2015 League of Ireland Premier Division
Football league season
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The 2015 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 31st season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. Dundalk were champions and Cork City finished as runners-up.
| Season | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Dundalk (11th title) |
| Relegated | Limerick Drogheda United |
| Champions League | Dundalk |
| Europa League | Cork City St. Patrick's Athletic Shamrock Rovers |
| Matches | 198 |
| Goals | 548 (2.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Richie Towell: 25 (Dundalk)[1] |
| Biggest home win | Dundalk 8-1 Bray Wanderers (4 May 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Bray Wanderers 0-5 Galway United (25 April 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Dundalk 8-1 Bray Wanderers (4 May 2015) |
| Highest attendance | 6,900[2] |
| Total attendance | 324,332[3][note 1] |
| Average attendance | 1,638 |
← 2014 2016 → | |
Teams
Stadia and locations
Dublin
Locations of Premier Division teams
Locations of Dublin Premier Division teams
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. |
Overview
Final 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 for Champions League second qualifying round[a] |
| 2 | Cork City | 33 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 57 | 25 | +32 | 67 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 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 for relegation play-off |
| 12 | Drogheda United (R) | 33 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 32 | 62 | −30 | 28 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Source: League of Ireland, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[8]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[8]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Dundalk qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2015 FAI Cup. However, since they already qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to the cup winners was passed down the league.
Results
Matches 1–22
Matches 23–33
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richie Towell |
Dundalk | 25 |
| 2 | Karl Sheppard |
Cork City | 13 |
| 3 | Vinny Faherty |
Limerick | 12 |
 Jake Keegan |
Galway United | ||
| Enda Curran |
Galway United | ||
| Michael Drennan |
Shamrock Rovers | ||
| David McMillan |
Dundalk | ||
| Daniel Corcoran |
Sligo Rovers | ||
| 9 | Christopher Forrester |
St Patrick's Athletic | 11 |
| Brandon Miele |
Shamrock Rovers | ||
Awards
Team of the Year
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Micheál Schlingermann | Drogheda United | ||
| 2 | DF | Seán Gannon | Dundalk | ||
| 3 | DF | Brian Gartland | Dundalk | ||
| 4 | DF | Andy Boyle | Dundalk | ||
| 5 | DF | Dane Massey | Dundalk | ||
| 6 | MF | Richie Towell | Dundalk | ||
| 7 | MF | James Chambers | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| 8 | MF | Stephen O'Donnell | Dundalk | ||
| 9 | FW | Brandon Miele | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 10 | FW | Mark O'Sullivan | Cork City | ||
| 11 | FW | Daryl Horgan | Dundalk |
Promotion/relegation playoff
Limerick, the eleventh placed team from the Premier Division played off against Finn Harps, the winner of the 2015 First Division play off, to decide who would play in the 2016 Premier Division.[4]
| 2 November 2015 | Limerick | 1–0 | Finn Harps | Markets Field |
Kelly  34' |
Report | Referee: Rob Rogers |
| 6 November 2015 | Finn Harps | 2–0 (a.e.t.) (2–1 agg.) | Limerick | Finn Park |
| Funston 38' Banda 117' |
Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Derek Tomney |
Finn Harps won 2–1 on aggregate and were promoted to 2016 Premier Division. Limerick are relegated to the 2016 First Division.
See also
Notes
- Total attendance figures based upon reported 9.8% increase from the 2014 season https://www.newstalk.com/sport/league-of-ireland-match-attendances-show-encouraging-rise-for-2015-627173