E First Division 2020
ship, something that wasn’t always evident last year, and hopefully their vocal encouragement and guidance will result in a more disciplined back four in 2020.
Drogheda look well covered in midfield where skipper Jake Hyland, Sean Brennan, Richie O’Farrell, Mark Hughes and Luke Heeney will all be vying for starting places and the box-to-box energy of O’Farrell - who played for UCD in the Premier Division last term - has been a feature of the pre-season games.
It’s a bonus that Clancy has been able to keep all three of his leading scorers from 2019 - Chris Lyons, Mark Doyle and Stephen Meaney - while Adam Wixted almost feels like a new player given how much of last season
VERDICT
With the wily Devlin in charge anything is possible, but Cabo don’t seem to have acted to replace the likes of Stephen McGuinness, Jack Tuite and Rob Manley and they will do well to make the play-offs this time. 6th
Aidan Price
GROUND Tallaght Stadium
2019
Not entered in 1st Div
ODDS 11/1
ONE TO WATCH Kian Clarke (right) he missed. Local lad Brandon Bermingham is a useful acquisition too and of course youngsters like Jordan Adeyemo, James Clarke and Ryan O’Shea are well capable of making an impact, whether from the start or as impact subs.
With so many attacking options - Clarke can also play in midfield - Drogheda will be short odds to finish as the league’s top
VERDICT
Hard to tell how this controversial second-string Rovers team will fare. They placed sixth of eight teams in their only other year in the First Division - 2014 - but the Hoops are probably a stronger club now than they were then. 7th
Stuart Ashton 6th
Adam Foley (right) scorers for the second season in succession - but will it be enough to win them the First Division title?
Well, Longford and Bray in particular will have something to say about that and it’s hard to see any club pulling away at the top.
The inclusion of the team finishing fifth in the end-of-season play-offs means that more teams will have something to fight for
VERDICT
Turned St Colman’s Park into something of a fortress last season - Drogheda beware this weekend! - but need to improve their away form if they are to have a realistic chance of sneaking into the play-offs. 8th
Adrian Carberry going into the final few games. Fixtures against the likes of UCD, Cabinteely, Galway United and Cobh could prove banana-skin assignments - especially in the second half of the campaign.
Perhaps the bookies have called it right in making Drogheda warm favourites, but the title race might go down to the wire. Fasten your seatbelts!
GROUND
Athlone Town Stadium
2019 8th
ODDS 66/1
ONE TO WATCH Joel Coustrain (right)
VERDICT
The appointment of Athlone native Carberry as manager in succession to Terry Butler will be a popular one, but it’s difficult to see how he can do enough to shake off the midlanders’ tag of perennial First Division strugglers. 9th
Brian O’Sullivan 9th
Apr
Mon 13
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Nov
VERDICT
Spared the ‘wooden spoon’ in 2019 - but only just! - when Limerick were deducted 26 points. Look to be facing another struggle despite recruiting Drogheda native and former Irish Schools international James Carroll. 10th