League of Ireland season extended

The SSE Airtricity League 2020 season has been extended with a revised fixture list put in place to deal with the recent postponements due to COVID-19 outbreaks at two League of Ireland clubs.

The Premier Division will now conclude on Sunday, 8 November with the First Division fixtures finishing on Tuesday, 27 October.

The FAI noted in a statement on Saturday that the decision to extend the 2020 season was ‘ratified by the National League Executive Committee with the final rounds of both divisions pushed back for competition integrity purposes, with all fixtures scheduled for the same time and date.’

Both St. Patrick’s Athletic and Galway United have been affected by COVID-19 with both squad’s undertaking a 14-day isolation periord that affected two fixtures for each club. 

The Finn Harps v St. Patrick's Athletic match will now be played on Wednesday, 28 October, while St. Patrick's Athletic v Dundalk is set for Sunday 1 November.

Galway United fixtures meanwhile have been reset with their home game against Drogheda United now due to take place on Tuesday 20 October, with their final regular season fixture away to current First Division leaders Bray Wanderers now fixed for Saturday 24 October.

The league fixture re-shape, alongside Dundalk’s qualification for the Europa League, has also affected the quarter-finals of the Extra.ie FAI Cup and the promotion/relegation play-offs.

FAI Cup Quarter-Finals
Sligo Rovers v Derry City - Friday 30 October 
Athlone Town v Shelbourne - Saturday 31 October
Finn Harps v Shamrock Rovers - Sunday 1 November
Bohemians v Dundalk - Saturday 14 November

Promotion/relegation play-off series

Play-off semi-finals - Saturday, 31 October

Play-off final - Friday, 6 November  

Promotion/relegation play-off final - Saturday, 14 November

First Division Round-Up: Longford and UCD bounce back with wins while Cobh ease past Wexford https://t.co/FfZdQjdMgRpic.twitter.com/Iq50GEggIA

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) October 10, 2020