2010 League of Ireland Premier Division
Football league season
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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 | 180 |
| Goals | 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)[citation needed] |
| Highest attendance | Shamrock Rovers–St. Patrick's Athletic (5500) |
| Lowest attendance | Bray Wanderers–Sligo Rovers (300)[citation needed] |
| Average attendance | 1,657[citation needed] |
← 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]
Holders Bohemians held on to manager Pat Fenlon despite interest from Dundee United and Galway United's financial worries were eased with a cash injection from an investor.[7]
On the final day of the season, Shamrock Rovers won the title with a 2–2 draw away to Bray Wanderers.[8][9] Second placed Bohemians finished level on points with Rovers but lost out on goal difference.[10][11]
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 for Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Bohemians | 36 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 50 | 29 | +21 | 67 | Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Sligo Rovers | 36 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 61 | 36 | +25 | 63 | Qualification for Europa League third qualifying round[a] |
| 4 | Sporting Fingal (R) | 36 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 60 | 38 | +22 | 62 | Withdrew from league[b] |
| 5 | St Patrick's Athletic | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 57 | Qualification for 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 for 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[c] |
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 their 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 retained 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 |
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Bray Wanderers won 7 – 6 on penalties and retained their place in the Premier Division