# 2019 League of Ireland First Division

The 2019 League of Ireland First Division season was the 35th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The league began in February 2019 and concluded in October 2019. Shelbourne emerged as champions after beating title rivals Drogheda United 3–1 away from home on 13 September 2019, earning them promotion to the top flight for the first time since 2012.

## Overview

The First Division has 10 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 27 matches in the season.

## Teams
### Stadia and locations

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Athlone Town | Athlone | Athlone Town Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bray Wanderers | Bray | Carlisle Grounds | 4,000 |
| Cabinteely | Cabinteely | Stradbrook Road | 1,620 |
| Cobh Ramblers | Cobh | St. Colman's Park | 3,000 |
| Drogheda United | Drogheda | United Park | 2,000 |
| Galway United | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5,000 |
| Limerick | Limerick | Markets Field | 5,000 |
| Longford Town | Longford | City Calling Stadium | 4,960 |
| Shelbourne | Drumcondra | Tolka Park | 3,500 |
| Wexford | Crossabeg | Ferrycarrig Park | 2,500 |

### Personnel and kits

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 | Terry Butler | Committee | Nike | Nitro Sports |
| Bray Wanderers | Gary Cronin | Paul Keegan | Umbro | Matt Britton Carpets |
| Cabinteely | Pat Devlin | Stephen McGuinness | Uhlsport | Dublin School of Grinds |
| Cobh Ramblers | Stephen Henderson | Paul Hunt | Joma | Tony & William O'Shea Fuels Rushbrooke |
| Drogheda United | Tim Clancy | Jake Hyland | CX+ Sport | Scotch Hall Shopping Center |
| Galway United | Alan Murphy | Stephen Walsh | Puma | Comer Property Management |
| Limerick | Tommy Barrett | Shaun Kelly | Umbro | Daly Car Sales |
| Longford Town | Neale Fenn | Dean Zambra | Macron | City Calling |
| Shelbourne | Ian Morris | Dean Delaney | Umbro | abbeyseals.ie |
| Wexford | Brian O'Sullivan | Craig McCabe | Bodibro | Premier Tickets |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Shelbourne (C, P) | 27 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 19 | +31 | 60 | Promotion to League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Drogheda United (Q) | 27 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 51 | Qualification for Promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Longford Town (Q) | 27 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 51 | Qualification for Promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Cabinteely (Q) | 27 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 50 | Qualification for Promotion play-offs |
| 5 | Bray Wanderers | 27 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 46 | |
| 6 | Cobh Ramblers | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 38 | 51 | −13 | 31 | |
| 7 | Galway United | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 26 | |
| 8 | Athlone Town | 27 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 30 | 61 | −31 | 18 | |
| 9 | Wexford | 27 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 22 | 65 | −43 | 11 | |
| 10 | Limerick | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 10 | |
* ↑ Limerick were deducted 26 points for failure to comply with LOI profitability and sustainability rules.

## Season statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Rob Manley | Cabinteely | 17 |
| 2 | Chris Lyons | Drogheda United | 13 |
| 3 | Dean Byrne | Longford Town | 12 |
| 3 | Mark Doyle | Drogheda United | 12 |
| 5 | Ciarán Kilduff | Shelbourne | 10 |
| 5 | Dylan McGlade | Bray Wanderers | 10 |
| 5 | Stephen Meaney | Drogheda United | 10 |
| 8 | Danny Furlong | Wexford | 9 |
| 9 | Jaze Kabia | Shelbourne | 8 |
| 9 | Sam Verdon | Longford Town | 8 |
Last updated: 25 September 2019. Source: SSE Airtricity League of Ireland

## Play-offs
### 3rd vs. 4th-place play-off

Cabinteely advances on away goals.