First Taste Of Success
On March 17th, 1924, Athlone Town celebrated a historic triumph, winning our first FAI Cup by defeating Fordsons of Cork 1-0 in the final. Dennis ‘Dinny’ Hannon scored the only goal of the game, as the Town went through the whole competition without conceding a goal.
Hannon was also one of five Athlone Town players selected to represent the Irish Free State at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. The other players included Tommy Muldoon, Frank Ghent, John Joe Dykes, and Paddy O’Reilly.
The Return
Athlone’s return to the top tier of Irish football took place on August 3rd, 1969, in the first round of the President’s Cup—a different competition from today’s version. Their opponents were Drumcondra, and the Town emerged victorious with a 2-1 win, courtesy of goals from Johnny Kingston and Ray Bushe.
Originally scheduled for St. Mel’s Park, the match was moved to Tolka Park as the home pitch wasn’t playable. Intensive work was completed over the following weeks to prepare St. Mel’s Park for the first home league game of the season against Shamrock Rovers.
European Adventures
In the 1974–75 season, the club finished second in the league, securing a spot in the UEFA Cup and marking our first-ever qualification for European competition. In the first round, we faced Norwegian team Vålerenga, winning 3-1 at home in the first leg and then drawing 1-1 in Norway, advancing us to the next round.
Our second-round opponents were the Italian giants AC Milan. A record crowd of 9,000 packed into St. Mel’s Park to witness the Town take on the Rossoneri in an unforgettable match, where we held them to a thrilling 0-0 draw. AC Milan would go on to win the return leg 3-0 at the San Siro.
Athlone Town faced Danish side KB (Kjøbenhavns Boldklub) in European competition during the 1981–82 season. The first leg in Denmark ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw. Back at St. Mel’s Park, the Town staged an impressive comeback from two goals down to draw 2-2. Despite the spirited performance, we were narrowly eliminated on the away goals rule.
In the 1982–83 campaign, The Town faced Belgian side Standard Liège, managed by Raymond Goethals. Despite a valiant effort, Les Rouches emerged victorious in both legs, winning 3-2 at St. Mel’s Park and 8-2 in Liège. This marked our last appearance in European competition to date.
The Glory Years
A 4-2 victory over St. Patrick’s Athletic in the League Cup Final of the 1979-80 season marked the beginning of the club’s most successful era. Over the next four seasons, the Town captured two League Titles and three League Cups.
Our first league title came in the 1980–81 season. A 2-0 win over Waterford capped an extraordinary campaign, with the team finishing on a remarkable 27-game unbeaten streak. Eugene “Pooch” Davis had a standout season, becoming the first player in League of Ireland history to score 23 goals in a single season. Key to this success were the O’Connor brothers, Michael and Padraig, who, along with their brother Turlough as manager, made it a season to remember for the family.
In the 1981–82 season, Athlone Town added another trophy to the cabinet, claiming their second League Cup with a victory over Shamrock Rovers in the final.
Athlone Town were crowned League and League Cup champions in the 1982–83 season, completing a remarkable season and solidifying our position as one of the top clubs in Irish football during this successful era.
The Midlands ‘El Clasico’ Derby
The birth of The Midlands ‘El Clasico’ dates back to 1984 when Longford Town joined the league. As the only two top-flight clubs in the region, every meeting between the two teams is a battle for the coveted title of ‘Pride of the Midlands’. With only 33km between us, the fixture has produced many battles over the years.
Athlone Town won the first competitive fixture between the sides, winning the game 3-2 in Longford on September 30th, 1984. Since then, the teams have faced each other over 60 times competitively. Longford Town had a spell of dominance but Athlone Town have had the upper hand in recent games, including back-to-back away wins for the very first time in the Derby.
The New Stadium
In 2007, the club moved from St Mel’s Park to our current home, Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen. The new stadium was opened on March 9th, when Kilkenny City came to town on the opening game of the season. We won our first fixture at our new home 3-0. The main stand holds up to 2,024 people and is one of the best stands in the League of Ireland.
The Stadium plays host to many national finals such as the EA Sports National Underage League of Ireland finals.
Famous Opponents
Apart from AC Milan’s visit to St. Mel’s Park in 1975, other renowed clubs from across the continent have also visited Athlone over the years.
March 8th, 1996: Athlone Town 2-1 Manchester City, St Mel’s Park
One of the club’s most infamous victories came at the expense of the visit of Manchester City.
Georgio Kinkladze, Uwe Rosler, Steve Lomas, Nigel Clough, Gary Flitcroft and Irish international Alan Kernaghan were among the Manchester City players who featured in the Cityzens defeat to The Town.
