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The Primera División regular season reaches its climax Tuesday night with 70% of its teams still with a chance to move up.
A wild finale awaits a league that, until February, had yet to formalize the number of teams that would actually be in it.
At the beginning of the year, the FAI published two different party lists; one that includes a Limerick FC in financial difficulties, and another without.
In January, Limerick had started a High Court proceeding against the FAI when the association allegedly did not invite them to apply to play in the First Division, but the case was dropped after the judge was informed that the two parties they had reached an agreement. settlement.
Ultimately, Limerick did not apply for a license, although Shamrock Rovers II did, a move that led to other consequences.
The First Division Alliance [FDA], which was made up of the other nine clubs in the league [Athlone Town, Bray Wanderers, Cabinteely, Cobh Ramblers, Drogheda United, Galway United, Longford Town, UCD and Wexford FC], were unhappy with the presence of a Hoops ‘B’ team and threatened a boycott.
In mid-February, they dropped the threat and agreed to continue with the league.
And then, Covid-19 happened.
The long delay of all the national action forced to rethink drastically the structure of the Premier and First Division seasons.
Nine of the second tier clubs, furthermore ironically Shamrock Rovers, voted against a proposal to have a one up and one down stage for the truncated campaign because they wanted to keep the usual promo / relegation format. They got away with it, and here we are.
Now, the champions get an automatic promotion, while the teams ranked second through fifth enter a play-off series culminating in a promotion / relegation showdown against the second-from-bottom of the Premier Division.
It’s made for a dramatic 18 game run with lots of twists and lots of very entertaining football.
The First Division has a lot to offer for those who seek it.
MATCHES ON TUESDAY NIGHT, all matches at 7:45 p.m.
Cobh Rambers v Shamrock Rovers II
Wexford FC v Longford Town
Galway United v UCD
Cabinteely v Drogheda United
Athlone Town v Bray Wanderers
It has become something of a breeding ground for rising managers to strive, as well as providing a platform for promising players to enter senior football away from the harsh demands of the Premier Division.
Last Friday, Republic of Ireland U-17 international Sinclair Armstrong moved to the Championship QPR after improving his reputation with the Shamrock Rovers II this year. The Hoops are second from the bottom, but have regularly received praise for their attractive soccer style.
Athlone Town is a place above them. If they win their last game, they will have equaled the total points they achieved last season in 27 games.
Adrian Carberry knew he had an important job on his hands in the Midwest when he took office last winter, but there have been positive signs for Athlone, including his run to the FAI Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years. . They host Shels this Saturday.
This season has thrown in some other great subplots.
Former Cork City manager John Caulfield took the reins at Galway United in August after having been out of the game since leaving Turner’s Cross in May 2019. Galway was second from the bottom and was still awaiting his first win of the season. in the league at the time.
If they beat UCD on Tuesday and Drogheda beats Cabinteely, Caulfield will take them to the play-offs.
The Cobh Ramblers, who are in seventh place, need a couple of results to get on their way, but they’re not out of it either, as they clinched a crucial 1-0 win at Longford last Saturday.
Longford will need to get something from his trip to Wexford to ensure he finishes in the top five, while UCD, who have generally been nice to look at, should be fine even if Galway beats them due to their solid aim. difference.
Tim Clancy’s Drogs will win the title if he can prevail at Stradbrook, which would be particularly good given that they have suffered pain in the play-offs the last two years. Clancy is an ambitious and promising coach who deserves a shot at the top flight. You may be about to have your chance.
They face one last tricky hurdle against Cabo, led by wise old Pat Devlin, and if Drogheda slips, Bray Wanderers are waiting to jump. The Seagulls are one point behind the leaders and travel to Athlone.
It’s an intriguing ending to a strange year, with a lot of drama to come.
Most likely the side negotiating the First Division play-offs will be Finn Harps, Ollie Horgan’s war dogs who have climbed this route twice. [in 2015 and 2017] while maintaining their top flight status last year with grueling two-legged work beyond the Drogs.
There is no easy way out of the second level: let the games begin.
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