2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bohemians (9th title) |
| Relegated | Bray Wanderers |
| UEFA Champions League | Bohemians |
| UEFA Cup | Shelbourne Derry City |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | Shamrock Rovers |
| Top goalscorer | Glen Crowe: 18 (Bohemians) [1][2] |
← 2001–02 2003 → | |
The 2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 18th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 10 teams. Bohemians were declared champions.
Regular season
[edit]The 2003 season would see the League of Ireland Premier Division change from a winter league to a summer league. To facilitate this change, the 2002–03 season was a shortened season. This saw each team play three rounds of games, totalling 27 games each. [2][3]
Final table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohemians (C) | 27 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 47 | 27 | +20 | 54 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Shelbourne | 27 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 49 | Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 3 | Shamrock Rovers | 27 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 43 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup first round |
| 4 | Cork City | 27 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 39 | |
| 5 | Longford Town[a] | 27 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 25 | 29 | −4 | 35 | |
| 6 | UCD | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 25 | −2 | 33 | |
| 7 | St Patrick's Athletic | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 33 | −6 | 33 | |
| 8 | Derry City | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 31 | Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round[b] |
| 9 | Drogheda United (O) | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 26 | 40 | −14 | 30 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 10 | Bray Wanderers (R) | 27 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 53 | −22 | 20 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
- ^ Longford Town had 9 points deducted for fielding Avery John against Cork City, Bohemians and Bray Wanderers but this decision was revoked on appeal.
- ^ Derry City qualified for the UEFA Cup qualifying round after winning the 2002–03 FAI Cup.
Results
[edit]Matches 1–18
[edit]Matches 19–27
[edit]Promotion/relegation play-off
[edit]The promotion/relegation play-off format was changed this season. It now featured four teams, the second, third and fourth placed teams from the 2002–03 League of Ireland First Division plus the ninth placed team from the Premier Division.
Semi-final
[edit]- 1st Legs
| 29 January 2003 | Galway United | 2–0 | Finn Harps |
| 29 January 2003 | Cobh Ramblers | 2–2 | Drogheda United |
- 2nd Legs
| 1 February 2003 | Finn Harps | 1–0 | Galway United |
Galway United win 2–1 on aggregate
| 1 February 2003 | Drogheda United | 2–0 | Cobh Ramblers |
Drogheda United win 4–2 on aggregate
Final
[edit]| 5 February 2003 | Galway United | 2–0 | Drogheda United |
| 8 February 2003 | Drogheda United | 3–0 | Galway United |
Drogheda United win 3–2 on aggregate and retain their place in the Premier Division. [2][4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ a b c Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.
- ^ "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables - Second Level". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2016.