2023 League Of Ireland Premier Division
The 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985.
| Season | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 February – 3 November 2023 |
| Champions | Shamrock Rovers (21st title) |
| Relegated | Cork City UCD |
| Champions League | Shamrock Rovers |
| Conference League | Derry City Shelbourne St Patrick's Athletic |
| Matches played | 180 |
| Goals scored | 469 (2.61 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jonathan Afolabi Jack Moylan (15 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | St Patrick's Athletic 7–0 UCD (30 June) |
| Biggest away win | UCD 0–5 Derry City (6 September) |
| Highest scoring | Shamrock Rovers 4-4 Cork City (6 March) |
| Longest winning run | Shamrock Rovers (6 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Shamrock Rovers (13 games) |
| Longest winless run | UCD (10 games) |
| Longest losing run | UCD (8 games) |
| Highest attendance | 8,021 Shamrock Rovers 4–2 Sligo Rovers (3 November) |
| Lowest attendance | 317 UCD 0–2 Cork City (22 October) |
| Total attendance | 596,196 |
| Average attendance | 3,294 |
← 2022 2024 → | |
The winners (Shamrock Rovers, their fourth consecutive title and twenty-first overall) qualified for the 2024–25 Champions League first qualifying round. The 2023 FAI Cup winners (St Patrick's Athletic) qualified for the 2024–25 Conference League second qualifying round. The runners-up (Derry City) and fourth-placed team (Shelbourne) qualified for the 2024–25 Conference League first qualifying round. The ninth-placed team (Cork City) qualified for the League of Ireland Premier Division play-off, losing and being relegated to the 2024 League of Ireland First Division. They were joined by the bottom-placed team (UCD).
Teams
Ten teams competed in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the one team promoted from the First Division. The promoted team was Cork City, after a top flight absence of two years. They replaced Finn Harps who were relegated after four consecutive seasons in the top flight.
Shamrock Rovers were the defending champions, having won their twentieth title the previous season.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 4,500 |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 7,485 |
| Derry City | Derry | Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium | 3,700 |
| Drogheda United | Drogheda | Weavers Park | 3,500 |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4,500 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Tallaght) | Tallaght Stadium | 10,500 |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 4,450 |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | 3,873 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park | 5,340 |
| UCD | Dublin (Belfield) | UCD Bowl | 3,000 |
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 |  Declan Devine |  Keith Buckley | O'Neills | Des Kelly Interiors |
| Cork City | Richie Holland (interim) | Cian Coleman | Adidas | Zeus |
| Derry City | Ruaidhrí Higgins | Patrick McEleney | O'Neills | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Kevin Doherty | Gary Deegan | Erreà | Drogheda Credit Union |
| Dundalk | Stephen O'Donnell | Patrick Hoban | Playr-Fit | Bet Regal |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley | Ronan Finn | Umbro | MASCOT Workwear |
| Shelbourne | Damien Duff | Luke Byrne | Umbro | Culligan |
| Sligo Rovers | John Russell | David Cawley | Joma | Avant Money |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Jon Daly | Joe Redmond | Umbro | Manguard Plus |
| UCD | Andrew Myler | Jack Keaney | O'Neills | Maples Group |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Patrick's Athletic | Tim Clancy | Mutual Consent | 2 May 2023 | 7th | Jon Daly | 2 May 2023 |
| Cork City | Colin Healy | Resigned | 3 May 2023 | 9th | Liam Buckley (interim) | 3 May 2023 |
| Cork City | Liam Buckley (interim) | Change of role | 28 September 2023 | 9th | Richie Holland (interim) | 28 September 2023 |
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shamrock Rovers (C) | 36 | 20 | 12 | 4 | 67 | 27 | +40 | 72 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Derry City | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 24 | +33 | 65 | Qualification to Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | St Patrick's Athletic | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 59 | 42 | +17 | 62 | Qualification to Conference League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Shelbourne | 36 | 15 | 15 | 6 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 60 | Qualification to Conference League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Dundalk | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 58 | |
| 6 | Bohemians | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 53 | 40 | +13 | 58 | |
| 7 | Drogheda United | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 40 | 54 | −14 | 41 | |
| 8 | Sligo Rovers | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 36 | 51 | −15 | 37 | |
| 9 | Cork City (R) | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 35 | 64 | −29 | 31 | Qualification to League of Ireland Premier Division play-off |
| 10 | UCD (R) | 36 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 19 | 96 | −77 | 11 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
Teams play each other four times (twice at home and twice away).
