2012 League of Ireland Premier Division

The 2012 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 28th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division featured 12 teams. Sligo Rovers were champions, winning their first top league title since 1976–77. Drogheda United finished as runners-up.

League of Ireland Premier Division
Season2012
ChampionsSligo Rovers (3rd title)
UEFA Champions LeagueSligo Rovers
UEFA Europa LeagueDerry City
Drogheda United
St. Patrick's Athletic
Setanta CupSligo Rovers
Derry City
Drogheda United
St. Patrick's Athletic
Shamrock Rovers
Cork City
Matches played165
Goals scored437 (2.65 per match)
Top goalscorerGary Twigg: 22
(Shamrock Rovers) [1]
Biggest home winShamrock Rovers 7–0 Dundalk
Biggest away winBray Wanderers 0–4 Derry City
Highest scoringBray Wanderers 2–4 Drogheda United
St. Patrick's Athletic 5–1 Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers 6–0 Dundalk
Bray Wanderers 3–3 St. Patrick's Athletic
Cork City 4–2 UCD
Highest attendance6,097
Sligo Rovers 0–2 Shamrock Rovers
Lowest attendance151
Monaghan United 0–1 Bray Wanderers
Total attendance281,925[note 1]
Average attendance1,575[2][note 2]
2011
2013

Teams

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Stadia and locations

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Team Location Stadium
Bohemians Phibsborough Dalymount Park
Bray Wanderers Bray Carlisle Grounds
Cork City Cork Turners Cross
Derry City Derry Brandywell Stadium
Drogheda United Drogheda United Park
Dundalk Dundalk Oriel Park
Monaghan United Monaghan Kingspan Century Park
Shamrock Rovers Tallaght Tallaght Stadium
Shelbourne Drumcondra Tolka Park
Sligo Rovers Sligo The Showgrounds
St. Patrick's Athletic Inchicore Richmond Park
UCD Belfield UCD Bowl

Personnel and kits

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Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Bohemians   Aaron Callaghan   Owen Heary Macron DHL
Bray Wanderers   Pat Devlin   Danny O'Connor Adidas Sinnot Autos Volkswagen
Cork City   Tommy Dunne   Dan Murray Umbro Clonakilty Blackpudding
Derry City   Declan Devine   Kevin Deery Hummel Diamond Corrugated
Drogheda United   Mick Cooke   Paul Crowley Vandanel Scotch Hall Shopping Centre
Dundalk   Darius Kierans   Chris Shields Umbro Fyffes
Monaghan United   Roddy Collins   Alan Byrne Nike None
Shamrock Rovers   Brian Laws[3]   Ken Oman Umbro SEAT
Shelbourne   Alan Mathews   David Cassidy Macron Cab 2000
Sligo Rovers   Ian Baraclough   Danny Ventre Jako Connolly's Volkswagen
St. Patrick's Athletic   Liam Buckley   Conor Kenna Umbro Nissan Motors
UCD   Martin Russell   Michael Leahy O'Neills O'Neills Soccer

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Dundalk   Ian Foster Contract Ended 29 October 2011 Pre-season   Sean McCaffrey 23 December 2011
Bohemians   Pat Fenlon Signed by Hibernian 25 November 2011 Pre-season   Aaron Callaghan 31 December 2011
St. Patrick's Athletic   Pete Mahon Contract Ended 2 December 2011 Pre-season   Liam Buckley 2 December 2011
Derry City   Stephen Kenny Resigned 24 December 2011 Pre-season   Declan Devine 6 January 2012
Shamrock Rovers   Michael O'Neill Signed by Northern Ireland 24 December 2011 Pre-season   Stephen Kenny 27 December 2011
Sligo Rovers   Paul Cook Signed by Accrington Stanley 13 February 2012 Pre-season   Ian Baraclough 27 February 2012
Dundalk   Sean McCaffrey[4] Mutual Consent 12 January 2012 10th Stephen Kenny N/A
Shamrock Rovers   Stephen Kenny Sacked[5] 11 September 2012 4th   Brian Laws 17 September 2012[6]
Bray Wanderers   Keith Long Mutual Consent September 2012 9th   Pat Devlin September 2012

