Irish Premier League 2019 season preview Football
Dundalk crowned as league champions for 13th time
Dundalk secured a 13th League of Ireland Premier Division crown last season. They completed the double by defeating Cork City 2-1 in the FAI Cup final, the clash between the league's top two sides. University College Dublin, the 2018 First Division champion, were promoted to the league for the first time since 2014, while Finn Harps were promoted to the top flight after a one-year absence following the promotion/relegation playoffs.
- Champions and Cup winners: Dundalk (Champions League QR1)
- Runners-up: Cork City (Europa League QR1)
- Third place: Shamrock Rovers (Europa League QR1)
- Fourth place: Waterford (Europa League QR1)
- Relegated: Bray, Limerick
- Promoted: UDC, Finn Harps.
| Team | Titles | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shamrock | 17 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Dundalk | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Bohemians | 11 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
| St.Patrick's | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| Cork City | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Sligo Rovers | 3 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Derry City | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Waterford | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Finn Harps | - | - | - | 10 | 11 | - |
| UDC | - | 11 | - | - | - | - |
The overall number of titles for each club in Irish Premier league since 1921 and their standings in the last five seasons.
Perth takes charge as Dundalk
Vinny Perth is the new Dundalk head coach. Perth, who served as Stephen Kenny's assistant-manager since 2013, has been promoted to the role of head coach following Kenny's departure in November. Kenny was appointed as Republic of Ireland U21 manager, while Mick McCarthy was appointed Republic of Ireland senior team manager with Kenny set to replace him in 2020.
This page contains additional information about the 2019 Irish Premier Division season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > Ireland page.
Derry City appoint Declan Devine as new manager
Derry City have appointed former boss Declan Devine as their new manager. He left at the end of the 2013 campaign and was working with the Irish FA. Devine, who led the club to their 2012 FAI Cup success, replaces Kenny Shiels. Shiels was sacked after the conclusion of a disappointing season in October. Devine has signed a two-year contract, with Kevin Deery and Marty McCann joining the backroom staff.
St Pat's appoint Harry Kenny as new manager
Harry Kenny has been appointed as manger of St Patrick's Athletic. Pat's have been without a full-time boss since Liam Buckley stepped down in September. Kenny most recently managed Bray and was Buckley's assistant in 2012 when St Patrick's won the League title in 2013.
| # | Team | Pts | GD | W-D-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk | 87 | 65 | 27-6-3 (36) |
| 2 | Cork | 77 | 44 | 24-5-7 (36) |
| 3 | Shamrock | 62 | 30 | 18-8-10 (36) |
| 4 | Waterfo. | 59 | 8 | 18-5-13 (36) |
| 5 | St.Patricks | 50 | 4 | 15-5-16 (36) |
| 6 | Bohem. | 48 | 7 | 13-9-14 (36) |
| 7 | Sligo R. | 42 | -12 | 12-6-18 (36) |
| 8 | Derry | 42 | -23 | 13-3-20 (36) |
| 9 | Limerick | 27 | -50 | 7-6-23 (36) |
| 10 | Bray | 18 | -73 | 5-3-28 (36) |
The league standings for the 2018 season.
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk | 1.8 | Derry City | 21 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 4.5 | Bohemians | 26 |
| Cork City Foras Co-Op | 3 | Sligo Rovers | 41 |
| Waterford United | 21 | U.C.D. | 501 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 8 | Finn Harps | 501 |
The preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2019 Irish football league.
Irish Cup finals in last five seasons
2018 Dundalk - Cork City 2:1
2017 Cork City - Dundalk 1:1 (5:3 on penalties)
2016 Cork City - Dundalk 1:0 (after extra time)
2015 Dundalk - Cork City 1:0
2014 Saint Patrick's - Derry City 2:0
Key players
(transfer market value in m€)
Bohemians
Goalkeeper James Talbot (0.1); Defense: Derek Pender (0.1), Patrick Kirk (0.1), Mitchell Byrne (0.1), James Finnerty (0.1); Midfield: Scott Allardice (0.1), Keith Ward (0.1), Keith Buckley (0.1), Conor Levingston (0.1); Forward: Kevin Devaney (0.1), Dinny Corcoran (0.1).
