A 4-0 win in Dundalk lifted the Inchicore side above Shamrock Rovers, with Bohemians also within range as the season enters its final weeks.
St Patrick’s Athletic have moved to the top of the Premier Division after a 4-0 win away to Dundalk on Monday night, overtaking champions Shamrock Rovers with the season heading into its closing stages.
For most of the campaign Rovers had looked comfortable. Stephen Bradley’s side led the table through the summer and were widely expected to secure a third successive title without serious challenge.
That position has changed quickly. St Pat’s had already beaten Rovers 2-0 at Richmond Park on 11 September, with goals from Jay McClelland and Aidan Keena, a result that revived a race which had been largely dormant.
Rovers also dropped points at home to Shelbourne in a scoreless draw at Tallaght Stadium earlier in the month, and drew 3-3 away to Derry City in late August.
Bohemians in contention
Alan Reynolds’ Bohemians are the third side involved. They recovered from two goals down to win 3-2 away to Galway United, and have the division’s best away record along with its longest unbeaten run of the season at ten matches.
Bohemians have a game in hand on St Patrick’s Athletic, leaving them six matches to play compared with five for the leaders.
The Phibsborough club have also been responsible for two of the season’s notable attendance figures, including a crowd of 21,472 for their opening-night fixture against St Patrick’s Athletic at the Aviva Stadium in February.
The run-in
Rovers face Waterford at Tallaght on Friday, with Graham Coughlan’s side having been among the division’s more stubborn opponents despite sitting in the lower half.
Elsewhere, Derry City host Galway United, Dundalk face Shelbourne and Bohemians meet Drogheda United.
At the other end, Sligo Rovers remain bottom and face relegation to the First Division, with Drogheda United currently occupying the promotion-relegation play-off position.
The season concludes on 30 October. Shamrock Rovers are chasing a 23rd league title, St Patrick’s Athletic have not won the championship since 2013, and Bohemians last did so in 2009.
The FAI Cup has also reached its later stages, with Galway United producing one of the surprises of the round in winning away to Drogheda United in the quarter-finals. Lee Devitt, who scored the decisive goal in Drogheda, continued that form the following week in the league.
A season of narrow margins
The division has been unusually tight in the middle. Dundalk, promoted as First Division champions last season, sit fourth on their return to the top flight, while Shelbourne, champions in 2024, have endured a difficult year that included a managerial change in the summer.
Joey O’Brien was dismissed by Shelbourne in June, with Lorcan Fitzgerald taking interim charge before John Russell’s appointment.
Derry City, runners-up in 2025, have also fallen away and lie sixth. Michael Duffy has remained among the division’s leading scorers, with ten goals including four penalties.
Bohemians’ Tommy Lonergan leads the scoring charts with twelve. Ryan Edmondson of St Patrick’s Athletic has nine.
Attendances have held up well across the campaign. The total stood at close to half a million by mid-September, with an average of 3,861.