Overview

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There was a mid-season break coinciding with the Republic of Ireland national football team's UEFA Euro 2012 finals campaign. On 18 June 2012, Monaghan United announced their withdrawal from the league.[7][8][9] Their record was subsequently expunged.[10] The Premier Division title was won by Sligo Rovers, their first title in thirty five years.[11][12][13][14][15]

Final table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Sligo Rovers (C) 30 17 10 3 53 23 +30 61 Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round
2 Drogheda United 30 17 6 7 51 36 +15 57 Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round
3 St Patrick's Athletic 30 15 10 5 44 22 +22 55
4 Shamrock Rovers 30 14 10 6 56 37 +19 52
5 Derry City 30 11 6 13 36 36 0 39 Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round[a]
6 Cork City 30 8 12 10 38 36 +2 36
7 Bohemians 30 9 9 12 35 38 −3 36
8 Shelbourne 30 9 8 13 35 43 −8 35
9 UCD 30 8 7 15 32 48 −16 31
10 Bray Wanderers 30 5 10 15 33 54 −21 25
11 Dundalk (O) 30 4 8 18 23 63 −40 20 Qualification for relegation play-off
12 Monaghan United (R) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew from league[b]
Source: [16][17]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Derry City qualified for the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round after winning the 2012 FAI Cup Final.
  2. ^ Monaghan United withdrew after 14 games. Their record was expunged.

Results

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Matches 1–22

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Home \ Away BOH BRW COR DER DRO DUN SHM SHE SLI StP UCD
Bohemians 0–0 1–0 1–2 1–1 2–1 4–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 1–0
Bray Wanderers 2–1 0–3 0–4 2–4 1–1 2–2 2–3 1–2 3–3 3–1
Cork City 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–3 3–2 1–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 4–2
Derry City 1–0 3–2 2–0 0–3 1–2 0–1 0–1 1–2 0–2 0–0
Drogheda United 1–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 0–0 1–2 3–1 1–3 0–0 1–0
Dundalk 0–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–2 0–2 2–1
Shamrock Rovers 2–0 0–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 6–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–2
Shelbourne 1–2 2–1 1–2 1–0 1–2 4–0 2–3 1–1 1–1 1–2
Sligo Rovers 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 3–0 3–0 3–0 1–1 2–1
St Patrick's Athletic 2–1 1–0 0–0 3–0 0–2 1–2 5–1 1–0 0–0 2–0
UCD 1–2 2–3 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–0 1–1
Source: www.rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 23–33

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Home \ Away BOH BRW COR DER DRO DUN SHM SHE SLI StP UCD
Bohemians 1–1 1–4 2–2 2–3
Bray Wanderers 1–4 0–0 1–3 1–3 0–0
Cork City 2–0 3–2 3–0 1–2 0–0
Derry City 2–0 0–1 4–0 2–1 1–2
Drogheda United 2–1 3–2 0–2 2–1 2–1 0–0
Dundalk 2–2 2–1 0–1 0–1 1–2
Shamrock Rovers 0–1 1–3 7–0 2–2 2–1
Shelbourne 0–0 3–2 0–2 1–3 0–2
Sligo Rovers 3–1 4–1 3–0 0–2 3–2 3–0
St Patrick's Athletic 0–1 1–0 2–1 5–0
UCD 2–2 3–1 3–2 1–0 1–1
Source: www.rsssf.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Promotion/relegation play-off

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Dundalk, the eleventh placed team from the Premier Division, played Waterford United, the winner of the First Division play-off. The winner of this play off would play in the 2013 Premier Division.

