Well, it’s been a hectic evening but we have our winners. Shelbourne are the League of Ireland Premier Division champions for 2024.
You can debate the reason why this year’s league was so close all you want, but there’s no denying it had us hooked right up to the final whistle.
That’s all from me for tonight, I’m off to see how many All Stars Clare picked up.
Good night!
And a moment for the winning gaffer.
“Since taking over at Shelbourne in November 2021, the 45-year-old has enhanced the global standing of the domestic game in both word and deed.
“But after 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland and almost 400 Premier League appearances for Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Fulham, Duff was searching for a purpose in life.”
Gavin has taken a look at Damien Duff’s time so far with Shels to attempt to answer the question: How Damien Duff delivered Shelbourne’s first league title since 2006.
“Glory for Shelbourne. Three seasons since they were promoted from the First Division, Harry Wood’s goal secured the Drumcondra club’s first League of Ireland title in 18 years,” Gavin Cummiskey writes from the Brandywell.
“It all happened in the 85th minute when Wood, on loan from Hull City, followed up Sean Boyd’s deflected free-kick that was parried by Brian Maher, to squeeze a finish past the Derry City goalkeeper’s outstretched toe.
“Pandemonium ensued among the 300 Shelbourne fans lucky enough to gain entry to the Brandywell.
“Damien Duff, the legendary Irish winger turned title-winning manager, was swamped by his staff. Wood was booked for tearing off his shirt.”
Read his full report below:
[ Shelbourne strike late in Derry to secure dramatic title winOpens in new window ]
And Darryl Geraghty has this Shamrock Rovers v Waterford report from Tallaght:
[ Shamrock Rovers battle past brave Waterford but fail to win the warOpens in new window ]
Shelbourne’s fearless leader Damien Duff has been chatting to RTÉ after his side’s 1-0 win over Derry City.
“I’ve said in the past few weeks [winning the league] would be the pinnacle of my professional career, and it absolutely wipes the floor with it.
“Firstly, comeserations to Stephen [Bradley], obviously it was a two-horse race tonight ... but I think we were worthy winners tonight, we absolutely deserved it ... and we thoroughly deserved to win the league. The best teams win it and I think we can openly say we were the best team.”
Asked why the League of Ireland has become so important to him, Duffer replied: “I’m an emotional guy. I need to have 24-7 focus and to jump out of bed in the morning. What is it? I openly said my first preference, I might have been a barista but turned that down, and I’m here managing a Dublin institution, Dublin’s finest, and we’re winning a league three years’ into it [his management].
“It’s incredible because there’s been some dark times for Shelbourne Football Club – dark, dark times – so I’m so so happy for them. The biggest message tonight is, it’s not for my players, they deserve it, the fans, people around the club deserve it, but it’s for kids all around Ireland, all around the world because we’ve always been told since day dot here three year’s ago that ‘you’re not good enough, you’ll never win anything’ ... If you put your mind to anything and you work hard and you dedicate your life to it, you can do anything and that’s what my players have done.”
Tonight’s results haven’t changed the league standings.
Our top four remain: Shelbourne (63 points), Shamrock Rovers (61), St Patrick’s Athletic (59), Derry City (55).
So Shels, Rovers and St Pat’s are off to Europe. Derry can join them if they win the FAI Cup final next weekend, but the same chance is open to their opponents Drogheda.
Now that we’ve all had a minute to catch out breath, here’s see how this evening’s five fixtures ended:
Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1
Bohemians 1 Galway United 1
Sligo Rovers 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 2
Drogheda United 0 Dundalk 0
Clearly Shels don’t believe in tempting fate, they’ve had some very fetching 2024 champions T-shirts made for the occasion.
That would have been awkward if Wood hadn’t found the net...
What an end to the season. It looked like it was slipping away for Shelbourne, but an 85th minute goal from Harry Wood earns them the title.
It’s their first since 2006 and ends Shamrock Rovers’ drive for five.
Meanwhile, back home at Tolka Park:
SHELBOURNE WIN THE TITLE!
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
97 MINS: Chance for Shelbourne’s Harry Wood but not to be. They just need to hold on.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
Added time at Tallaght Stadium is up! It ends Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1.
Two minutes left at the Brandywell.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
Fans at Tallaght Stadium glued to their phones, all eyes on the game in Derry now.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
We’re into the 90th minute at both the Brandywell and Tallaght Stadium. Only Derry City can do something about where the title is going now.
Seven minutes added on at the Brandywell, four added in Tallaght.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
85 MINS: GOAL FOR SHELBOURNE!
Harry Wood finds the back of the net.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 1
78 MINS: Waterford are doing more for Shelbourne than Shelbourne themselves.
Keith Long’s men are pushing hard for an equaliser against Shamrock Rovers. If they manage to get it and both games end in draws, the title goes to Shelbourne.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
69 MINS: GOAL FOR WATERFORD!
Ben McCormack pops the pass to Pádraig Amond who bests Leon Pohls.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 1; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
62 MINS: At the Brandywell, Shelbourne are making their push, but it’s not going their way.
Rayhaan Tulloch had a poor miss to send his shot just left of the post. Sean Boyd then had a strong run on goal, but he’s caught unsupported and it again amounts to nothing.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
54 MINS: GOAL FOR SHAMROCK ROVERS!
Dylan Watts gets on the end of a deflection off the crossbar and finds the back of the net to put Stephen Bradley’s side 2-0 up.
Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
48 MINS: Sean Boyd trying to get Shelbourne the goal they need.
He puts in a strong shot coming in off the left wing but Derry goalkeeper Brian Maher’s knees deny him.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
Teams are back out on the pitch at both Tallaght Stadium and the Brandywell.
45 minutes (plus VAT) left in the season. Let’s see where the title goes.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
Okay, take a deep breath everyone.
In the words of Bon Jovi, ‘we’re half way there’ (and I for one am indeed Livin’ on a Prayer at this stage of the evening’s action).
Here’s how the five fixtures stand at half-time:
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0
Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
Sligo Rovers 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Bohemians 1 Galway United 1
Drogheda United 0 Dundalk 0
So, if the league were to end right at this minute Shamrock Rovers would be our title winners based on goal difference.
And we have the half-time whistle at Tallaght Stadium where it’s Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0.
Two goal updates from the non-title race fixtures. Aidan Keena put St Patrick’s Athletic ahead away to Sligo Rovers in the 39th minute and David Hurley has pulled it back to 1-1 against Bohemians at Dalymount.
Half-time at the Brandywell between Derry City and Shelbourne, where it’s 0-0.
40 MINS: Parsons appears set on getting Waterford on the board against Shamrock Rovers. He’s leading the charge for the visitors at Tallaght Stadium.
He got himself into a nice position in the box to get his head to a crossing ball, but he’s not alone and the effort sails over the crossbar.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
37 MINS: Things are not going smoothly for Shelbourne at the Brandywell.
Derry City are putting them under a lot of pressure and Damien Duff’s men are scrambling.
Michael Duffy is in top form for the home side.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
AS THINGS STAND: Shamrock Rovers lead the league on goal difference.
A draw for Shelbourne and a win for Rovers would put them both on 61 points, sending it to goal difference. Rovers’ currently have a GD of 15, while Shels are on 12.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
25 MINS: Back at Tallaght Stadium, Johnny Kenny is looking dangerous for Shamrock Rovers.
Byrne spots Burns who composes himself under pressure to thread the pass through to Kenny. He doesn’t connect well though, a sigh of relief for Waterford.
Elsewhere, there’s been a goal at Dalymount Park. Dayle Rooney put Bohemians ahead against Galway United in the 20th minute.
Still scoreless between Sligo Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic at the Showgrounds, Drogheda United and Dundalk at United Park, and Derry City and Shelbourne at the Brandywell.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
19 MINS: Chance for Waterford.
Dean McMenamy finds Connor Parsons who gets the shot off. Shamrock Rover’s goalkeeper Pohls does well to block but he doesn’t hold on to it. Defenders caught in the headlights but they manage it wide.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
14 MINS: Shamrock Rovers are really up for this.
Honohan gets on the end of a long pass and tips it on to Byrne. His shot pulls wide, a great chance but nothing from it.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0; Derry City 0 Shelbourne 0
4 MINS: SHAMROCK ROVERS GO AHEAD IN TALLAGHT!
Goal from Johnny Kenny.
Shamrock Rovers 1 Waterford 0
And we’re off.
We’ll be focusing on Derry City v Shelbourne and Shamrocks Rovers v Waterford, but we’ll keep you updated on how things are going across the other three games too.
While the main focus of the evening is the title race, all is not yet decided in terms of who will be heading to Europe.
Quick summary: The Premier Division winner qualifies for the Uefa Champions League, second and third in the league qualify for the Uefa Europa Conference League, along with the winners of the FAI Cup.
The FAI Cup winner is a point of interest here. Derry City will meet Drogheda United in that decider on Sunday week – if Drogheda win, the third/fourth place league battle between Derry and St Pat’s will come into play.
If St Pat’s finish in third spot tonight, Derry can still get to Europe by winning the FAI Cup. If Pat’s drop to fourth behind the Candystripes, they’ll need Derry to beat Drogheda next week to gain passage to the Conference Cup.
But if St Pat’s finish fourth AND Derry lose the FAI Cup final, Derry and Drogheda will be Europe-bound.
Now that we’re all suitably confused… I think I feel a headache coming on.
Get ready, we’re 15 minutes out from kick-off.
And at Tallaght Stadium...
SHAMROCK ROVERS:
1 – L Pohls
2 – J Honohan
4 – R Lopes
5 – L Grace
16 – G O’Neill
7 – D Watts
23 – N Farrugia
21 – D Burns
10 – G Burke
29 – J Byrne
24 – J Kenny
WATERFORD:
31 – S Sargeant
2 – D Power
5 – G Horton
7 – B McCormack
8 – B Crowe Baggley
9 – P Amond
10 – C Parsons
15 – D Leahy
17 – K Radkowski
27 – D McMeanamy
53 – S Flynn
The aforementioned Gavin Cummiskey is at the Brandywell and he’s earning his keep. He has the teams for us.
