FOOTBALL: Awards delight for in-form trio
Shiels, McDonagh and Healy pick up January's NIFWA gongs
Dungannon Swifts manager Dean Shiels is the Northern Ireland Football Writers Aktivora Manager of the Month for January.
The former Rangers and Northern Ireland player guided the Swifts to league victories over Warrenpoint Town, Larne, Portadown and Carrick Rangers.
He’s only the second man from the Stangmore Park club to win the prestigious monthly prize.
He said: "To get the Manager of the Month award is brilliant for me but I have to give total credit to the staff and especially the playing staff, they're the ones on the pitch, they're the ones doing the business for us.
"Each week our team is averaging an age of 21, we have good staff in Tony Gorman, Terry Fitzpatrick and Dwayne Nelson, we're very tight knit, the physio, the kit man it's a big effort from everyone.
"It was a big month for us. What started it was the 2-0 win over Knockbreda in the Irish Cup. We used that momentum to go to Warrenpoint. We won at Warrenpoint and took it from there.
"It was a brilliant month for us, and the lads deserve a lot of credit for their effort because there were Saturday-Tuesday weeks in there which is tough going on the squad. It was a collective effort.”
Meanwhile, it's a double celebration for Jamie McDonagh.
The Cliftonville star has won both the Danske Bank Player of the Month award and NIFWA’s Goal of the Month competition.
In January, McDonagh scored five goals as the Reds maintained their challenge in both the Danske Bank Premiership and the Samuel Gelston’s Irish Cup
He said: "It's a very proud moment for me, I'm very happy to win my first Player of the Month award from the Football Writers and Danske Bank. I couldn't have done it without my teammates and every game I play Paddy McLaughlin fills me with confidence. It's great to show the league how well I can play. I want to keep improving and try and help the team as much as I can."
Jamie also won the NIFWA Goal of the Month prize for his spectacular strike against Ballymena United, the first goal in a stunning brace.
McDonagh said: "It's great to win Goal of the Month too. I think it was the second-best goal I've ever scored, the first was the Goal of the Season from last year.
"Since Conor McDermott came in at right back it's given me a bit more freedom to go forward and go inside. I had only scored one goal before the new year and in January I got five so it's paying off. A lot of it is down to the style of football we're playing as a team but also the freedom Paddy has given me to play with. I just wish I could have scored three against Ballymena to get the win."
Dungannon Swifts man Darragh McBrien was runner-up, with Crusaders defender Josh Robinson in third.
Newry City AFC star Noel Healy is the NIFWA Championship Player of the Month for January.
The 22 year-old has played a crucial role in City’s recent good run of form, that has lifted Darren Mullen’s side eight points clear at the top of the division. In the month of January, Newry defeated Ballinamallard United and Dundela, as well as knocking Warrenpoint Town out of the Irish Cup.
A delighted Healy said: "I’d like to thank the Football Writers’ for this award, it means a lot to me.
"At Newry, we’re enjoying a great season. If we keep working hard, I’m confident we can win promotion to the Premiership.”
On Friday night, Newry beat fellow Championship side Ards in the second round of the Samuel Gelston's Irish Cup. Despite playing for 70 minutes with 10 men after Thomas Lockhart's first half red card, City booked their place in the quarter-finals courtesy of Daniel Hughes' strike before the break.
They were rewarded with an away tie against Premiership leaders Glentoran on the first weekend of March.
The other ties see Cliftonville at home Coleraine, Crusaders v Dungannon Swifts and Ballymena United or Portstewart against Larne.
The Ballymena v Portstewart tie was postponed yesterday due to a waterlogged pitch at the Ballymena Showgrounds.