2016–17 NIFL Premiership

The 2016–17 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 9th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, the 116th season of Irish league football overall, and the 4th season of the league operating as part of the Northern Ireland Football League.

NIFL Premiership
Season2016–17
Dates6 August 2016 – 29 April 2017
ChampionsLinfield
4th Premiership title
52nd Irish title
RelegatedPortadown
Champions LeagueLinfield
Europa LeagueCrusaders
Coleraine
Ballymena United (via play-offs)
Matches played228
Goals scored688 (3.02 per match)
Top goalscorerAndrew Mitchell (Dungannon Swifts) (25)
Biggest home winCrusaders 6–0 Ballymena United
(6 August 2016)
Dungannon Swifts 6–0 Portadown
(8 October 2016)
Biggest away winPortadown 0–5 Linfield
(26 November 2016)
Portadown 0–5 Glentoran
(3 January 2017)
Highest scoringBallymena United 3–4 Ards
(20 August 2016)
Crusaders 4–3 Cliftonville
(1 October 2016)
Ballymena United 3–4 Glenavon
(3 January 2017)
Crusaders 6–1 Glenavon
(29 April 2017)
Highest attendance7,504
Linfield 1–1 Glentoran
(26 December 2016)[1]
Lowest attendance173
Carrick Rangers 0–3 Dungannon Swifts
(24 September 2016)[2]
Total attendance243,738
Average attendance1,074

Linfield were champions, winning the league for the 52nd time.

Summary

The fixtures were announced on 7 July 2016.[3] The season began on 6 August 2016 and ended on 29 April 2017, with the play-offs taking place in May 2017.

Crusaders were the two-time defending champions after winning the title for the previous two seasons. On 29 April 2017, Linfield beat Cliftonville 3–1 to win their 52nd league title on the final day of the season.[4]

It was an unlikely title win for Linfield, as after a 1–0 home defeat to Coleraine in January 2017, they sat seven points behind defending champions, Crusaders. A 1–1 draw at home against Portadown on 17 February 2017 meant the gap had grown to nine points with nine games left to play. However, Linfield won all nine of their remaining games, going unbeaten in their last 14 games of the season since the Coleraine defeat, winning 13 of them and drawing the other (the 1–1 draw against Portadown). They picked up 40 out of a possible 42 points to capitalise on Crusaders dropping points, and pipped them to the title on the final day of the season by two points.

Linfield qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. The runners-up, Crusaders, along with third-placed Coleraine and the play-off winners, Ballymena United, qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League.

Teams

Twelve teams competed in the 2016–17 NIFL Premiership. Warrenpoint Town were relegated after finishing bottom of the 2015–16 NIFL Premiership and after a failed appeal against an IFA ruling not to deduct points from Carrick Rangers after their manager incorrectly served a touchline ban.[5] Warrenpoint Town were replaced by Ards as the winners of the 2015–16 NIFL Championship.[6]

Ballinamallard United finished second from bottom but retained their Premiership place after winning the promotion-relegation play-off against NIFL Championship runners-up Institute 5–4 on aggregate.[7] Portadown started this season with a 12-point deduction, after the IFA found the club guilty of breaching the rules by paying Peter McMahon, despite the player being contracted to the club as an amateur.[8] The club appealed against the decision, but this was rejected in October 2016.[9]

Stadia and locations
Locations of the 2016–17 NIFL Premiership teams
Locations of the Belfast-based 2016–17 NIFL Premiership teams
Club Stadium Location Capacity‡[10][11]
ArdsClandeboye ParkBangor1,895 (500 seated)
Ballinamallard UnitedFerney ParkBallinamallard2,000 (250 seated)
Ballymena UnitedThe ShowgroundsBallymena3,050 (2,200 seated)
Carrick RangersTaylors AvenueCarrickfergus4,500 (150 seated)
CliftonvilleSolitudeBelfast2,530 (all seated)
ColeraineThe ShowgroundsColeraine2,496 (1,106 seated)
CrusadersSeaviewBelfast3,383 (all seated)
Dungannon SwiftsStangmore ParkDungannon5,000 (300 seated)
GlenavonMourneview ParkLurgan4,160 (4,000 seated)
GlentoranThe OvalBelfast6,054 (4,989 seated)
LinfieldWindsor ParkBelfast18,614 (all seated)
PortadownShamrock ParkPortadown3,940 (2,765 seated)

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
1 Linfield (C) 38 27 8 3 87 24 +63 89 Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round
2 Crusaders 38 27 6 5 83 36 +47 87 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]
3 Coleraine 38 18 11 9 56 42 +14 65
4 Ballymena United (O) 38 18 5 15 75 73 +2 59 Qualification for the Europa League play-offs[lower-alpha 3]
5 Cliftonville 38 17 7 14 55 50 +5 58
6 Glenavon 38 13 13 12 55 55 0 52
7 Dungannon Swifts 38 14 10 14 67 59 +8 52[lower-alpha 4] Qualification for the Europa League play-offs[lower-alpha 3]
8 Ards 38 13 8 17 61 70 −9 47
9 Glentoran 38 12 10 16 45 53 −8 46
10 Ballinamallard United 38 10 5 23 45 72 −27 35
11 Carrick Rangers (O) 38 5 7 26 31 79 −48 22 Qualification for the relegation play-offs
12 Portadown (R) 38 7 4 27 28 75 −47 13[lower-alpha 5] Relegation to the NIFL Championship
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference[13]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
  2. 2016–17 Irish Cup winners, Linfield, had already qualified for the Champions League as league champions. As a result, a Europa League berth was passed down to third-placed Coleraine.
  3. Ballymena United qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the Europa League play-offs.
  4. After 33 games, clubs in the bottom half of the table at the split cannot climb into the top half, regardless of the results during matches 34–38.
  5. Portadown were deducted 12 points for a player registration breach.[12]

Results

Matches 34–38

During matches 34–38 each team played every other team in their half of the table once. As this was the fourth time that teams played each other this season, home sides were chosen so that they will have played each other twice at home and twice away.

Play-offs

UEFA Europa League play-offs

Teams finishing fourth to seventh took part in Europa League play-offs to decide which team would qualify for next season's Europa League first qualifying round.

Semi-finals
Ballymena United (4th)5–2Dungannon Swifts (7th)
Kane 3', 40'
McKinney 36'
McMurray 70'
Owens 82'		 BBC Sport
Soccerway		 Lowe 64'
Glackin 74'
Referee: Ian McNabb
Cliftonville (5th)3–5Glenavon (6th)
Winchester 7'
Curran 33'
J. Donnelly 42'		 BBC Sport
Soccerway		 Marshall 3'
Moorhouse 40'
Singleton 49'
Gray 69'
McGrory 72' (pen.)
Referee: Tim Marshall

Final
Ballymena United (4th)2–1Glenavon (6th)
Friel 53'
Braniff 80'		 BBC Sport
Soccerway		 Marshall 67'
Referee: Arnold Hunter

Pre-play-off

The runners-up and third-placed teams from the Championship, Institute and Ballyclare Comrades respectively, took part (over two legs) in a pre-play-off.

Ballyclare Comrades1–0Institute
McMullan 81' Report
Institute3–1Ballyclare Comrades
Report

Institute won 3–2 on aggregate.

Play-off

The eleventh-placed team from the Premiership, Carrick Rangers, played the winners of the pre-play-off, Institute, over two legs for one spot in the 2017–18 NIFL Premiership.

Institute1–1Carrick Rangers
McCrudden 41' BBC Sport
Soccerway		 Murray 43' (pen.)
Referee: Lee Tavinder
Carrick Rangers4–1Institute
McVey 11'
McCullough 25'
O'Brien 71', 80' (pen.)		 BBC Sport
Soccerway		 Morrow 12'

Carrick Rangers won 5–2 on aggregate and retained their spot in the NIFL Premiership for the 2017–18 season; Institute remained in the NIFL Championship.

Top goalscorers
As of 18 April 2017
Rank Scorer Club Goals[16]
1 Northern Ireland Andrew Mitchell Dungannon Swifts 25
2 Northern Ireland Paul Heatley Crusaders 21
3 Northern Ireland Andrew Waterworth Linfield 20
Northern Ireland Jordan Owens Crusaders 20
5 Northern Ireland Cathair Friel Ballymena United 17
6 Northern Ireland Curtis Allen Glentoran 16
7 Northern Ireland Tony Kane Ballymena United 14
Northern Ireland Aaron Burns Linfield 14
Northern Ireland Jamie McGonigle Coleraine 14
10 Northern Ireland Johnny McMurray Ballymena United 12
11 Northern Ireland Adam Lecky Ballinamallard United 11
Northern Ireland Michael Ruddy Ards 11
13 Republic of Ireland Greg Moorhouse Glenavon 10
Northern Ireland Gavin Whyte Crusaders 10
Northern Ireland James Mclaughlin Coleraine 10

References
  1. "Irish League Supporters". www.irishleaguesupporters.com.
  2. "Irish League Supporters". www.irishleaguesupporters.com.
  3. "2016–17 SEASON FIXTURES RELEASED". nifootballleague.com. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  4. "Irish Premiership: Linfield clinch title by beating Cliftonville". BBC Sport. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  5. "Warrenpoint Town relegated after appeal dismissed". BBC Online. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  6. "IRISH LEAGUE: Ards promoted to Danske Bank Premiership". News Letter. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  7. "Irish Premiership play-off: Late Mallards goal secures aggregate win". BBC Online. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  8. "Portadown down 12 points in Danske Bank Premiership season following IFA fine". Belfast Telegraph. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  9. "Portadown lose 12-point deduction appeal as Coleraine are awarded 3-0 win". BBC Sport. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  10. "AQW 1178/11". niassembly.gov.uk. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  11. "Sport NI Annual review 2008/09" (PDF). sportni.net. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  12. "Portadown handed 12-point deduction for next season over Peter McMahon case - BBC Sport". BBC Online. BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  13. "Premiership 2016/2017 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  14. "Portadown forfeit match against Ards after playing suspended Robert Garrett". BBC Sport. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  15. "Glenavon to appeal IFA ruling on David Elebert". BelfastLive. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  16. "FIFA NI Premiership top scorers". Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
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