2021 League of Ireland First Division
37th edition of the 2nd tier competition in association football in Ireland
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The 2021 League of Ireland First Division season was the 37th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of Ireland's association football league. The fixture list was released on 8 February 2021 and the competition commenced on 26 March 2021.[1] Shelbourne were confirmed Champions and promoted to the League of Ireland Premier Division on 1 October 2021.[2]
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 26 March 2021 – 29 October 2021 |
| Champions | Shelbourne (2nd title) |
| Promoted | Shelbourne, UCD |
| Matches | 135 |
| Goals | 366 (2.71 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Colm Whelan (18 league goals + 3 playoff goals) |
| Biggest home win | UCD 6-0 Galway United (13 August 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Wexford 0–6 UCD (30 April 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Wexford 4-4 Athlone (21 July 2021) |
← 2020 2022 →
All statistics correct as of 30 October 2021. | |
Overview
The First Division has 10 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 27 matches in the season.
Teams
Team changes
Shelbourne and Cork City joined following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2020 season.[3][4] Drogheda United and Longford Town departed following their promotion from the 2020 First Division.[5][4]
Additional teams
On 10 November 2020 a newly formed Limerick based club Treaty United announced that they would apply for a 2021 League of Ireland licence.[6] Former Dublin based League of Ireland club St Francis FC and Wexford based Yola FC also both expressed interest in joining for 2021 by the deadline for expressions of interest which was 10 November 2020. An application was made by a brand new entity under the name Dublin County F.C. but did not ultimately materialise.[7] Bray Wanderers and Cabinteely F.C. merged at the end of the season, keeping the name Bray Wanderers.[8]
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds | 4,000 |
| Cabinteely | Dublin (Cabinteely) | Stradbrook Road | 1,620 |
| Cobh Ramblers | Cobh | St. Colman's Park | 3,000 |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 7,845 |
| Galway United | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5,000 |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 3,700 |
| Treaty United | Limerick | Markets Field | 5,000 |
| UCD | Dublin (Belfield) | UCD Bowl | 3,000 |
| Wexford | 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 |  Paul Doolin |
Kurtis Byrne |
Nike | Hayden & Co. Solicitors |
| Bray Wanderers | Gary Cronin |
Aaron Barry |
Umbro | Matt Britton Carpets |
| Cabinteely | Pat Devlin |
Daniel Blackbyrne |
Nike | Edufit |
| Cobh Ramblers | Darren Murphy (interim) |
John Kavanagh |
Joma | Metropole Hotel |
| Cork City | Colin Healy |
Gearoid Morrissey |
Adidas | University College Cork |
| Galway United | John Caulfield |
Conor McCormack |
O'Neill's | Comer Property Management |
| Shelbourne | Ian Morris |
Luke Byrne |
Umbro | Hamptons Homes |
| Treaty United | Tommy Barrett |
Jack Lynch |
Umbro | UPMC |
| UCD | Andy Myler |
Jack Keaney |
O'Neill's | O'Neill's |
| Wexford | Ian Ryan |
Karl Manahan |
Bodibro | Wallace's Asti |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wexford | Brian O'Sullivan |
Mutual Consent | 10 May 2021[9] | 10th | Ian Ryan |
15 May 2021[10] |
| Cobh Ramblers | Stuart Ashton |
Sacked | 22 July 2021[11] | 9th | Darren Murphy (interim) |
23 July 2021[12] |
| Athlone Town | Adrian Carberry |
Sacked | 17 August 2021[13] | 6th | Paul Doolin |
18 August 2021[14] |
| Shelbourne | Ian Morris |
Mutual Consent | 29 October 2021[15] | 1st | Damien Duff |
3 November 2021[16] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelbourne (C, P) | 27 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 57 | Promotion to League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Galway United | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 25 | +14 | 51 | Qualification for Promotion play-offs |
| 3 | UCD (O, P) | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 55 | 38 | +17 | 46 | |
| 4 | Treaty United | 27 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 42 | |
| 5 | Bray Wanderers | 27 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 37 | |
| 6 | Cork City | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 37 | 28 | +9 | 33 | |
| 7 | Athlone Town | 27 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 32 | 43 | −11 | 33 | |
| 8 | Cobh Ramblers | 27 | 8 | 4 | 15 | 25 | 46 | −21 | 28 | |
| 9 | Cabinteely | 27 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 26 | 47 | −21 | 25 | |
| 10 | Wexford | 27 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 29 | 56 | −27 | 21 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of matches played 29 October 2021.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colm Whelan |
UCD | 19 |
| 2 | Ryan Brennan |
Shelbourne | 15 |
| 3 | Liam Kerrigan |
UCD | 12 |
| 4 | Cian Murphy |
Cork City | 11 |
| 5 | Kyle Robinson |
Wexford | 9 |
| Ruairí Keating |
Galway United |
Play-offs
First Division play-off Semi-finals
First leg
| 3 November 2021 | Bray Wanderers | 0–0 | Galway United | Carlisle Grounds |
| 19:45 IST | Report |
| 3 November 2021 | Treaty United | 0–3 | UCD | Markets Field |
| 19:45 IST | Report | Paul Doyle  34'Colm Whelan 79', 92' |
Second leg
| 7 November 2021 | Galway United | 0–1 (0–1 agg.) | Bray Wanderers | Eamonn Deacy Park |
| 17:00 IST | Report | Brandon Kavanagh 22' |
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan |
First Division play-off Final
| 19 November 2021 | Bray Wanderers | 0–2 | UCD | Dalymount Park |
| 19:45 IST | Report | Colm Whelan 68' Paul Doyle 86' |
Referee: Oliver Moran |
Promotion/relegation play-off
| 26 November 2021 | Waterford | 1–2 | UCD | Richmond Park |
| 19:45 IST | Anthony Wordsworth 5' Niall O'Keeffe  87'  |
Report | Dara Keane 26' Colm Whelan 34' |
Referee: Paul McLaughlin |