Dublin City win eircom Division One

From rte.ie

In only their third year in business, Dublin City were crowned eircom First Division champions tonight, following a hard fought 1-1 draw with second-placed Bray Wanderers in Whitehall. In reality, the club formerly known as Home Farm, Home Farm Fingal and Home Farm Everton have been around since 1928, with an FAI Cup win 28 years ago their only previous success.

But John Gill, a former assistant to Dermot Keely at Kildare, has guided his side, comprised of talented youngsters and shrewd close season signings, to automatic promotion into next season’s Premier Division. They will of course want to fare better than their last attempt in the top flight, when in 1996/97 they gained notoriety for winning just three times during the season.

Their run of five consecutive wins at the end of this season will see them rub shoulders with Premier champions and neighbouring professionals Shelbourne next season.

Striker Mick O’Byrne punished poor Bray defending on 29 minutes when he slotted home his third goal in five games, from the penalty spot. Bray boss Pat Devlin tried a number of positional switches but all the visitors could muster was an 89th minute leveller from Graham O’Hanlon.

A point was not enough for Bray, who conspired to lose three of their final seven games, and head for the promotion/relegation play-offs with third-placed Finn Harps and the winners of tomorrow’s Limerick – Kildare clash.

UCD or Derry City are also due to join the play-off cycle which ends in mid-December. Already the league’s biggest seller of jerseys, City, under the entrepreneurial wing of chairman Ronan ‘Rocky’ Seery, are sure to add an underdog flavour to an already Dublin-dominated top flight.

Galway United, who were stuck in seventh place no matter how many goals they scored, managed just one against bottom-placed Kilkenny, winning out 1-0 at Buckley Park. A second win in seven days and a third this season against the Cats was garnered through defender Mixie Harty’s header on 32 minutes.

Likewise Don O’Riordan’s Sligo Rovers who had little to play for with sixth position already their own, however their topsy-turvy run ended on a winning note, as they defeated Dundalk 1-0 at the Showgrounds. The visitors’ Keith Carty went closest to scoring in the first half, but Ian Rossiter cleared the striker’s effort off the Sligo goal line on 42 minutes.

Former Irish U18 international Steve Feeney stepped up to poke home the Sligo winner six minutes after the restart. Rovers final run of ten games showed five wins, two draws and three losses, whether that proves enough for the growing number of ‘O’Riordan out’ chanters, it remains to be seen. Finn Harps, already assured of a play-off spot, played out a 0-0 draw at Cobh’s St Colman’s Park.