1992–93 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 1992–93 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 8th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 12 teams. With a team that included Phil Harrington, John Caulfield, Pat Morley, Paul Bannon, Gerry McCabe and Dave Barry, manager Noel O'Mahony guided Cork City to their first Premier Division title after a series of three-way play-offs that also involved Bohemians and Shelbourne.[3][4]
| Season | 1992–93 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cork City |
| Relegated | Waterford United Sligo Rovers Bray Wanderers |
| European Cup | Cork City |
| UEFA Cup | Bohemians |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Shelbourne |
| Top goalscorer | Pat Morley: 20 (Cork City)[1][2] |
← 1991–92 1993–94 → | |
Regular season
The regular season initially saw the 12 teams use a traditional round-robin format with each team playing 22 games on a home and away basis. The division was then split into two groups, a top six and a bottom six. After the split, the six teams played the other teams in their group in a second series of 10 games again using a round-robin format.[2][5] On the last day of the regular season, Bohemians only needed to draw away to Dundalk to secure the title as they had a two-point advantage over both Shelbourne and Cork City. However Bohemians lost 1–0. Earlier in the day Shelbourne had defeated Derry City 1–0 with a goal in the last minute by Paul Doolin and Cork City beat Limerick 3–0. As a result, all three teams finished level on 40 points. Bohemians actually finished the season with the best goal difference, but at the time League of Ireland rules stated that the title could not be won on goal difference and a play-off would be required.[3][4]
Final tables
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohemians | 32 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 46 | 19 | +27 | 40 | Qualification to Championship play-offs |
| 2 | Shelbourne | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 29 | +24 | 40 | |
| 3 | Cork City | 32 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 40 | |
| 4 | Dundalk | 32 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 39 | |
| 5 | Derry City | 32 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 37 | |
| 6 | Limerick | 32 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 27 | 31 | −4 | 27 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | St Patrick's Athletic | 32 | 7 | 16 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 30 | |
| 8 | Shamrock Rovers | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 28 | |
| 9 | Drogheda United | 32 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 29 | 41 | −12 | 27 | |
| 10 | Waterford United (R) | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 34 | 59 | −25 | 27 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 11 | Sligo Rovers (R) | 32 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 32 | −16 | 26 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
| 12 | Bray Wanderers (R) | 32 | 5 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 40 | −21 | 23 |
Promotion/Relegation Play-off
This season saw the introduction of a promotion/relegation play-off. Waterford United F.C. who finished in tenth place played off against Monaghan United F.C., the third placed team from the 1992–93 League of Ireland First Division.[2][6]
1st Leg
| 18 April 1993 | Waterford United F.C. | 2–2 | Monaghan United F.C. |
2nd Leg
| 25 April 1993 | Monaghan United F.C. | 3–0 | Waterford United F.C. |
Monaghan United F.C. won 5–3 on aggregate and are promoted to Premier Division [2]
Championship Play-offs
First series
In the round-robin three way play-off, Cork City beat Bohemians at home, Bohemians beat Shelbourne at home and Shelbourne beat Cork City at home. The return fixtures were all drawn. Once again all three teams finished level on points and a second series of play-offs would be required.[3][4]
First series table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelbourne | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Bohemians | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Cork City | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Second series
The second series of play-offs saw the three teams playing each other once at neutral venues. During the break between the first and second series of play-offs, Shelbourne won the 1992–93 FAI Cup final and as a result qualified for 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup. Cork City clinched the title after defeating Shelbourne 3–2 in the deciding game at the RDS Arena.[2][4][7]
| Shelbourne | 2 – 3 | Cork City |
|---|---|---|
Haylock  44' pen Whelan 64' |
Morley 23' Barry 54'Bannon ?' |
Second series table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork City (C) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Qualification to Champions League preliminary round |
| 2 | Bohemians | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Shelbourne | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round[lower-alpha 1] |
- Shelbourne qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round after winning the 1992–93 FAI Cup final.
References
- "Ireland - List of Topscorers". www.rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.
- "Two Other Times Cork City And Dundalk Won The League In Dramatic Circumstances". www.balls.ie. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- "Long title wait for City ended in most dramatic fashion back in 1993". www.eveningecho.ie. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables". www.rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables - Second Level". www.rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- "Ireland - FA of Ireland Cup 1921/22-1993/94". www.rsssf.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2016.