2022 League of Ireland First Division
| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 February 2022 – 11 November 2022 |
| Champions | Cork City |
| Matches played | 144 |
| Top goalscorer | Phoenix Patterson (17 league goals + 3 playoff goals) |
| Total attendance | 178,000 |
| Average attendance | 1,193[1] |
← 2021 2023 →
All statistics correct as of 23 November 2023. | |
The 2022 League of Ireland First Division season was the 38th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of the Republic of Ireland's association football league. The title was won by Cork City.[2]
Overview[edit]
The First Division has 9 teams. Each side plays each other four times for a total of 32 matches in the season. The team that finishes in first place achieve automatic promotion to the Premier Division. Teams finishing second to fifth place will enter the play-offs to determine the side to contest for a place in the 2023 Premier Division against the ninth placed (second last) Premier Division team.
Teams[edit]
Locations of the First Division teams
Team changes[edit]
Bray Wanderers and Cabinteely F.C. merged in the pre-season to create a revamped Bray Wanderers.[3] Shelbourne were promoted as 2021 champions and UCD as playoff winners, to the Premier Division. Waterford F.C. and Longford Town F.C. joined following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2021 season.
Additional teams[edit]
No other teams applied for a First Division Licence.[4]
Stadia and locations[edit]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds | 4,000 |
| Cobh Ramblers | Cobh | St. Colman's Park | 3,000 |
| Cork City | Cork | Turners Cross | 7,845 |
| Galway United | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5,000 |
| Longford Town | Longford | Bishopsgate | 5,097 |
| Treaty United | Limerick | Markets Field | 5,000 |
| Waterford | Waterford | RSC | 5,160 |
| Wexford | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 2,500 |
Managerial changes[edit]
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town |  Martin Russell
|
Resigned | 10 April 2022[5] | 9th | Dermot Lennon
|
10 April 2022[6] |
| Waterford FC | Ian Morris
|
Mutual Consent | 20 April 2022[7] | 5th | Gary Hunt
|
20 April 2022[8] |
| Waterford FC | Gary Hunt
|
Permanent Replacement | 14 June 2022[9] | 4th |  Danny Searle
|
14 June 2022[10] |
| Cobh Ramblers | Darren Murphy
|
Mutual Consent | 19 June 2022[11] | 8th | Shane Keegan
|
19 June 2022[12] |
Personnel and kits[edit]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Town | Dermot Lennon
|
Micheal Schlingermann
|
Umbro
|
Hayden & Co. Solicitors
|
| Bray Wanderers | Pat Devlin
|
Hugh Douglas
|
 Nike
|
MyClub
|
| Cobh Ramblers | Shane Keegan
|
John Kavanagh
|
 Joma
|
McCarthy Insurance Group
|
| Cork City | Colin Healy
|
Cian Coleman
|
 Adidas
|
University College Cork
|
| Galway United | John Caulfield
|
Conor McCormack
|
O'Neill's
|
Comer Property Management
|
| Longford Town | Gary Cronin
|
Sam Verdon
|
Macron
|
Bishopsgate
|
| Treaty United | Tommy Barrett
|
Jack Lynch
|
Umbro
|
Derrin Homes
|
| Waterford | Danny Searle
|
Eddie Nolan
|
Umbro
|
DG FOODS LTD
|
| Wexford | Ian Ryan
|
Joe Manley
|
Umbro
|
Wallace
|
League table[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City (C, P) | 32 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 63 | 22 | +41 | 68 | Promotion to League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Waterford | 32 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 70 | 34 | +36 | 64 | Qualification to Promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Galway United | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 56 | 30 | +26 | 60 | |
| 4 | Longford Town | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 52 | |
| 5 | Treaty United | 32 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 37 | 43 | −6 | 44 | |
| 6 | Wexford | 32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 45 | 47 | −2 | 41 | |
| 7 | Bray Wanderers | 32 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 30 | 62 | −32 | 27 | |
| 8 | Athlone Town | 32 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 44 | 75 | −31 | 24 | |
| 9 | Cobh Ramblers | 32 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 78 | −41 | 17 |
Updated to match(es) played on 7 December 2022. Source: League of Ireland, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Play-offs[edit]
Bracket[edit]
| First Division play-off Semi-finals | First Division play-off Final | Promotion/relegation play-off | |||||||||||||
| 26/29 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| 11 November 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Treaty United | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 November 2022 | UCD | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Waterford | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Waterford | 3 | Waterford | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 26/29 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Galway United | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Longford Town | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Galway United | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||
First Division play-off Semi-finals[edit]
First leg[edit]
| 26 October 2022 | Treaty United | 1–4 | Waterford | Limerick |
| 19:45 IST | Enda Curran  62' (pen.) |
Report | Phoenix Patterson 5' Phoenix Patterson 29'Junior Quitirna 70'Sean Guerins 90+4' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Markets Field Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| 26 October 2022 | Longford Town | 2–2 | Galway United | Longford |
| 19:45 IST | Jordan Adeyemo 28' Jordan Adeyemo 54' |
Report | Mikie Rowe 49' Mikie Rowe 61' |
Stadium: Bishopsgate Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan |
Second leg[edit]
| 29 October 2022 | Waterford | 3–3 | Treaty United | Waterford |
| 19:45 IST | Timi Sobowale 22' Wassim Aouachria 48' (pen.)Phoenix Patterson 54' |
Report | Mark Ludden 9' (pen.) Mark Ludden 26'Lee Molloy 29' |
Stadium: RSC Attendance: 2,585 Referee: Paul Norton |
| 30 October 2022 | Galway United | 3–0 | Longford Town | Galway |
| 16:00 IST | David Hurley 24' Mikie Rowe 90'Rob Manley 90+4' |
Report | Stadium: Eamonn Deacy Park Referee: Damien McGraith |
First Division play-off Final[edit]
| 4 November 2022 | Galway United | 0–3 | Waterford | County Limerick |
| 19:45 IST | Report | Junior Quitirna 9' Wassim Aouachria 45+1'Junior Quitirna 81' |
Stadium: Markets Field Referee: Alan Patchell |
Promotion/relegation play-off[edit]
| 11 November 2022 | UCD | 1–0 | Waterford | County Dublin |
| 19:45 IST | Tommy Lonergan 15' |
Report | Stadium: Richmond Park Attendance: 2,781 Referee: Rob Harvey |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "League of Ireland enjoys huge increase in crowds since last pre-Covid season". the42. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ "Cork City lift First Division title at packed Turner's Cross after win over Bray". The 42. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Bray Wanderers and Cabinteely confirm name of newly merged team". 3 December 2021.
- ^ Donnelly, David (3 February 2022). "Full steam ahead as all 19 League of Ireland sides awarded licenses for 2022". DublinLive.ie.
- ^ Dollery, Paul. "Athlone Town part company with manager Martin Russell". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ Dollery, Paul. "Athlone Town part company with manager Martin Russell". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ Dollery, Paul. "Waterford part ways with manager Ian Morris after just 10 games in charge". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Dollery, Paul. "Waterford part ways with manager Ian Morris after just 10 games in charge". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "Waterford appoint former Aldershot boss Danny Searle as new head coach". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Waterford appoint former Aldershot boss Danny Searle as new head coach". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Cobh Ramblers part company with boss Darren Murphy and backroom team". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Cobh Ramblers part company with boss Darren Murphy and backroom team". The42.ie. The42.ie. Retrieved 20 June 2022.