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Afolabi | Bohemians | 15 |
| Jack Moylan | Shelbourne | ||
| 3 | Patrick Hoban | Dundalk | 14 |
| 4 | Chris Forrester | St Patrick's Athletic | 13 |
| Ruairí Keating | Cork City | ||
| 6 | Graham Burke | Shamrock Rovers | 12 |
| 7 |  Max Mata* | Sligo Rovers | 11 |
| 8 | Daniel Kelly | Dundalk | 8 |
| Jordan McEneff | Derry City | ||
 Freddie Draper* | Drogheda United | ||
| Rory Gaffney | Shamrock Rovers |
- Max Mata joined Shrewsbury Town on 4 August 2023.
- Freddie Draper returned to Lincoln City on 30 June 2023
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Maher | Derry City | 14 |
| 2 | Conor Kearns | Shelbourne | 11 |
| James Talbot | Bohemians | ||
| 4 | Dean Lyness | St Patrick's Athletic | 10 |
| 5 |  Leon Pohls | Shamrock Rovers | 7 |
 Nathan Shepperd | Dundalk | ||
| 7 | Alan Mannus | Shamrock Rovers | 5 |
| Jimmy Corcoran | Cork City | ||
| 9 | Colin McCabe | Drogheda United | 4 |
| 10 | Luke McNicholas | Sligo Rovers | 3 |
League of Ireland Premier Division play-off
The ninth-placed team (Cork City) qualified for a play-off alongside the second, third, fourth, and fifth-placed teams from the 2023 League of Ireland First Division (Athlone Town, Cobh Ramblers, Waterford, and Wexford).
The First Division teams contested the quarter and semi-finals. The quarter-finals were held over two legs, with the second-placed team (Waterford) facing the fifth-placed team (Athlone Town) and the third-placed team (Cobh Ramblers) facing the fourth-placed team (Wexford). The quarter-final winners then contested the semi-finals, with the winners ultimately facing the ninth-placed League of Ireland Premier Division team for the final place in the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division.
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Waterford | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Waterford | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Athlone Town | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Waterford | 2 | Cork City | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Cobh Ramblers | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Cobh Ramblers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Wexford | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
Quarter-finals
First leg
| 24 October 2023 | Athlone Town | 1–1 | Waterford | Athlone |
| 19:45 IST | Pierrot  78' | Report | Coughlan 52' | Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Attendance: 1,597 Referee: Oliver Moran |
| 24 October 2023 | Wexford | 0–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Wexford |
| 19:45 IST | Report | O'Malley 15' (o.g.) | Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park Attendance: 1,010 Referee: Alan Patchell |
Second leg
| 28 October 2023 | Waterford | 3–1 (4–2 agg.) | Athlone Town | Waterford |
| 19:45 IST | Akachukwu 64', 78', 90+4' | Report | Pierrot 71' (pen.) | Stadium: RSC Attendance: 2,237 Referee: Gavin Colfer |
| 28 October 2023 | Cobh Ramblers | 1–1 (2–1 agg.) | Wexford | Cobh |
| 19:45 IST | O'Leary 75' | Report | Crawford 35' | Stadium: St. Colman's Park Referee: Marc Lynch |
Semi-final
| 4 November 2023 | Waterford | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Cobh Ramblers | Cork |
| 17:00 IST | Coughlan 47' Phillips 100' | Report | McKevitt 88' | Stadium: Turners Cross Referee: D Dunne |
Final
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| February | Jordan McEneff | Derry City | |
| March |  Ali Coote | Bohemians | |
| April | Ronan Coughlan | Waterford | |
| May | Freddie Draper | Drogheda United | |
| June | Patrick Hoban | Dundalk | |
| July | Jonathan Afolabi | Bohemians | |
| August | James Clarke | Bohemians | |
| September | Ruairí Keating | Cork City | |
| October | Jack Moylan | Shelbourne | |
| November | Ronan Coughlan | Waterford | |
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| PFAI Player of the Year | Chris Forrester | St Patrick's Athletic |
| PFAI Young Player of the Year | Sam Curtis | St Patrick's Athletic |
| PFAI Premier Division Manager of the Year | Stephen Bradley | Shamrock Rovers |
| PFAI Team of the Year | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Conor Kearns (Shelbourne) | ||||||||||||
| Defenders | Archie Davies (Dundalk) | Sam Curtis (St Patrick's Athletic) |  Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers) | Ben Doherty (Derry City) | |||||||||
| Midfielders | Will Patching (Derry City) | Chris Forrester (St Patrick's Athletic) | James Clarke (Bohemians) | ||||||||||
| Forwards | Jack Moylan (Shelbourne) | Jonathan Afolabi (Bohemians) | Ruairí Keating (Cork City) | ||||||||||
See also
References
External links
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