Premier Division Stats
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After six rounds of games in this season's Airtricity League Premier Division, we bring you the first in our series which aims to provide some statistical analysis of the action.
Goalscorers
Jason Byrne's first goal in front of his own supporters at Dalymount Park in this year's league against St. Patrick's Athletic brought a familiar name to the top of the goalscorer's charts. Byrne has matched his tally at this point last season so could well be set to go close to matching his haul of 22 last year. With Gary Twigg's season, as well as that of his team-mates at Shamrock Rovers, stuck on hold for now, Byrne could well forge ahead if Bohemians can continue their unbeaten start to the campaign.
Others to catch the eye this early include Sporting Fingal's Gary O'Neill, who is revelling on his return to the top flight, and St. Pat's Vinny Faherty, whose third goal against Bohemians already means that surpassing last year's total of six should prove more than achievable. UCD's Ciaran Kilduff, prolific in the First Division last year, has also shown that his talents are more than capable at this level as well.
The Year of the Draw?
The 28 fixtures so far have resulted in a staggering 13 draws, while the last eight Premier Division games have ended in stalemate. Can this be attributed to the ten-team league narrowing the gap between strongest and weakest? Or have teams destined for the relegation battle already set out their stall to gain solitary points rather than go gung-ho and risk defeat.
At the same point last year, there had only been 8 draws with two more fixtures completed. The relegation issue theory doesn't hold much water as both Bray Wanderers and Galway United have only drawn a single game apiece.
On the other hand Sligo Rovers are undefeated, but with five draws to their name, have they really had such a great start to the season? Given their opponents to date, one would say yes, but they have also scurried back from a deficit on two occasions and let their opponents back into the contest twice. Paul Cook will be hoping for more consistent displays from his troops.
Clean Sheets
Pete Mahon's ability to create a solid defensive spine to compete at Premier Division level is well known from his time at UCD, and St Pat's new look back four have quickly gelled into an imposing unit. Five shut-outs on the trot have placed the Inchicore outfit in pole position to challenge the mantle held by Pat Fenlon and co. They did, however, come up just short of Bohemians record from last season of not conceding for 540 consecutive minutes.
Mahon's successor at Belfield, Martin Russell, has also obviously realised the importance of keeping it tight at the back while his side readjust to life in the Premier Division. Drogheda Utd, Bray Wanderers, Shamrock Rovers, and Galway United have all been held scoreless by The Students. At the other end of the scale, Alan Mathews has cause to wonder if everything will actually be hunky dory as his defence has already leaked 15 goals.
Yellow Peril
It may only be early in the season, but a couple of players are flying close to the sun with regard to picking up a suspension for bookings, with Sporting Fingal's Kenny Browne already awaiting the fax machine to churn out a letter informing him of his non-requirement to turn up for a Fingal game in the near future. Or given the way the suspension system works at present, it may not come through until July.
Here is a list of those who have already been on the end of the referee's scorn on more than one occasion. Anthony Buttimer has set the standard for spraying the cards around, dispersing 21 in his first four games.
Goalscorers
Jason Byrne's first goal in front of his own supporters at Dalymount Park in this year's league against St. Patrick's Athletic brought a familiar name to the top of the goalscorer's charts. Byrne has matched his tally at this point last season so could well be set to go close to matching his haul of 22 last year. With Gary Twigg's season, as well as that of his team-mates at Shamrock Rovers, stuck on hold for now, Byrne could well forge ahead if Bohemians can continue their unbeaten start to the campaign.
