May 1st - St Patricks Athletic surrendered a two goal lead and top spot in Galway. Goals from Ryan Edmondsen and Chris Forrester looked like sending Stephen Kenny's side to a routine win in the first game of their weekend double header. However, Aaron Bolger returned to bite the hand that once fed him, scoring twice, including a 94th minute equaliser. That draw allowed Shamrock Rovers to return to the top of the table. The only goal in Tallaght Stadium came in the first half from Graham Burke as a dogged Waterford were dispatched one-nil. That game marked the end of Jon Daly's tenure in Waterford - if you were one of the thirteen people that picked him in the sack race, you'll find an extra fifteen points in your score this week.

Bohemians returned to top spot following a one-all draw with Derry City. James Olayinka opened the scoring for the Bogsiders but Markuss Strods equalised for the home side in the second half. That's eight games without a win now for Alan Reynolds' side who are eight points behind the leaders. Shelbourne relieved some of the pressure on their manager Joey O'Brien with a two-one win in Dundalk. Goals from Dean Kelly and Kerr McInroy sealed the win before Daryl Horgan's late consolation for the hosts. Down the road, Drogheda made it two wins in a row and ended Sligo's recent good run. The only goal at Sullivan and Lambe Park came from Mark Doyle inside the first quarter of an hour.

Cork City's first defeat of the season came courtesy of Cobh Ramblers' first ever league win in Turners Cross. Dylan McGlade's second half penalty gave the chasing pack a little glimmer of hope in what's been a procession so far. UCD are second in the table - they beat Longford two-nil. It was the same scoreline in Ferrycarrig Park where third placed Wexford beat Finn Harps. Athlone will be disappointed to have been held to a nil-all draw by Kerry. Bray Wanderers' poor run continued - they came from behind to lead ten-man Treaty United two-one but conceded an equaliser in the final ten minutes. It's six games without a win for the Seasiders now.

Robert Gaffney made a great start to the month picking up 57 points. He tops the first leaderboard for May, five points ahead Michael Treacy and Noel O'Brien who share second place. The top five after Friday night's games is completed by Kev Hardiman and Terry Haide:

May 4th - Shamrock Rovers extended their lead to three points following victory over Drogheda United. John McGovern scored twice and set up another as the Hoops won by four goals to one. As it happened, Rovers were the only team in the Premier Division to win on Monday - the remaining games all ended in draws.

For the second consecutive game, St Patricks Athletic failed to hold onto a lead out west. Kian Leavy opened the scoring in Sligo but Archie Meekison's penalty earned a point for the hosts. The Dublin Derby between Bohemians and Shelbourne ended in a two-all draw. Harry Vaughan scored in the last minute for the Gypsies who haven't won in nine games now.

Game of the day was arguably in Waterford where the home side and Dundalk shared the points and six goals. Daryl Horgan scored twice to take his season total to five but a late goal from John Mahon earned the Blues a sixth draw of the season. Graham Coughlan was confirmed as the new Waterford boss following this game.

James Clarke's own goal looked to be giving Galway United victory in Derry but Kevin Santos came off the bench with three minutes to go and scored an equaliser in injury time.

We have new leaders in the first division. A second defeat of the long weekend for Cork City allowed UCD to move top of the table. Cork lost one-nil in Kerry - Niall Brookwell scored the only goal at Mounthawk Park. UCD won two-one at Cobh Ramblers to lead the table on goal difference. The top two meet in Turners Cross on Friday night.

Wexford remain third in the table despite a last minute defeat at Treaty United. Fourth placed Athlone drew one-all in the Midlands Derby at Longford. Bray's play off hopes were dented further with defeat at Finn Harps.

May 8th - The top two both won to leave a three point gap at the top of the Premier Division. A nearly Michael Noonan goal sent Shamrock Rovers on their way to a three-one win in Galway. St Patricks Athletic fell behind to an early John Mahon goal at Richmond Park. However, Chris Forrester equalised from the spot in first half injury time and Zach Elbouzedi scored twice with league top scorer Ryan Edmondson also scoring as Waterford were beaten four-one.

Bohemians picked up their first win in ten games to regain third place from their opponents Dundalk. Aodh Dervin opened the scoring for the hosts but goals from Tierney, James-Taylor and Myers gave Alan Reynolds' side a much-needed win. Rob Cornwall saw red against his old side in that one. Ryan Brennan's penalty was enough to give Drogheda United a one-nil win at home to Derry City. There were no goals at Tolka Park as Shelbourne and Sligo Rovers finished scoreless. Shels still haven't won a home game in seven attempts this season.

Cork City recovered from their two recent defeats to regain top spot. Leaders UCD were beaten three-one in Turners Cross - Hans Mpongo was the Leeside hero with a hat-trick for the new leaders. Ben McCormack was another hat-trick hero in the first division - he scored three goals as Bray Wanderers thumped Cobh Ramblers five-one at the Carlisle Grounds. That win allowed Paul Heffernan's side to move back into the playoff places at the expense of their opponents.

