The Irish Premier League has raised the level of competitiveness this season as teams from top half and bottom half have had really even matches when they faced each other. Drink Team though have shown their superiority and proved that they are miles ahead of their Irish fellows.
The giants from the South seem to be unbeatable at the moment. Of course, they aren’t because they lost a match but if you play the IPL and face Drink Team, you expect a defeat, that’s for sure! They have lifted the 5th trophy in a roll and with an even better performance this time. The side from Cork managed to build a gap of 18 points between them and Shamrock rovers which I believe it’s the biggest in Ireland and will not be beaten so soon!
Shamrock Rovers were the runners up and finished in the Top 3 for their first time ever. Since their relegation to Div1, the club from Tallaght have improved consistently and will be a tougher contender in the next term.
1948 MKS who were recently promoted, finished in third which is an absolutely brilliant position for a team coming from the lower division. As a matter of fact, MKS have the highest squad value amongst the Top Teams in Ireland and we are not sure why exactly they were in division 1 but at least now they are playing in the league they deserve and I hope they keep strengthening their side.
Another ‘newbie’ in the IPL have done a great job and perhaps that’s why the league was so levelled this season. KS GÓRNIK WAŁBRZYCH 1946 lead the IPL in the beginning of the competition, but dropped performance a little bit, possibly due to their reluctance in play ‘wings’ which has been the key for top teams but I believe the manager is right and will do even better next season.
Full Spontan PS didn’t play as well as they had played in the previous seasons and finish 5th. However, his striker Cirilo Larra was the Top Scorer of the tournament so at least they had something to celebrate! Talking about that, Patrick Lindström and Lucas Leiva were close the Cirilo and they ended up as Top 3 strikers of IPL. Drink Team, despite of having the best attack, only had a representative in the fifth position.
Spital and Cork Rebels who are used to be fighting for the title, this time battled to avoid relegation and ended up as 6th and 7th. They must do something for the next term in order to bring their clubs back where they belong.
Below Cork Rebels, all the five teams were relegated. While Galaktikos, Benmore Utd and Moneylagan FC finished in the bottom three and got straight relegation, Dublin Athlétic and Rathmore Lime Tree tried to stay in the division by playing the play-offs but failed to win it and will be in the lower leagues next term. It was the second time in a roll that the Dubliners and the lads from Rathmore played the play-offs to stay in the Top but as they haven’t improved much, they lost their spots to Wedkarze and Nankatsu.
Makaroniarze Tczew FC, Copernicus and Brennanshill have won their respective Div1’s and are back to the Top after skipping some seasons. Best of luck to them and to all the other participants of the Irish Premier League!!
~agapitod
UKI Zone Magazine 