. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- "Bohemians 3-1 Dundalk". RTÉ Sport. 29 October 2010. Archived from the original on 1 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- "Ireland 2010". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- "Ireland 2011". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 3 August 2016.