2011 League of Ireland First Division
The 2011 League of Ireland First Division season was the 27th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by 11 teams and Cork City won the title.
| Season | 2011 | 
|---|---|
| Champions | Cork City | 
| Promoted | Shelbourne Monaghan United | 
| Top goalscorer | Graham Cummins: 24 (Cork City) [1] | 
| Biggest home win | Limerick 6–0 Wexford Youths | 
| Biggest away win | Athlone Town 0–7 Cork City | 
| Highest scoring | Wexford Youths 3–5 Mervue United | 
| ← 2010  2012 →  | |
Teams
    


Overview
    
This season the division featured 11 clubs. This was because Sporting Fingal withdrew from the Premier Division shortly before the season was due to start. Drogheda United, who were originally due to play in the 2011 First Division after being relegated from the 2010 Premier Division, were drafted in to replace Sporting Fingal in the top division. Each team played the other teams three times, totaling 30 games. Cork City finished as champions and were automatically promoted to the Premier Division. Runners up Shelbourne were also promoted, as were third placed Monaghan United after winning a play-off.[2]
Final table
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City (C, P) | 30 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 73 | 26 | +47 | 69 | Promoted to Premier Division | 
| 2 | Shelbourne (P) | 30 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 62 | 24 | +38 | 68 | Promoted to Premier Division | 
| 3 | Monaghan United (P) | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 60 | 27 | +33 | 67 | Promoted to Premier Division after play-off | 
| 4 | Limerick | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 49 | 22 | +27 | 66 | |
| 5 | Waterford United | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 42 | |
| 6 | Longford Town | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 38 | 41 | −3 | 40 | |
| 7 | Mervue United | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 34 | |
| 8 | Athlone Town | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 25 | 53 | −28 | 32 | |
| 9 | Finn Harps | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 28 | |
| 10 | Wexford Youths | 30 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 29 | 69 | −40 | 14 | |
| 11 | Salthill Devon | 30 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 18 | 74 | −56 | 11 | 
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Results
    
    Matches 1–20
    
Matches 21–30
    
Promotion/relegation play-off
    
Galway United, the tenth-placed team in the 2011 Premier Division, and Monaghan United, the third-placed team of the First Division, played off to see who would play in the 2012 Premier Division. The playoff was contested in a two-legged format.[2]
| 1 November 2011 | Monaghan United | 2 – 0 | Galway United | Kingspan Century Park | 
| 19.45 GMT | Isichei  13' S. Brennan  87' | 
| 4 November 2011 | Galway United | 1 – 3 | Monaghan United | Terryland Park | 
| 19.45 GMT | Murphy  82' |  26', 33' O'Brien  51' R. Brennan | 
Monaghan United won 5–1 on aggregate and were promoted to the Premier Division. Galway United were relegated to the First Division.
Awards
    
    Top Goalscorers
    
| Scorer | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|
|  Graham Cummins | Cork City[1] | 24 | 
|  Philip Hughes | Shelbourne | 20 | 
|  David Cassidy | Shelbourne | 15 | 
|  Sean Brennan | Monaghan United | 14 | 
|  Conan Byrne | Shelbourne | 13 | 
Player of the Year
    
| Winner | Club | 
|---|---|
|  Graham Cummins | Cork City[3] | 
See also
    
    
References
    
- "Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "Ireland 2011". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- "Zayed scoops Player of the Year award". extratime.ie. 13 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
