Athlone Town
 |
|
| Full name | Athlone Town Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Town |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Ground | Athlone Town Stadium, Athlone |
| Capacity | 5,000 (2,500 seated) |
| Owner | Supporter owned |
| Chairman | John Hayden |
| Manager | Ricardo Monsanto |
| League | League of Ireland First Division |
| 2016 | League of Ireland First Division, 8th |
| Website | athlonetownfc |
Athlone Town Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Bhaile Áth Luain) is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they play their home matches in Lissywollen their new stadium which opened in 2007. The club's colours are blue and black.
Athlone first competed in the League of Ireland in the 1922–23 season finishing sixth. They were the first non-Dublin club in the Irish Free State to compete in the national Free State League. They competed in the league until 1928 and not again until the 1969–70 season.
Athlone Town won the FAI Cup, their first domestic success in 1924, beating Fordsons. Dinny Hannon scored the only goal of the game, as Athlone went through the whole competition without conceding a goal.
Hannon was one of five Athlone Town players chosen to represent the Irish Free State at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. The other players were Tommy Muldoon, Frank Ghent, John Joe Dykes and Paddy O'Reilly.
The club finished second in the league in the 1974–75 season earning a place in the UEFA Cup, the first time they had ever qualified for European competition. Their first round game was against Norwegian side Vålerenga who they beat. Athlone's second round tie was against Italian side AC Milan drawing 0–0 in the first leg at St. Mel's Park setting a record attendance of 9,000 before losing the second leg at the San Siro 3–0.
Athlone won their first league title in the 1980–81 season. They played KB in Europe the following season earning a draw in the first leg in Denmark and again at St. Mel's Park going out on the away goal rule.
...
Wikipedia