30 October 2012 Dundalk 2–2 Waterford United Oriel Park[18]
Lorcan Shannon   23'
Stephen McDonnell   75'
[ Report] Paul Phelan   50'
Ben Ryan   60'
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan)
2 November 2012 Waterford United 0–2 Dundalk Waterford RSC[19]
[ Report] Michael Rafter   45' (68) Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Padraig Sutton (Clare)

Dundalk win 4–2 on aggregate and retained their place in the Premier Division. Waterford United appealed the result of the playoff, claiming Michael Rafter was ineligible as Dundalk had incorrectly registered him when they signed him earlier that season. However the appeal was unsuccessful. [19][20][21]

Awards

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Top scorers

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Rank Scorer Club Goals
1   Gary Twigg Shamrock Rovers[1] 22
2   Danny North Sligo Rovers 15
3   Jason Byrne Bray Wanderers 14
Month Player Club
March   Gary Twigg Shamrock Rovers[22]
April   Christopher Forrester St Patrick's Athletic[23]
May   Jason Byrne Bray Wanderers[24]
June   Danny North Sligo Rovers[25]
July   Chris Fagan St Patrick's Athletic[26]
August   Mark Quigley Sligo Rovers[27]
September   Jason McGuinness Sligo Rovers[28]
October   Gary Twigg Shamrock Rovers[29]
November   Rory Patterson Derry City[30]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Figures include results from matches played against Monaghan United who withdrew midway through the season https://www.researchgate.net/figure/League-of-Ireland-Premier-Division-Attendance_tbl1_286919999
  2. ^ Figures include results from matches played against Monaghan United who withdrew midway through the season https://www.researchgate.net/figure/League-of-Ireland-Premier-Division-Attendance_tbl1_286919999

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  2. ^ "The Demand for League of Ireland Football". research gate. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Kenny confirmed as Hoops boss". RTÉ News. 27 December 2011.
  4. ^ "McCaffrey leaves Dundalk by mutual consent". Airtricityleague.ie. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  5. ^ "Stephen Kenny sacked by Shamrock Rovers – RTÉ Sport". RTÉ.ie. 11 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Laws joins Hoops until end of season – RTÉ Sport". RTÉ.ie. 17 September 2012.
  7. ^ "FAQ: What happens next now that Monaghan United are gone?". www.the42.ie. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  8. ^ "FAI Statement Re Monaghan United FC withdrawal". www.sseairtricityleague.ie. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  9. ^ "What Happens (To) Teams That Enter The League Of Ireland First Division?". www.balls.ie. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Ireland 2012". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Sligo Rovers 3 St Patrick's Athletic 2". RTÉ Sport. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Sligo Rovers celebrate first title in 35 years". Score. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Title win sends Sligo wild". Irish Examiner. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  14. ^ "Sligo seal title". Goal.com. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Sligo are 2012 League Champions". Extra Time. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  16. ^ "Ireland 2012". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Monaghan United withdraw from league". extratime.ie. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  18. ^ "Dundalk 2–2 Waterford United". RTÉ News. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Waterford United 0–2 Dundalk (agg 2–4)". RTÉ News. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Waterford to appeal Dundalk play-off result". RTÉ News. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  21. ^ "FAI dismiss Waterford protest". The Irish Times. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  22. ^ "Gary Twigg named SWAI". SWAI.ie. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  23. ^ "Chris Forrester named SWAI". SWAI.ie. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  24. ^ "Jason Byrne named SWAI". SWAI.ie. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  25. ^ "Danny North named SWAI". SWAI.ie. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  26. ^ "Fagan wins Airtricity/SWAI Player of the Month for July". Airtricityleague.ie.
  27. ^ "Mark Quigley named Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association Player of the Month for August". Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  28. ^ "Jason McGuinness named Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association Player of the Month for September". Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  29. ^ "Gary Twigg named Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association Player of the Month for October". Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland. Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  30. ^ "Patterson is November's Player of the Month". Airtricityleague.ie.