When I sat down to write this blog, it was 7.30 Friday night and I simply didn’t know what to do with myself. Sure there were a dozen bottles of Hook Norton Gold and Fuller’s Bengal Lancer, not to mention half a case of Arabella Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and a similar number of Darnault St. Chinion 2007 that I could have been shifting, but a malaise had come over me. I should have been euphoric, having finished a fortnight from hell with coursework and UCAS references to deal with; I now had slack time on the horizon, including a trip to Carlisle with Percy Main and Wire at the Academy on the Saturday to enthral me. Sadly, I was at a loose end for the first Friday night since late February as the League of Ireland has closed down for the winter and my Friday night Twitter duties are at an end until the spring.
The previous week (Friday 11th November) was the first post domestic weekend, but Ireland’s thrilling 4-0 win away in Estonia to the Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs kept my quota of Celtic fellow feeling topped up. I’m elated that Trappatoni’s team have made it through, for the first time since 1988. How well I remember that glorious Sunday afternoon at the end of my PGCE year in Leeds, watching footage from Stuttgart of Ray Houghton’s winning goal as Ireland ground the Saxon invader’s face in to the dust. It didn’t pay back the 800 years of oppression in full, but it was a fairly good start. The subsequent draw with Russia when we ought to have won and the cruel loss to Holland when Gullit’s header bounced crazily away from Packie Bonner like a Muralitharan doosra on a Colombo sticky were almost incidental to the joy of putting one over on England. There are rumours of a pre-tournament friendly at Lansdowne Road, for the first time since 1995 when English thugs caused the game to be abandoned after David Keely gave Ireland the lead, but I’d rather wait until we got to the Ukraine or Poland to gain maximum publicity for the next instalment of Erin’s revenge.
The domestic game in the 26 Counties wrapped up on Sunday 6th November, when Sligo Rovers were a shade fortunate to retain the FAI Cup after a game which started like a tornado but blew itself out by half time. The hero was Ciaran Kelly, who came off the bench in the 119th minute to save a brace of Shels penalties to send the cup back to the Showgrounds after a 4-1 spot kick success. Paul Cook’s psychological masterstroke in using the keeper who saved all 4 Shamrock Rovers efforts the year before at this stage, was out of place in a Sligo performance that was woefully lacking in ambition, with Richie Ryan and Matthew Blinkhorn particularly abject, though Rafael Cretaro sparkled from the bench and deserved a winner’s medal.
Sympathy is due to Shels who took the lead via Philip Hughes, had Barry Clancy unjustly sent off and saw Stephen Paisley put in an imperious man of the match performance at centre half. However, it has to be said they were knocked out earlier in the competition by Sheriff 3-2 at Tolka Park, only for the FAI to reinstate them after Sheriff had used an ineligible player. After that, Shels struggled past Limerick and St. Pat’s, after a replay, so perhaps Sligo deserve the cup on the basis they were the only unbeaten side in the competition.
Sligo were Premier Division runners-up to Shamrock Rovers, who won the title with a game to spare by 4 points, with League Cup winners Derry 3rd. St. Patrick’s Athletic came 4th, but will be kicking themselves for not winning the cup after being a goal and a man up on Shels after an hour of the first semi-final. Bohs managed to claim 5th place, which was a fairly remarkable performance considering they started the season with rumours of their imminent demise constantly circling. The rumours are still there, but so are Bohs; sadly Pat Fenlon may not be, as he’s apparently off to Hibs and the best of luck to him in that task from a long-suffering Hibee. Bray were 6th, and Setanta Cup runners-up Dundalk were 7th, with UCD 8th and Drogheda in 9th; all of these lot managed to maintain their Premier division status, but Galway United, who managed to accrue the grand total of 6 points in the whole season, including a win away to Bohs, are allegedly relegated to Division 1. However, whether there’s a Galway United or even a First Division is a matter that won’t become clear until the February announcement from the L of I Licensing Committee.
Division 1 ran with 11 teams last year, after Sporting Fingal’s demise allowed Drogheda to be reprieved. Next season it has 9 teams currently entitled to participate, though as I say, things are currently still to be confirmed. What is undeniable is that League Cup runners-up Cork City were Champions, having won away to second place Shels on the last day of the season. The two of them were promoted outright. Roddy Collins did remarkably well to lead his Monaghan United side, 2010 play-off losers, up as play-off winners after beating Galway United. Limerick just missed out in 4th place, with Waterford 5th, Longford 6th, Athlone 7th, Mervue 8th, Finn Harps 9th, Wexford Youths 10th and Salthill Devon last. Wexford avoided the wooden spoon by 3 points, gained in the last game when they beat the hapless Salthill.
As yet, there has been no scheduling of a play-off game for Salthill to maintain their status, presumably as the A Championship has now been abolished. Consequently, the 3 sides from the City of the Tribes are still in Division 1, even if Galway United are in disarray and Salthill have mooted resigning. Surely Michael D Higgins can make this his first priority in his presidency?
In addition to the difficulties of Bohemians, Galway and Salthill, Bray Wanderers are short of a few quid. Who knows what will happen; remember the abolition of the A Championship has cast FC Carlow, Cobh Ramblers, Fanad United and Tralee Dynamos adrift, as well as former members Castlebar Celtic and Tullamore Town. Whisper it quietly; there’s plenty of scope for a regionalised pair of First Divisions. Or is that too sensible of the League of Ireland?
Before this is decided, there’s the small matter of Shamrock Rovers remaining trio of Europa League group games; much as it pains me to say it, all the best of luck to them.
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