Martin O'Neill shares Sports Manager of the Year award with Northern Ireland boss

Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill has jointly won the 2015 Philips Sports Manager of the Year award along with Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill.

Both managers guided their respective teams to qualification for the European Championships to be held in France next summer and were presented with their award at a ceremony in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon.

Martin O'Neill had already won the Philips Sports Manager of the Month award for November following the terrific qualifying play-off triumph over Bosnia & Herzegovina and he reflected on that campaign at the ceremony.

"I felt with four games left we were still in the group and I don't think it was really bravado,” he said.

“We had to win our games either at home to Germany or away to Poland but we knew it was possible. The players came through and they have been fantastic.

Michael O'Neill and players celebrated Northern Ireland qualifying in October.

“For us to join Michael [O'Neill] is great. I must admit that I felt really envious of him enjoying himself [after qualifying] when we were still in the doldrums, but we were delighted to qualify."

Martin O'Neill becomes the fifth different Ireland manager to win the award following on from Jack Charlton, Mick McCarthy, Brian Kerr, and Giovanni Trapattoni.

The event, which has been running for 34 years, saw an attendance of the other managers who had won monthly awards this year, while Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and Cel O'Reilly, Managing Director of Philips Ireland, presented the award to the two managers.