DERRY CITY:
1 – Brian Maher
25 – Duncan Idehen
6 – Mark Connolly
20 – Andrew Wisdom
2 – Ronan Boyce
15 – Sadou Diallo
28 – Adam O’Reilly
7 – Michael Duffy
12 – Paul McMullan
21 – Danny Mullen
11 – Colm Whelan
SHELBOURNE:
1 – Conor Kearns
2 – Sean Gannon
29 – Paddy Barrett
4 – Kameron Ledwidge
3 – Tyreke Wilson
6 – Jonathan Lunney
8 – Mark Coyle
67 – Liam Burt
77 – Rayhaan Tulloch
9 – Sean Boyd
10 – John Martin
As you’ve likely figured out by now, this season has been a bit of a roller coaster.
“From afar, the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division is open to ridicule. Up close, the season has been a wild, Dublin-derby-fuelled, financially nonsensical race to the final Friday night,” our soccer correspondent Gavin Cummiskey writes ahead of this evening’s fixtures.
“Defending champions Shamrock Rovers are still going for another title but their manager, Stephen Bradley, says their overall standards slipped during this campaign as they expanded their ambitions to a successful European campaign.
“Rovers’ domestic results have certainly plummeted. Victory over Waterford in the final game could see them finish on top with 61 points, which is a stark drop from 72-, 79- and 78-point finishes in their previous three title-winning years.
“The field has never been so bunched. According to St Patrick’s Athletic manager Stephen Kenny, the coaching and spread of players across all 10 clubs has markedly improved since he left Dundalk to become Republic of Ireland under-21s manager in 2019.”
Read the full article below:
Here’s how things stand before tonight’s action:
Again, a win for Shelbourne over Derry City wins them the title. A Shels loss opens the door for Shamrock Rovers, in which case a win for them over Waterford would see Stephen Bradley’s charges retain the title for a fifth year.
If Shelbourne get a draw and Rovers a win, they’ll be level on 61 points. Then it comes down to goal difference and, if that doesn’t separate them, goals scored.
At the other end of the league table, things are less exciting.
Dundalk, currently with 25 points to their credit, are bound for the First Division next season. Tonight’s game against Drogheda won’t change that, their fate is already sealed.
As for Kevin Doherty’s Drogs, they’re not exactly safe either. Their position second from the bottom of the league table, to which they are also shackled regardless of this evening’s result, means they will face the winner of Bray Wanderers and Athlone Town (taking place tomorrow at Dalymount). Winner plays in the Premier Division next season while it’s the First Division for the loser.
How’s your head for permutations?
David Gorman had his pencil and paper out earlier this week to clear up all the different scenarios that could play out tonight.
Here’s what he came up with:
Shelbourne will clinch their first league title with a victory over Derry City at the Brandywell, or if Shamrock Rovers fail to beat Waterford in the final game of the season. They are guaranteed at least the Uefa Conference League qualifying next season.
Shamrock Rovers can win a fifth title in a row by beating Waterford at home on Friday, if Shelbourne fail to beat Derry City. Should Shelbourne draw against Derry and Rovers win, Rovers’s superior goal difference will see them become champions. Rovers can still also miss out on Europe in the unlikely event that they lose to Waterford, St Pat’s win, Derry City beat Shelbourne and Drogheda United beat Derry City in the FAI Cup final.
St Patrick’s Athletic have won an incredible eight games in a row, but it is just too late to win the most improbable title. However, they have put themselves in a great position for European football, where a ninth win in a row, against Sligo Rovers, would guarantee a top-three placing. They must at least equal Derry City’s result against Shels to guarantee top three, for example losing to Sligo Rovers while Derry draw would see them finish fourth. However, fourth place will also get European football should Derry win the FAI Cup final against Drogheda. Should they finish fourth and Drogheda win the FAI Cup final, then they would miss out on Europe.
Derry City cannot win the league after losing to St Pat’s on Friday. Focus will turn to the FAI Cup final, which would bring European football, or finishing in the top three should they lose that final – the most likely scenario by beating or drawing with Shelbourne and St Pat’s losing to Sligo Rovers.
Good evening everyone and welcome to The Irish Times live blog for the last round of games in this season’s League of Ireland Premier Division.
Muireann Duffy here to keep you company on what is set to be a nail-biting end to the league.
The 2024 title is still up for grabs. Will Stephen Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers make it five in a row, or will Damien Duff’s Shelbourne claim their first title since 2006?
There are five games taking place this evening, two of which are of concern to that title race. Here’s the agenda, with all games kicking off at 7.45pm:
- Sligo Rovers v St Patrick’s Athletic – The Showgrounds
- Bohemians v Galway United – Dalymount Park
- Drogheda United v Dundalk – United Park
- Derry City v Shelbourne – Brandywell Stadium (Live coverage on RTÉ2 & RTÉ Player)
- Shamrock Rovers v Waterford – Tallaght Stadium (Live coverage on RTÉ News channel & RTÉ Player)
