26 SPORT
SIN Vol. 22 Issue 10
LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREDICTIONS Place-by-place: SIN’s SSE Airticity League Premier Division Predictions By Aaron Deering The hustle and bustle of domestic season returned to our pitches last Friday as fans crowded around television screens to see their sides seeking a return to winning ways as the campaign roared into action. Our own Aaron Deering sat down before matchday one to pen his thoughts on the season, and how he predicted each side would cope with this exceptional and unique season in Ireland’s top flight.
Bohemian F.C. Position finished last season: 2nd Predicted Finish; 5th Key Player: Bastien Hery Keith Long and Bohemians had an exceptionally strong season last season, finishing runners up. The signing of Bastien Hery from Linfield was a shrewd piece of business by Keith Long and Bohemians as the midfielder was one of the standout players in the league when he previously lined out for Limerick and Waterford. Hery will add a lot of creativity for the Bohs midfield and give manager Keith Long more options to choose from especially after the loss of Daniel Mandroiu to arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers. The main concern for Bohs this season will be the loss of striker Andre Wright. Wright who was Bohs top scorer with eight goals and named in the PFA Team of the Year last season will be badly missed. The loss of goals may prove pivotal to Keith Long and his side and I can only see them finishing outside the European places as a result.
6th – Derry City FC Position finished last season: 7th Key Player: David Parkhouse Declan Devine was understandably disappointed with his side’s performances last season as Derry City finished a lowly seventh. The main disappointment lay in attack, as the Candystripes only managed to score eighteen goals in as many games. The loss of the club’s joint top scorer from last season Walter Figueira to Sligo Rovers will be a devasting blow to Derry City’s attack this season just to add to the myriad of problems facing Devine. New signing David Parkhouse will be the key player this season for Derry City as the former Sheffield United striker will be under a lot of pressure to add goals to the lacklustre Candystripes attack. One other player to watch is Irish midfielder Joe Hodge on loan from Manchester City and is a being tipped as having a big future in the game.
The Candystripes will find it tough this season and I can only see Declan Devine’s charges finishing outside the European places once again.
Drogheda United F.C. Position finished last season: Promoted from First Division Predicted Finish 8th Key Player: Dinny Corcoran Drogheda United won last season’s SSE Airtricity League First Division title and will be a strong addition to this season’s Premier Division. Tim Clancy has added lots of Premier Division experience to his squad for a crack at the top flight, with Dinny Corcoran from Bohemians and Dane Massey from Dundalk just to name a few. If the Drogs are going to stay up this season they are going to need goals and Dinny Corcoran’s signing from Bohemians will be hoping to add them for the Louth outfit. Corcoran had an injuryravaged 2020 but has good pedigree as a striker in the Premier Division. Drogheda United’s aim along with manager Tim Clancy’s main goal will be to stay in the division come the end of the season, and judging by the signings and the squad Clancy has at his disposal they should have more than enough to avoid the drop.
Dundalk FC Position finished last season: 3rd Predicted Finish; 1st Key Player: Chris Shields Dundalk’s recent win against Shamrock Rovers in the President’s Cup shows that regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the manager’s post and all the new signings that they will still be a force to be reckoned with. Officially Shane Keegan is Dundalk’s manager, and with several new faces, Keegan will need to get the squad to gel quickly if he wants to his team to reclaim their Premier Division crown. Chris Shields is still Dundalk’s most important player as he offers protection to the back four along with precision passing to start attacks with. Central defender Sonni Nattestad looks to be an impressive signing with his totemic 6’6 height adding a physical presence to Dundalk’s back four. Strikers Patrick Hoban and David McMillian ensure that Dundalk will remain strong in attack with wingers Michael Duffy and Patrick McEleney being well able to supply them from the wings. Overall, I think Dundalk’s squad will be strong enough to reclaim the Premier Division title from a weakened Shamrock Rovers.
Finn Harps F.C. Position finished last season: 8th Predicted Finish; 7th Key Player: Barry McNamee Ollie Horgan and his Finn Harps team had a strong finish to last season’s Premier Division pipping Shelbourne by one point to finish eighth and above the relegation/play-off spot. Horgan has signed extremely well during the off season, with the addition of midfielder Will Seymore from Sligo Rovers and the return of central defender Ethan Boyle from Linfield being two standout signings. Barry McNamee will remain a key player for Horgan and Finn Harps as he adds creativity once again this season to the Harps midfield. Midfielder Ryan Connolly is also an attacking option in midfield for Ollie Horgan. Horgan now has a very strong well-balanced team at his disposal, and I expect them to stay in the Premier Division comfortably this season.