Others to catch the eye this early include Sporting Fingal's Gary O'Neill, who is revelling on his return to the top flight, and St. Pat's Vinny Faherty, whose third goal against Bohemians already means that surpassing last year's total of six should prove more than achievable. UCD's Ciaran Kilduff, prolific in the First Division last year, has also shown that his talents are more than capable at this level as well.
| Scorer | Goals |
| Gary O'Neill | 4 |
| Jason Byrne | 4 |
| Ryan Guy | 3 |
| Vinny Faherty | 3 |
| Ciaran Kilduff | 3 |
| Padraig Amond | 2 |
| Eoin Doyle | 2 |
| Neale Fenn | 2 *1 penalty |
| James Chambers | 2 *both pens |
| Greg Bolger | 2 *1 pen |
| Eamon Zayed | 2 |
| Gary McCabe | 2 |
| Joe Kendrick | 2 *both pens |
The Year of the Draw?
The 28 fixtures so far have resulted in a staggering 13 draws, while the last eight Premier Division games have ended in stalemate. Can this be attributed to the ten-team league narrowing the gap between strongest and weakest? Or have teams destined for the relegation battle already set out their stall to gain solitary points rather than go gung-ho and risk defeat.
At the same point last year, there had only been 8 draws with two more fixtures completed. The relegation issue theory doesn't hold much water as both Bray Wanderers and Galway United have only drawn a single game apiece.
On the other hand Sligo Rovers are undefeated, but with five draws to their name, have they really had such a great start to the season? Given their opponents to date, one would say yes, but they have also scurried back from a deficit on two occasions and let their opponents back into the contest twice. Paul Cook will be hoping for more consistent displays from his troops.
Clean Sheets
Pete Mahon's ability to create a solid defensive spine to compete at Premier Division level is well known from his time at UCD, and St Pat's new look back four have quickly gelled into an imposing unit. Five shut-outs on the trot have placed the Inchicore outfit in pole position to challenge the mantle held by Pat Fenlon and co. They did, however, come up just short of Bohemians record from last season of not conceding for 540 consecutive minutes.
Mahon's successor at Belfield, Martin Russell, has also obviously realised the importance of keeping it tight at the back while his side readjust to life in the Premier Division. Drogheda Utd, Bray Wanderers, Shamrock Rovers, and Galway United have all been held scoreless by The Students. At the other end of the scale, Alan Mathews has cause to wonder if everything will actually be hunky dory as his defence has already leaked 15 goals.
| Team | Clean Sheets |
| St. Patrick's Athletic | 5 |
| UCD | 4 |
| Dundalk | 3 |
| Sligo Rovers | 2 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 2 |
| Bohemians | 2 |
| Bray Wanderers | 1 |
| Sporting Fingal | 1 |
| Galway United | 1 |
| Drogheda United | 1 |
Yellow Peril
It may only be early in the season, but a couple of players are flying close to the sun with regard to picking up a suspension for bookings, with Sporting Fingal's Kenny Browne already awaiting the fax machine to churn out a letter informing him of his non-requirement to turn up for a Fingal game in the near future. Or given the way the suspension system works at present, it may not come through until July.
Here is a list of those who have already been on the end of the referee's scorn on more than one occasion. Anthony Buttimer has set the standard for spraying the cards around, dispersing 21 in his first four games.
| Player | Yellow Cards |
| Kenny Browne | 4 |
| Robert Bayly | 3 |
| Eric McGill | 3 |
| Eoin Doyle | 3 |
| Shane Guthrie | 3 |
| James Kavanagh | 3 |
| Gareth O'Connor | 3 |
| Stephen O'Donnell | 2 |
| Billy Dennehy | 2 |
| Shane McFaul | 2 |
| Tom Miller | 2 |
| Alex Williams | 2 |
| Stephen Paisley | 2 |
| Derek O'Brien | 2 |
| Danny Ventre | 2 |
| Dave McAllister | 2 |
| Stephen Maher | 2 |
| Conor Powell | 2 |
| Wayne Hatswell | 2 |
| Ross Gaynor | 2 |
| Vinny Faherty | 2 |
About Alan Dooley
is one of Extratime's longest serving contributors. Based in County Galway, Alan has been following the League of Ireland since the mid-1980s. His first memory of the drama of domestic football was Vinny Arkins, then … View Full Profile