Bohs trio on SWAI award shortlist

DOUBLE-winning Bohemians dominate the shortlist for this year’s Eircom/ Soccer Writers Association of Ireland (SWAI) Personality of the Year award.

Gypsies boss Pat Fenlon, skipper Owen Heary and goalkeeper Brian Murphy all make the shortlist of six, which is completed by Jeff Kenna and Paul Cook, the managers of relegation escapees Galway United and Europe-bound Sligo Rovers, and St Patrick’s Athletic star Keith Fahey, who is currently the subject of serious interest from Birmingham City. Dalymount Park number one Murphy also makes it into the three-man Goalkeeper of the Year shortlist, along with Derry City’s Ger Doherty and UCD’s Matt Gregg.

Bohemians manager Fenlon is delighted that his club dominates the nominations.

“It’s great recognition,” he says. “I hope one of the lads win it, I would be delighted for Owen or Brian but I’m delighted the three of us are in for it. From my end, I think I’m on it because of the staff I have around me and, for the two lads, it’s down to the players they have around them. What has stood to us this year is everybody that was involved was up to the mark and willing to put in a good shift.

“Doing the double probably hasn’t sunk it yet. Having a lot of players out of contract has taken a little bit of the gloss off it for me because I’m trying to sort people out as quickly as possible. But it’s a fantastic achievement to win the league by so many points, to go so many games unbeaten away from home, all the records, it was fantastic. Then to add the Cup on top of that was a bonus because it wasn’t something we set out to do at the start. It’s been a fantastic season.”

The winners of the Personality of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year will be announced at the eircom/SWAI annual banquet on Thursday, December 4th at the Hilton Hotel, Grand Canal in Dublin.