THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS’ Association of Ireland has confirmed its candidates for manager of the year, but there is no place for Damien Duff on the Premier Division shortlist.
The Shelbourne boss guided his side to fourth spot, a finish that proved enough for European qualification as a result of St Patrick’s Athletic winning the FAI Cup on Sunday.
The Saints had already secured a place in the Europa Conference League qualifiers after finishing third and their manager, Jon Daly, is one of the three to make the cut.
He is joined by Stephen Bradley, who was at the helm as Shamrock Rovers secured their fourth title in a row. The Dubliner made history with that success, becoming the first manager in the history of League of Ireland football to oversee four successive titles.
The nominees for PFA Ireland Men's First Division Manager of the Year 2023 are:
— PFA Ireland (@PFAIOfficial) November 16, 2023
⚽ Keith Long
⚽ John Caulfield
⚽ Shane Keegan
Congratulations to each of them! 👏👏#PFAIawards23 #LOI #recognisingtalent pic.twitter.com/V9stXHGMFg
Bradley and Daly are joined by Kevin Doherty, who helped Drogheda United secure their top flight status with a comfortable seventh-place finish.
In the First Division, John Caulfield has made the three-man shortlist after his Galway United romped to automatic promotion as champions.
Waterford’s Keith Long joins him and he, too, will be a top-flight manager after the Blues’ success in the promotion/relegation play-off.
Cobh Ramblers manager Shane Keegan is also in contention for the First Division award after a stellar campaign saw his side finish third in the regular season before losing out to Cork City in the promotion/relegation series.
