WITH THE HELP of our reporters who have been keeping a close eye on the Premier Division action, we’ve compiled our SSE Airtricity League team of the month for September.
Disagree with our selections? Of course you do. Feel free to use the comments section to let us know who you think should have been included…
Goalkeeper
Brendan Clarke (Limerick)
The experienced former St Patrick’s Athletic stopper was in fine form for the Shannonsiders as they moved away from the relegation zone with a win over Cork City and a draw away to Bray Wanderers, in which he saved a Gary McCabe penalty.
Defenders
Sean Gannon (Dundalk)
Defenders don’t come much more reliable than the 26-year-old right-back, who delivered another relatively faultless series of displays as Dundalk maintained their undefeated run.
Lee Grace (Shamrock Rovers)
Grace continues to establish himself as one of the leading central defenders in the SSE Airtricity League, having made the seamless transition from Galway to Tallaght on deadline day.
Shane Griffin (Cork City)
Griffin’s performances at left-back have ensured that the Leesiders haven’t been detrimentally impacted by the departure of Kevin O’Connor for Preston North End.
Midfielders
Keith Ward (Bohemians)
The gifted playmaker enjoyed a superb September, the highlight of which was a brilliant hat-trick in his side’s 4-1 win away to Drogheda United.
Bastien Hery (Limerick)
It took him some time to settle since arriving in Ireland at the start of the year but the French midfielder is now a player Limerick may struggle to keep at the end of the season.
Conor McCormack (Cork City)
The former Manchester United trainee, who’s likely to be a contender for Player of the Year, was particularly excellent for City by breaking up the play and protecting his defence as the drew with Dundalk and booked an FAI Cup final spot at Limerick’s expense
Rory Hale (Galway United)
Shane Keegan conducted a shrewd bit of business with the recent signing of the Belfast native, who has been included in the Ireland U21 squad after producing some impressive displays since swapping Aston Villa for Galway United.
Brandon Miele (Shamrock Rovers)
The ex-Newcastle United player has been thrilling the Tallaght crowds recently, scoring in the league against Cork City and Finn Harps, as well as hitting an FAI Cup quarter-final hat-trick against Bluebell United.
Forwards
Chiedozie Ogbene (Limerick)
The Nigerian-born 20-yeasr-old, who scored a goal-of-the-month contender against Bray Wanderers, continues to torment defenders with his electrifying pace and trickery.
David McMillan (Dundalk)
The Dundalk striker scored three times to take his league tally for the season to 16 — four behind top scorer Sean Maguire — and was also on target in the FAI Cup quarter-finals and EA Sports Cup final.
Substitutes
Lukasz Skowron (St Patrick’s Athletic)
Darragh Noone (Bray Wanderers)
Kieran Sadlier (Cork City)
Robbie Benson (Dundalk)
Kevin Devaney (Galway United)
Michael Duffy (Dundalk)
Dinny Corcoran (Bohemians)
