Vinny Perth wins top SWAI award
Vinny Perth has been crowned ‘Personality Of The Year’ at the annual SSE Airtricity/ Soccer Writers Association of Ireland banquet held in Dublin.
Having taken over at Dundalk from Stephen Kenny – who had himself claimed the same award the previous year – Perth oversaw the Lilywhites’ 2019 league title success as well as leading his team to an FAI Cup Final against Shamrock Rovers.
In claiming the prestigious gong, Perth saw off competition from the Hoops’ Jack Byrne – who helped his side to that long-awaited cup triumph as well as breaking into the senior Irish team in 2019 – and one of his own Dundalk players, Sean Gannon. The other nominees on the short-list were Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, Bohemians manager Keith Long, and Dundalk midfielder Chris Shields.
Making it a night of double success for the champions, Dundalk’s Gary Rogers was named ‘Goalkeeper Of The Year’ ahead of Shamrock Rovers’ Alan Mannus and James Talbot of Bohemians.
The ceremony also saw the Liam Tuohy Special Merit Award go to referee Michelle O’Neill, who was an assistant ref at last summer’s Women’s World Cup Final in which the United States beat the Netherlands 2-0 in France and also part of the first all-female team to officiate at a major men's European Final - the Uefa Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsa.
The International Achievement Award went to Irish goalkeeping legend Packie Bonner, almost 30 years on from his penalty shoot-out heroics at Italia 90.
