2023 League of Ireland Premier Division

The 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the 39th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers are the defending champions, having won their twentieth title the previous season.[1][2]

League of Ireland Premier Division
Season2023
Dates17 February – 3 November 2023
RelegatedUCD
Matches played155
Goals scored402 (2.59 per match)
Top goalscorerChris Forrester
Jonathan Afolabi
Ruairí Keating
(13 goals each)
Biggest home winSt Patrick's Athletic 7–0 UCD
(30 June)
Biggest away winUCD 0–5 Derry City
(6 September)
Highest scoringShamrock Rovers 4-4 Cork City
(6 March)
Longest winning runBohemians (4 games)
St Patrick's Athletic (4 games)
Cork City (4 games)
Longest unbeaten runShamrock Rovers (13 games)
Longest winless runUCD (10 games)
Longest losing runUCD (8 games)
Highest attendance7,879
Shamrock Rovers 1–0 Shelbourne
(29 September)
Lowest attendance317
UCD 0–2 Cork City
(22 October)
← 2022
2024 →
All statistics correct as of 26 September 2023.

Teams

Ten teams compete in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the one team promoted from the First Division. The promoted team was Cork City, after a top flight absence of two years.[3] They replaced Finn Harps who were relegated after four consecutive seasons in the top flight.[4]

Stadiums and locations
Locations of Premier Division teams
Locations of Dublin Premier Division teams
Team Location Stadium Capacity
BohemiansDublin (Phibsborough)Dalymount Park4,500
Cork CityCorkTurners Cross7,485
Derry CityDerryRyan McBride Brandywell Stadium3,700
Drogheda UnitedDroghedaWeavers Park3,500
DundalkDundalkOriel Park4,500
St Patrick's AthleticDublin (Inchicore)Richmond Park5,340
Shamrock RoversDublin (Tallaght)Tallaght Stadium8,000
ShelbourneDublin (Drumcondra)Tolka Park4,100
Sligo RoversSligoThe Showgrounds3,873
UCDDublin (Belfield)UCD Bowl3,000

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 Northern Ireland Declan Devine Republic of Ireland Keith Buckley O'Neills Des Kelly Interiors
Cork City Republic of Ireland Richie Holland (interim) Republic of Ireland Cian Coleman Adidas Zeus
Derry City Northern Ireland Ruaidhrí Higgins Republic of Ireland Patrick McEleney O'Neills Diamond Corrugated
Drogheda United Republic of Ireland Kevin Doherty Republic of Ireland Gary Deegan Erreà Drogheda Credit Union
Dundalk Republic of Ireland Stephen O'Donnell Republic of Ireland Patrick Hoban Playr-Fit Bet Regal
St Patrick's Athletic Republic of Ireland Jon Daly Republic of Ireland Joe Redmond Umbro Manguard Plus
Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland Stephen Bradley Republic of Ireland Ronan Finn Umbro MASCOT Workwear
Shelbourne Republic of Ireland Damien Duff Republic of Ireland Luke Byrne Umbro Culligan
Sligo Rovers Republic of Ireland John Russell Republic of Ireland David Cawley Joma Avant Money
UCD Republic of Ireland Andrew Myler Republic of Ireland Jack Keaney O'Neills Maples Group

Galway United FC Eamon Deacy John Caulfield

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of
departure		 Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of
appointment
St Patrick's Athletic Republic of Ireland Tim Clancy Mutual Consent 2 May 2023 7th Republic of Ireland Jon Daly 2 May 2023
Cork City Republic of Ireland Colin Healy Resigned 3 May 2023 9th Republic of Ireland Liam Buckley (interim) 3 May 2023
Cork City Republic of Ireland Liam Buckley (interim) Change of role 28 September 2023 9th Republic of Ireland Richie Holland (interim) 28 September 2023

League table

Standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Shamrock Rovers (C) 34 19 11 4 63 25 +38 68 Champions League First qualifying round
2 Derry City 35 17 11 7 54 24 +30 62 Conference League First qualifying round
3 St Patrick's Athletic 35 19 5 11 59 39 +20 62
4 Shelbourne 35 14 15 6 40 25 +15 57
5 Dundalk 35 16 7 12 54 43 +11 55
6 Bohemians 35 15 10 10 49 40 +9 55
7 Drogheda United 34 10 10 14 38 50 −12 40
8 Sligo Rovers 34 10 6 18 34 47 −13 36
9 Cork City 34 8 6 20 35 60 −25 30 Relegation Play-off
10 UCD (R) 35 2 5 28 18 91 −73 11 League of Ireland First Division
Updated to match(es) played on 27 October 2023. Source: SSE Airtricity League, [5]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.[5]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterward.

Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536
Bohemians1122111111111133334445544344455444
Cork City101086679999999999998999999999999999
Derry City2211222223223321122223333433222222
Drogheda United8635565477888888889778888887777777
Dundalk2843333688764445566554455556666666
St Patrick's Athletic2478998742457664443332222222333333
Shamrock Rovers2599886534332212211111111111111111
Shelbourne8967757855646556655666666665544555
Sligo Rovers2354444366575777777887777778888888
UCD2710101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010
Source: Extratime.com
  = Leader and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round;   = UEFA Conference League first qualifying round;   = Relegation play-off;   = League of Ireland First Division

Results

Teams will play each other four times (twice at home, twice away).

Matches 1–18
Home \ Away BOH COR DER DRO DUN STP SHM SHE SLI UCD
Bohemians — 5–0 0–1 3–1 2–1 2–3 0–2 0–0 2–0 2–1
Cork City 1–2 — 1–3 1–1 1–0 2–3 1–0 0–2 1–0 4–0
Derry City 0–1 2–0 — 0–1 0–0 2–0 0–2 0–0 1–1 4–1
Drogheda United 0–2 0–1 0–1 — 0–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–0 3–1
Dundalk 2–2 2–1 2–2 3–2 — 5–0 0–4 2–1 1–2 1–1
St Patrick's Athletic 0–2 4–0 1–1 3–0 2–1 — 0–2 1–0 0–1 3–0
Shamrock Rovers 2–0 4–4 1–2 1–2 2–0 2–2 — 2–2 2–1 3–0
Shelbourne 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 0–1 0–0 — 2–1 1–0
Sligo Rovers 0–1 2–2 1–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–1 0–3 — 3–1
UCD 1–1 1–0 0–4 0–1 0–2 1–3 0–3 0–0 2–3 —
Source: [http://www.extratime.ie/competition/100/ Extratime.ie
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Matches 19–36
Home \ Away BOH COR DER DRO DUN STP SHM SHE SLI UCD
Bohemians — 2–2 4–2 3–2 0–2 2–2 1–1 3–1 2–0
Cork City 2–1 — 0–1 1–1 1–2 0–1 0–2 3–0 1–1
Derry City 0–0 2–0 — 3–0 3–0 1–1 2–1 6–0
Drogheda United 0–0 3–1 0–0 — 1–2 2–1 0–0 0–0 2–2 3–0
Dundalk 2–0 5–0 1–3 3–1 — 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 4–1
St Patrick's Athletic 0–0 1–1 4–1 1–2 3–1 — 0–2 1–0 1–0 7–0
Shamrock Rovers 3–0 2–1 1–0 5–0 1–0 3–2 — 1–0 4–0
Shelbourne 1–1 2–1 1–1 3–2 1–0 2–1 1–1 — 1–1 3–2
Sligo Rovers 3–1 3–0 1–0 0–2 0–2 0–3 0–1 — 2–0
UCD 1–2 0–2 0–5 1–3 0–1 0–0 0–4 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 27 October 2023. Source: [http://www.extratime.ie/competition/100/ Extratime.ie
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Season statistics

Top scorers
Rank [6] Player Club Goals
1 Republic of Ireland Chris Forrester St Patrick's Athletic 13
Republic of Ireland Jonathan Afolabi Bohemians
3 Republic of Ireland Patrick Hoban Dundalk 12
Republic of Ireland Ruairí Keating Cork City
5 New Zealand Max Mata* Sligo Rovers 11
6 Republic of Ireland Jack Moylan Shelbourne 10
Republic of Ireland Graham Burke Shamrock Rovers
8 England Freddie Draper* Drogheda United 8
Republic of Ireland Rory Gaffney Shamrock Rovers
10 Republic of Ireland Jordan McEneff Derry City 7
Republic of Ireland Michael Duffy Derry City

Assists
Rank[9] Player Club Assists
1 Northern Ireland Ben Doherty Derry City 8
Republic of Ireland Dayle Rooney Drogheda United
3 Republic of Ireland Jack Byrne Shamrock Rovers 7
England Will Patching Derry City
England Archie Davies Dundalk F.C.
6 Republic of Ireland Michael Duffy Derry City 6
Republic of Ireland Brandon Kavanagh Derry City
Estonia Markus Poom Shamrock Rovers
England Harry Wood Shelbourne
10 Republic of Ireland Patrick Hoban Dundalk 5
Scotland Paul McMullan Derry City
Republic of Ireland Jonathan Afolabi Bohemian
Scotland Ali Coote Bohemian

Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean
sheets[10]
1 Republic of Ireland Brian Maher Derry City 14
2 Republic of Ireland Conor Kearns Shelbourne 11
Republic of Ireland James Talbot Bohemians
4 England Dean Lyness St Patrick's Athletic 10
5 Germany Leon Pohls Shamrock Rovers 7
Wales Nathan Shepperd Dundalk
7 Northern Ireland Alan Mannus Shamrock Rovers 5
Republic of Ireland Jimmy Corcoran Cork City
9 Republic of Ireland Colin McCabe Drogheda United 4
10 Republic of Ireland Luke McNicholas Sligo Rovers 3
11 Republic of Ireland Kian Moore UCD 2
Republic of Ireland Andrew Wogan Drogheda United
12 Republic of Ireland David Odumosu St Patrick's Athletic 1
Republic of Ireland Tadhg Ryan Derry City

Play-offs

Bracket
First Division play-off Semi-finalsFirst Division play-off FinalPromotion/relegation play-off
24/28 October 2023
12 November 2023
Athlone Town1
5 November 20239th Placed Premier Division Team
Waterford1
2nd OR 5th Placed First Division TeamFirst Division Playoff Winner
24/28 October 2023
3rd OR 4th Placed First Division Team
Wexford0
Cobh Ramblers1

First leg
24 October 2023 Athlone Town 1-1 Waterford Athlone
19:45 IST Frantz Pierrot 78.' Ronan Coughlan 52.' Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium
Attendance: 1597
Referee: Oliver Moran
24 October 2023 Wexford 0-1 Cobh Ramblers Wexford
19:45 IST Cian O'Malley 15' (o.g.) Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park
Referee: Alan Patchell

Second leg
28 October 2023 Waterford v Athlone Town
19:45 IST
28 October 2023 Cobh Ramblers v Wexford
19:45 IST

First Division play-off Final
5 November 2023 2nd OR 5th Place First Division Team v 3rd OR 4th Place First Division Team
19:45 IST

Promotion/relegation play-off
12 November 2023 9th Place Premier Division Team v First Division Playoff Winner
19:45 IST

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Player of the Month Ref.
Player Club
February Republic of Ireland Jordan McEneff Derry City [11]
March Scotland Ali Coote Bohemians [12]
April Republic of Ireland Ronan Coughlan Waterford [13]
May England Freddie Draper Drogheda United [14]
June Republic of Ireland Patrick Hoban Dundalk [15]
July Republic of Ireland Jonathan Afolabi Bohemians [16]
August Republic of Ireland James Clarke Bohemians
September Republic of Ireland Ruairi Keating Cork City
October
November

Annual awards
Award Winner Club
PFAI Player of the Year
PFAI Young Player of the Year
PFAI Premier Division Manager of the Year
PFAI Team of the Year
Goalkeeper
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards

See also

References
  1. "Shamrock Rovers complete league three-in-a-row after Derry City play out draw with Sligo". The 42. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. "Shamrock Rovers win 20th LOI Premier Division title after Derry City draw with Sligo". Irish Independent. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  3. "Cork City seal promotion back to Premier Division after draw with Wexford". 7 October 2022.
  4. "Finn Harps relegated as UCD claim relegation play-off place". 28 October 2022.
  5. "PREMIER DIVISION". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  6. "Irish Premier Division Top Scorers". BBC News. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  7. "Max Mata completes Shrewsbury Town transfer – Sligo Rovers". 3 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. "Draper and Ahui to return to Lincoln". droghedaunited.ie. 26 June 2023.
  9. "Irish Premier Division Top Assists". BBC. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  10. "LOI Premier Division Clean Sheets". Final Whistle. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  11. "Derry City's Jordan McEneff scoops POTM award". RTÉ.ie. 30 March 2023.
  12. "Bohemians' Coote named player of the month". RTÉ. 13 April 2023.
  13. "Coughlan becomes maiden player from the First Division to win Player of the Month". Irish Examiner. 12 May 2023.
  14. "Drogheda United's Freddie Draper youngest this century to win Player of the Month award". Irish Independent. 23 June 2023.
  15. "Patrick Hoban of Dundalk FC has been named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for June". Irish Independent. 12 July 2023.
  16. "In-form Afolabi wins July Player of the Month". RTÉ. 10 August 2023.
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