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The highs and lows of a vintage League of Ireland campaign

Updated / Monday, 23 Dec 2024 08:50
It was a memorable Premier Division season
It was a memorable Premier Division season

It was a vintage SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division as the title race went right down to the wire.

There's been some debate around the quality of the league, given the low points tally Shelbourne required to get over the line. However Shamrock Rovers' exploits in the Conference League perhaps lend more weight to the argument that this genuinely was just a really competitive division.

The 63-point title-winning total was low, for sure, but in a tough league with little between most teams, every point was hard-earned.

An enthralling campaign gave us plenty to talk about. We've picked out some of the highlights.

Goal of the season

Ellis Chapman (Sligo Rovers v Derry City, 4 July 2024)
We had a selection box of long-range strikes and some superb free-kicks (Jake Mulraney against Shels and Jamie Gullan against St Pat's to name but two). However we're going with Chapman's mazy dribble and finish for two reasons: firstly, it's rare to see goals like it in an era where teams are so hyper-coached. The solo run and finish remains one of the game's most thrilling sights, and Chapman pulled it off in style. Secondly, it won Sligo the match, coming as it did in the 89th minute. It made Chapman's moment of magic even more special.

Save of the season

Ed McGinty (Sligo Rovers v Dundalk, 21 September 2024)
With the Bit O'Red holding on to a 2-1 lead in the dying moments, Norman Garbett thought he'd earned Dundalk a precious point when he met a stoppage-time cross with a firm header. Some Lilywhites players had already begun to celebrate, but the elastic-limbed McGinty flung himself across goal to claw it away. It was a stunning stop.

Manager of the season

Damien Duff (Shelbourne)

It just has to be Duff, the man who led Shels to the promised land against the odds. Honourable mentions go to the following:

  • Kevin Doherty - Kept Drogheda up via the play-offs six days after leading them to a brilliant FAI Cup triumph.
  • John Caulfield - Can be proud of his efforts with Galway United who were, remarkably, still in the title mix up until the last few weeks.
  • Stephen Kenny - He might well have won the league with St Pat's if the season had lasted another fortnight. Their turnaround was incredible, and has heightened expectations in Inchicore for 2025.

Player of the season

Dylan Watts (Shamrock Rovers)

The Hoops failed to reproduce the consistency that earned them four titles in a row, but Watts was excellent all year. The PFAI Player of the Year stepped up to the plate time and time again, delivering eye-catching performances domestically and on the European stage.

Game of the season

Shelbourne 2-3 St Patrick's Athletic (30 September 2024)

The RTÉ cameras were at Tolka Park for an absolute humdinger in late September. Shels were stuttering at this point, while the Saints were starting to hit their groove under Stephen Kenny. They led at half-time thanks to Joe Redmond's header, and doubled their advantage just after the hour mark through Brandon Kavanagh. That lit the fuse for a fantastic last 20 minutes. Shels hit back with a couple of screamers from Rayhaan Tulloch and Matty Smith. However Pat's would ultimately pinch victory in a breathless contest when Al-Amin Kazeem knocked home the winner two minutes from time.

Weirdest result of the season

Drogheda United 7-0 Sligo Rovers (23 August 2024)

A remarkable night at Weavers Park. Sligo had won five of their six league games prior to this encounter, and though the Bit O'Red slumped to a shock FAI Cup loss against UCD the weekend before travelling to Drogheda, boss John Russell promised fans there'd be a reaction. It did not materialise. Sligo were awful from start to finish as the Drogs romped to their biggest ever win in the top flight.

Low point of the year

Dundalk's struggle to stay afloat

The Lilywhites were close to folding in September when then-owner Brian Ainscough urgently sought a takeover. Local barrister John Temple came to the rescue, but it was still a dificult autumn/winter for the club. After their relegation was confirmed and Jon Daly departed, to be replaced by Ciarán Kilduff, Dundalk managed to secure their licence to compete in next season's SSE Airtricity League First Division. "The circus has finished," Temple declared. "This is now properly run and professional. There will be none of this monkeying around. There will be full transparency."

