The dust hasn't settled on the 2022 season but we've to get the awards out before the World Cup so here we are. It's been an odd season. We tried our best to hype a title race in both men's divisions but neither materialized. The FAI Cup final ended up being a bit of a damp squib for all but the winners. The European qualifiers provided excitement for four clubs and one of them ended up talking the group stages for granted. Their achievement of 3-in-a-row titles is probably being taking for granted too. The women's league saw much greater media coverage but it's last day decider was over pretty quickly too. As ever, these awards don't mean much and just give us a chance to highlight some stuff form the year. Here we go...
READ ALSO: Dodge's 2022 League of Ireland Team of the Year
Player of the Year - Rory Gaffney
Rory Gaffney epitomizes everything about Stephen Bradley's Shamrock Rovers side. He isn't flashy, but man is he effective. I asked one experienced centre half who the hardest player to face was and he said Gaffney. His exact quote was, "He's a pain in the arse to play." Gaffney's style of play brings Rovers midfield into the game brilliantly. He's deceptively quick but it's physicality that fans and fellow pros appreciate the most. Stephen Bradley is quick to claim that his Rovers team don't get the credit they deserve, and he might have a case with Rory Gaffney. Well, he did up until this year when Gaffney has received almost universal praise and is likely to win the PFAI Player of the Year award.
Rookie of the Year - Mark Connolly
Mark Connolly is 30 years old and there's no way he considers himself a rookie but he has had a sensational first year in the LOI. He played 21 games for Dundalk and they kept 9 clean sheets, leaving them in second place in the league when his loan ended. When he moved to Derry City, they kept 7 clean sheets in the 11 games he played and pushed them into second place. For comparison, they kept only 8 clean sheets in the 25 games he didn't play for the Candystripes. Oh he was imperious in the FAI cup winning side too. The Clones native has had a long career in England and Scotland and didn't take too long in establishing himself as one of the best in the league.
13 November 2022; Mark Connolly of Derry City celebrates with the FAI Senior Challenge Cup after the Extra.ie FAI Cup Final match between Derry City and Shelbourne at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Story of the Year - The crowds are back
21 July 2022; St Patrick's Athletic supporters during the UEFA Europa Conference League 2022/23 Second Qualifying Round First Leg match between St Patrick's Athletic and NS Mura at Richmond Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
It has been a banner year for LOI attendances. Shamrock Rovers led the way with the biggest crowds in the best stadium (and it'll be better next year too). Cork City's return to form brought out huge numbers Leeside. Galway United and Waterford both had far bigger attendances than they hosted when they were in the Premier Division. The biggest surprise though was the consistently high crowd that went to watch St Patrick's Athletic every week. They sold out of home tickets for every Dublin derby (and each of their away allocations for the opposing games) but the drop for for lower profile games wasn't huge either. The Saints ended the season with a home average of over 3,800 which is nearly double their average when they won the league in 2013 (and well over double for every non-Covid year since).
Winning the FAI Cup last year certainly helped but they sold 14,000 tickets for that game so the interest was up already. The work done by the community team in Inchicore and surrounding areas is unrivalled with all local schools now feeling connected to the club. The next step for Pats, as with so many clubs, is improving facilities so that all these young fans keep returning. It's been four years since the Richmond Arena plan was launched and there's only been murmurs of Richmond Park upgrades since. It leaves the three clubs playing in Dublin City in sub-standard grounds with at least two of them selling out more often than not. Watch this space...
Celebration of the Year - dancing Finn Harps fan
It was a poor year for Finn Harps fans so when you get the chance to celebrate a 3-0 win, you have to make the most of it.
Goal celebration of the season award is done and dusted......#GreatestLeagueInTheWorld
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/PKJvJ2xmFo— Trevor Gordon (@thisTrevg) August 5, 2022
The Night of the Year - 28th of July
The 28th of July was a great night for the League. In the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League, both LOI clubs had upset wins. After Sligo Rovers struggled to get by Bala Town in the opening round, not many pundits gave them a chance against Motherwell. Rovers won the opening game in Scotland but all the pressure remained on Motherwell. After 4 minutes Shane Blayney's amazing free kick had Rovers ahead on the the night and they never looked back. Late on Max Mata got a second to give Sligo a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-0 win on aggregate. It maintained the LOI's 100% record (3 ties) in knock out ties against Scottish opposition this millennium.
What a strike, Shane Blaney! 🚀
A 2-0 aggregate lead for @sligorovers 🙌🏻
A dream start at The Showgrounds! 🔴
pic.twitter.com/PErNy4AdLW— SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) July 28, 2022
In the other game, St Patrick's Athletic travelled to Mura in Slovenia after a 1-1 draw in Inchicore. The Saints were in a bit of a slump domestically and everyone was aware what Mura had beaten Tottenham Hotspur in Slovenia last year. A perfectively executed game plan, with some top keeping from loanee Joseph Anang, meant the game went to penalties. Anang saved one and Mura missed another two allowing Pats to win 6-5 on penalties and earn themselves another €350,000 in the process. Pats won away to CSKA Sofia in the next round but travel troubles and an unfortunate defeat in the second leg in Tallaght took the shine off that win. On July 28th though, it was only good headlines for the league.
Goal of the Year - Michael Duffy
Blayney's free kick off above would have to be a contender if free kicks were eligible for goal of the year awards. They're not though, so we've plumped for Michael Duffy's whip against Bohs in the Ryan McBride Brandywell. The winger remains one of the best players in the league and Derry City will be hoping he stays fully fir for them in 2023.
Now this is the angle! 😱
What a strike from our very own Michael Duffy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LgAoCKvFVK— Derry City FC (@derrycityfc) September 10, 2022
Moment of the Year - Josh Bradley lifts the league trophy
One of the best Irish sporting moments of 2022. Josh Bradley - who was diagnosed with leukaemia in June - lifts the League of Ireland trophy alongside his dad and the triumphant Shamrock Rovers squad. 💚pic.twitter.com/7cDx6RtWfL
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) October 30, 2022
It's been a tough year for Stephen Bradley off the field. Linked with a move to Lincoln City in mid-season, Bradley ignored their overtures and stayed with Shamrock Rovers to deliver their third league title in a row and achieve qualification for the Europa Conference League group stages. He did all this while his son Josh battled leukemia. Josh being a central part of Rovers title celebrations was great to see and no doubt provided a huge lift to the Bradley family.
Team of the Year - Rovers
30 October 2022; Shamrock Rovers players and staff celebrate with the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division trophy after the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Shamrock Rovers and Derry City at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
If you wanted to know who we thought was the best in each position, you can read that here but the team of the year is Shamrock Rovers. Again. It is strange to see some pundits claim they haven't been impressed by Rovers this season but that speaks to the high bar they've set for themselves. Over the past three seasons they've earned an average of 2.28 points per game and won the 3 titles by a combined 40 points with 5 other clubs filling out top 3 spots. They can't do much more domestically. 2021 was a poor year in Europe but 2022 saw them qualify through the back door for Europa Conference League football. They performed well at home and continued to struggle away. That's the next step for Rovers, but they argue they're looking for incremental gains and are well on track. It's up to others to make a challenge.