Athlone native Ray Kelly was a City player and came on as a sub. Niall Quinn, the biggest Irish name in the visitors’ squad, was forced to sit out the fixture with an injury.
Approximately 4,000 spectators attended the match and witnessed goals scored by Michael Collins and Warren Parkes.
August 7th, 2008: Athlone Town 0-6 Sunderland, Athlone Town Stadium
Roy Keane’s Sunderland made their way to Athlone Town Stadium, drawing in over 4,000 supporters, including a significant away following.
The Black Cats boasted several recognizable players in their lineup, such as Liam Miller, Kieran Richardson, Anthony Stokes, Daryl Murphy, and El Hadji Diouf, among others. This match marked Sunderland’s final pre-season fixture that summer as they geared up to face Liverpool the following week. Their Premier League pedigree proved too much for The Town to contend with.
July 24th, 2010: Athlone Town 0-3 Villarreal, Athlone Town Stadium
The visit of La Liga side and future UEFA Europa League Winners, Villarreal CF was another momentous occasion for The Town. Players such as Giuseppe Rossi, Santi Cazorla, and Europa League winner Mario Gaspar featured for The Yellow Submarine and were captained by Brazilian-born Spanish international Marcos Senna who, two years earlier, had been part of the Spanish side which won the European Championship.
August 5th, 2014: Athlone Town 0-2 Queen’s Park Rangers, Athlone Town Stadium
Under the management of Harry Redknapp, QPR concluded their pre-season preparations at Athlone Town Stadium, with nearly 3,000 spectators in attendance. Although Rio Ferdinand and Richard Dunne were present at the stadium, they did not participate in the match. Goals from Charlie Austin and Bobby Zamora showcased the talent within QPR’s formidable squad. Notable players like Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Steven Caulker also made appearances during the game.
Underage Setup
In recent years the club has expanded its underage structure and now has nine teams. They are as follows:
EA Sports Men’s U20 League of Ireland Academy
EA Sports Women’s U19 League of Ireland Academy
EA Sports Men’s U17 League of Ireland Academy
EA Sports Women’s U17 League of Ireland Academy
EA Sports Men’s U15 League of Ireland Academy
EA Sports Men’s U14 League of Ireland Academy
U16 Dublin District Schoolboy League (DDSL)
U15 Dublin District Schoolboy League (DDSL)
U15 Girls Midland Schoolboy/Girls League (MSL)
In 2017, the U15 Boys team claimed the inaugural U15 SSE Airtricity League title, defeating St. Patrick’s Athletic 2-1 in the final at Athlone Town Stadium, with both goals scored by Dylan Gavin.
Building on this success, the 2018 season saw the U17 Boys team—featuring many players from the previous year’s U15 title-winning squad—win the U17 SSE Airtricity League Shield. Dylan Gavin scored twice, with Adam Lennon adding a third to secure a 3-2 victory over Cork City.
The U17 Boys continued their success in 2022, capturing the Mark Farren Cup. They defeated defending champions Cork City 1-0 at Athlone Town Stadium, with Kevin Sweeney scoring a dramatic injury-time winner directly from a corner.
In 2024, the Women’s U19 team clinched the league title with an impressive 4-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers at Athlone Town Stadium. This triumph capped off a remarkable season in which they topped their group and were finalists in the Cup.
Women’s Team
Athlone Town first entered a women’s team into the then Women’s National League in 2020. Tommy Hewitt led his team to a runners-up finish in the league and were FAI Cup finalists in 2022, second only to Shelbourne in both competitions.
In 2023, the Athlone Town women had a highly successful year, marked by significant achievements. They began the year by winning the inaugural Women’s President’s Cup Final against the 2022 double champions, Shelbourne. Despite being 2-0 down at one point, The Town fought back, forcing the game to penalties, with Ciara Glackin making crucial saves in the shootout to secure the victory.
Despite finishing 5th in the Women’s Premier Division, Athlone reached back-to-back Women’s FAI Cup Finals. Ciarán Kilduff took over as coach mid-season, guiding the team to an impressive Cup run. In the final against familair foes Shelbourne, the game went into Extra Time after a late equalizer by Gillian Keenan. Athlone eventually won the penalty shootout 4-3, ending a 99-year wait for a Senior FAI Cup to return to The Town.
The 2024 season marked the beginning of a highly successful year for Athlone Town. The team kicked off with a President’s Cup victory, defeating 2023 league champions Peamount United 3-0 at Athlone Town Stadium. This strong start led to even greater success, as the Town went on to claim their first-ever League title, finishing two points ahead of Shelbourne.
Hopes for a league and cup double were high as Athlone and Shelbourne met once again in the Cup Final. However, Shelbourne came out on top with a 6-1 victory, concluding a memorable season for the Town despite the Cup Final loss.