Biggest surprise package

Galway United

Led by the wily John Caulfield and his assistant Ollie Horgan, Galway were a handful all year. Physical, direct and well-organised, the Westerners never looked out of place on their return to the top flight. In a congested table, they were mathematically still in the title race until the last few weeks. Galway ran out of gas to eventually finish fifth, but that still represented a fine campaign.

Biggest underachievers

Bohemians

They just didn't get going all year. Declan Devine departed after four games, with Pat Fenlon taking interim charge. The arrival of Alan Reynolds nourished hope among the fans that they could start to move towards the top end of the table, and yet things never took off. A tame FAI Cup semi-final defeat to Derry City at Dalymount Park saw their campaign fizzle out and once safety was belatedly secured, eyes were already turning towards 2025. The November news that the club has been allocated almost €25m under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) grant scheme was a massive shot in the arm. Bohs will hope to harness that positivity over the winter.

Biggest 'if only' moment

Aidan Keena's halfway line attempt (Shelbourne v St Patrick's Athletic, 30 September 2024)
During the first half of that classic at Tolka Park, Keena uncorked an unbelievable effort from just inside his own half. The vision was brilliant, the execution almost perfect, but Keena's strike crashed off the underside of the Shels bar and bounced away to safety. It would have been one of the all-time great League of Ireland goals.

Best moment in Europe

Johnny Kenny's goal in Vienna (28 November 2024)

Shamrock Rovers have been sensational in the Conference League, scalping Larne, TNS and Borac Banja Luka to seal a place in the knockout play-offs. There's been several great moments along the way but we're plumping for Johnny Kenny's crucial equaliser away to Rapid Vienna - a brilliantly worked goal that proved the Hoops have the mettle to absorb pressure on the road and hurt top sides when they get the chance. It bodes well for February's clash with Norwegian outfit Molde.

Quotes of the season

"I've signed three now. The first, I was very nervous, the second I was drunk and the third I was in the south of France, so I was probably drunk again. It got announced while I was over there." - Damien Duff signed a fresh Shels deal in July, and reflected on his tenure to date as only he can.

"People want results yesterday. I don't know what St Pat's expectations were at the start of the year, was the plan to go win the league?" - Stephen Bradley aired his sympathy for Jon Daly after he was sacked by St Pat's back in May.

"This is one of the biggest games in St Patrick's Athletic’s history, the opportunity to get to the group stages. Two games in five and a half days is tight enough, but the fact we’ve actually had a third game inserted into the middle of that against Dundalk is insane." - In August, Stephen Kenny called on the FAI to give his team a breather in between their two Conference League play-off games against Istanbul Basaksehir.

"To do it 46 hours before the game is due to be played is farcical and makes the league look amateurish, it really does." - Kenny got his wish, but Dundalk boss Jon Daly wasn't happy.

"Fair play to Cork for coming up with the money. I saw Tim (Clancy) moaning a couple of weeks ago but he won't be moaning anymore with what they’re paying." - John Caulfield took a swipe at his old club after Sean Maguire and Ruairí Keating chose Leeside over Galway.

"I've been mad on Gibraltar history for the last two, three days. I believe there's been 14 wars, 14 battles, 14 sieges whatever they're called, and I told the guys, this could well be the 15th. It ended up being that, and we came out on top." - Duff again, this time speaking about his side's spicy clash with St Joseph's of Gibraltar.

"Dundalk have been put through hell, the seven rings of hell, the inferno, to get us to a license." - Owner John Temple reflected on a tough few weeks for the Lilywhites after they finally got the green light to enter the First Division next season.

"It's an absolute disgrace. A player of his calibre going down like that in the box to gain an advantage is absolutely disgraceful." - RTÉ pundit Conan Byrne could not contain his anger after Derry City's Patrick McEleney appeared to dive to win a stoppage-time penalty against Shamrock Rovers.

"I could be the first League of Ireland player to win the double and get relegated, it's a bit crazy."- After moving from Shels to Drogheda and then winning the cup, Shane Farrell feared a sting in the tail. Luckily for him, the Drogs would survive.

"He booked me, he said for jumping on the pitch and showing no respect. I can't jump, my knees are buggered!" - Ollie Horgan pleaded his innocence after getting a yellow card during Galway's game against Dundalk in October.

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