Longford Town F.C. Position finished last season: Promoted from the First Division Predicted Finish; 10th Key Player: Aaron Dobbs Longford Town came up the hard way and beat Shelbourne in the Promotion/ Relegation play-off to ensure passage to the top table. Manager Daire Doyle has kept the majority of the squad that got them promoted with very few fresh faces. One signing is Aaron Dobbs who has re-signed for Longford Town having spent last season with Shelbourne. Doyle will hope striker Dobbs will score enough goals to keep his side in the Premier Division. Longford Town will also need to be strong at the back to stay up and signing Aaron O’Driscoll on loan from Mansfield Town should help. Unfortunately, Doyle and De Town will be up against it this season and I cannot see them beating the drop since most of the teams around them will be better equipped to deal with a relegation dogfight, thus seeing them prop up the table in 2021.
Sligo Rovers Position finished last season: 4th Predicted Finish; 3rd Key Player: Greg Bolger Sligo Rovers finished last season in dramatic fashion, clinching European football on the last day of the season after beating Dundalk in Oriel Park. During the off-season Liam Buckley has quietly gone about his business and has
added extra quality to his squad with the additions of Walter Figueira from Derry City and Jordan Gibson from St Patrick’s Athletic bolstering his attacking options New signing Greg Bolger from Shamrock Rovers will be the key player though, and having won the league previously at Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic he adds a vast amount of experience to the Bit O’Red midfield. The return of striker Romeo Parkes will boost the attack while young striker Johnny Kenny is one to watch with five goals from preseason. I forecast European football on the cards for Liam Buckley and the Bit O’Red again this season.
Shamrock Rovers Position finished last season: 1st Predicted Finish; 2nd Key Player: Roberto Lopes Last season’s champions strolled home, winning the Premier Division by 11 points and finishing the season undefeated. The champions have been weakened though, losing the heart of their title winning midfield with Jack Byrne moving to APOEL Nicosia and Aaron McEneff heading to Hearts. Stephen Bradley has added Sean Gannon and Sean Hoare from title rivals Dundalk, but this wasn’t an area the Hoops needed reenforcing, as they had the best defence in the league last year, conceding only seven goals. Other than Jack Byrne, Roberto Lopes was the standout player last year for the Hoops and was the crucial reason why they kept so many clean sheets with such a water-tight defence. Striker Rory Gaffney will have to provide an eagle eye in front of goals if the Hoops have any chance of winning the title again. Overall though the loss of key players from last year especially Jack Byrne will mean that Stephen Bradley and his Shamrock Rovers team will find it difficult to defend their title.
St Patrick’s Athletic Position finished last season: 6th Predicted Finish; 4th Key Player: Robbie Benson St. Patrick’s Athletic had a poor season last year as Stephen O’Donnell’s side failed to secure European football even though many had tipped them as outside title contenders. O’Donnell will hope that the signings of midfielder John Mountney and striker Ronan Coughlan from Sligo Rovers will be enough to secure European football this season. Robbie Benson will still be the central player this season as his creative play should only benefit the recent signings made by St. Pats. Chris Forrester will also be a key cog in the midfield for St. Pats, who on paper have arguably the best midfield in the league. Time will tell if what is on paper plays out on the pitch at Richmond Park. O’Donnell and St. Patrick’s Athletic should have more than enough this season thanks to impressive signings to secure European football.
Waterford FC Position finished last season: 5th Predicted Finish; 9th Key Player: Daryl Murphy Kevin Sheedy’s first job in management will be a daunting one as he tries to keep Waterford in the Premier Division. It is a mammoth task especially with many of the players who secured the impressive fifth place finish last season departing in the off season. Many of the signings Waterford have made are young players on loan so players like veteran striker Daryl Murphy will be crucial if Waterford and Sheedy are to avoid the drop. Former Irish international Murphy will need to use his experience to get the goals Waterford will need to stay in the division. The job may prove to be a bridge too far for Sheedy as I can only see Waterford finishing near the bottom of the table.