Cork City
Goalkeeper Mark McNulty (0.1); Defense: Alan Bennett (0.4), Aaron Barry (0.2), Sean McLoughlin (0.1), Shane Griffin (0.1), Colm Horgan (0.1); Midfield: Conor McCormack (0.1), Gearoid Morrissey (0.1), Garry Buckley (0.1); Forward: Graham Cummins (0.4), Karl Sheppard (0.1).
Derry City
Goalkeeper Peter Cherrie (0.1); Defense: Danny Seaborne (0.3), Darren Cole (0.1), Ally Gilchrist (0.1), Jamie McDonagh (0.1); Midfield: Chris Turner (0.3), Aaron Splaine (0.2), Gerardo Bruna (0.1), Barry McNamee (0.1); Forward: Eoghan Stokes (0.1), Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe (0.1).
Dundalk
Goalkeeper Aaron McCarey (0.2); Defense: Brian Gartland (0.1), Sean Hoare (0.1), Dane Massey (0.1), Dean Jarvis (0.1); Midfield: Sean Murray (0.4), Jordan Flores (0.1), Chris Shields (0.1), Patrick McEleney (0.1); Forward: Michael Duffy (0.1), Patrick Hoban (0.1).
Finn Harps
Goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher (0.1); Defense: Harry Ascroft (0.1), Sam Todd (0.1), Keith Cowan (0.1), Jacob Borg (0.1); Midfield: Rafael Cretaro (0.1), Mark Coyle (0.1), Tony McNamee (0.1), Nathan Boyle (0.1); Forward: Nathan Boyle (0.1), Caolan McAleer (0.1).
Shamrock Rovers
Goalkeeper Alan Mannus (0.3); Defense: Sean Kavanagh (0.3), Lee Grace (0.1), Joey O'Brien (0.1); Midfield: Jack Byrne (1), Greg Bolger (0.1), Ronan Finn (0.1), Joel Coustrain (0.1); Forward: Aaron Greene (0.1), Orhan Vojic (0.1), Danny Carr (0.1).
Sligo Rovers
Goalkeeper Mitchell Beeney (0.1); Defense: Dante Leverock (0.2), Kyle Callan-McFadden (0.1), John Mahon (0.1), Regan Donelon (0.1), Lewis Banks (0.1); Midfield: Rhys McCabe (0.2), David Cawley (0.1), John Russell (0.1); Forward: Ronan Murray (0.2), Lee Lynch (0.1).
St Patricks Athletic
Goalkeeper Brendan Clarke (0.2); Defense: Kevin Toner (0.1), Simon Madden (0.1), Mick Leahy (0.1), Ian Bermingham (0.1), David Webster (0.1); Midfield: Killian Brennan (0.3), Chris Forrester (0.2), Graham Kelly (0.1); Forward: Achille Campion (0.1), Chris Fagan (0.1).
University College Dublin
Goalkeeper Conor O'Donnell (0.1); Defense: Luke Boore (0.1), Sean Coyne (0.1), Daniel Tobin (0.1), Josh Collins (0.1), Evan Osam (0.1); Midfield: Gary O'Neil (0.1), Conor Crowley (0.1), Paul Doyle (0.1); Forward: Timothy Molloy (0.1), Sean McDonald (0.1).
Waterford United
Goalkeeper Matthew Connor (0.1); Defense: Damien Delaney (1), Kevin Lynch (0.1), Kenny Browne (0.1); Midfield: Stanley Aborah (0.2), Karolis Chvedukas (0.2), Rudy (0.1), Bastien Hery (0.1), Gavan Holohan (0.1); Forward: Mikhail Ageev (0.3), Zak Elbouzedi (0.1).