Wexford remain third despite a two-one defeat at home to Longford Town. It finished scoreless between Athlone Town and Treaty United in the midlands. Max Hutchison's 95th minute goal gave Finn Harps a one-nil win at home to Kerry to round off Friday night's action.

After a busy week with two rounds of games, Kevin Murphy now leads the May competition on 125 points. He has a three point lead over Robert Gaffney in second place. Conor Foley and Paul Moore share third place - they're both thirteen points off the lead. Caroline Carroll, Gary Donnelly and Noel O'Brien share fifth place for the month so far:

May 15th and 16th - Defeats for the top two gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope in the title race. Shamrock Rovers slipped to a one-nil defeat in Dundalk. Tyreke Wilson scored the only goal inside the final quarter of an hour as the leaders lost for the third time this season. Enda Minogue pulled off a number of saves in the final ten minutes as Stephen Bradley's side sought an equaliser. The Lilywhites held out though to consolidate their top four spot. If Shelbourne were able to replicate their away form then they would definitely be challenging for top spot. Daniel Kelly scored the only goal as Joey O'Brien's side won one-nil at St Patricks Athletic. Shelbourne's fifth away win of the season means the gap at the top remains at three points.

Bohemians are just six points off the top. A second win in a row came in a two-one victory at home to Drogheda United. Goals from Dayle Rooney and Pat Hickey secured the win despite Thomas Oluwa's late strike for the visitors. Galway United picked up a very useful three points on Saturday night - they won four-one at Sligo Rovers. Waterford are still awaiting a first win of the season. Henry Rylah's injury time equaliser denied them victory as Derry City drew two-all in the Regional Sports Centre.

Cork City's mini blip in the first division seems to be over. Goals from Conor Drinan and Darragh Crowley gave the leaders a two-nil win in Longford and opened up a six point lead with a game in hand. Bray Wanderers (and Ben McCormack) were among the goals again. The Seasiders won four-three at second placed UCD with McCormack adding two more goals to last week's hat-trick. The Wicklow side climbed to third in the table with that win.

Three teams are level on 22 points in the battle for the playoff spots. Wexford are fourth despite a two-one defeat in Kerry. Cobh Ramblers beat Athlone Town one-nil with Dylan McGlade on the scoresheet. The final game in the first division saw Treaty United pick up a third win of the season - they beat Finn Harps three-nil.

It's double top for overall leader Robert Gaffney who also heads the May standings. He has a three point lead over Paul Moore who climbed two places to second this weekend. Conor Foley remains in third place with Caroline Carroll and Gary Donnelly sharing fourth spot. There's still plenty to play for in the monthly competition with two full weekends to go:

May 22nd - A two horse race became a three as the top two once again failed to win on Friday night. Shamrock Rovers were stunned by Sligo Rovers who won two-one in Tallaght. It looked a routine home win when the home side went ahead through an early own goal. John Russell's side refused to lay down though and second half goals from Jeannot Esua and Carl McHugh (in the 97th minute) gave the visitors all three points.

St Patrick's Athletic drew another blank but gained a point on the leaders following a nil-all draw in Derry. Those results allowed Bohemians to move to within three points of top spot with an impressive four-two win in Galway. Despite two Edward McCarthy goals for the home side, goals from Devoy, James-Taylor, Tierney and Hickey gave Alan Reynolds' side a third consecutive win. Bohs could actually go top of the table with a two goal victory over Shamrock Rovers on Monday night.

The fireworks in Sullivan and Lambe Park were restricted to the football as Drogheda hosted Dundalk. It finished one-all - Gbemi Arubi's opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Leo Burney's equaliser. Shelbourne recorded their first home win of the season beating Waterford two-one. They needed Sean Boyd's injury time winner to do so though. Waterford had picked up a first win of the season earlier in the week with a controversial win at home to Drogheda.

Cork City went nine points clear in the first division with a three-nil win in Athlone. Goals from Drinan and Mpongo (2) continued their recent winning streak. The chasing pack continued to take points from each other. Second placed UCD lost two-one at Wexford who climbed to third in the table. Dylan McGlade scored a last minute winner as fourth-placed Cobh Ramblers won two-one at Treaty United.

Bray Wanderers squandered a two-goal lead in Kerry as they had to settled for a draw. Two Matthew Britton goals gave the home side a valuable point. Finn Harps came from two goals down at home to earn a point against Longford - unable to find a winner though for my Friday night accumulator...

Heading into Friday's deciding games, Robert Gaffney holds and eleven point lead over Paul Moore in second place. Noel O'Brien has climbed to third with Gary Donnelly and Realtin Dunne completing the top five for May so far: