We round up the news and reaction following the announcement of the the Player of the Month in the three Sky Bet EFL divisions.
Sessegnon scoops Championship award
Fulham winger Ryan Sessegnon has been named the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month for January.
Flitting between left-back and the left side of midfield, sometimes in the same match, is no problem for the precocious 17-year-old.
Sessegnon has an uncanny feel for where the ball will drop in the area, as witnessed by his six goals in four games.
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic said: "Ryan has shown his talent and desire and deserves the award for January. He is a young player with a very big future and is an important member of our team.
“Winning this award provides recognition for the good work he and the team have done so far and I expect he will continue to show his skill and qualities to help us for the rest of the season."
Sessegnon said: "It's a great feeling to be named the Championship Player of the Month but I think it’s credit to the team and the way we’ve all been playing in January, which has allowed me to get this award. It’s an amazing feeling.
"It’s been down to the gaffer playing me in a higher position allowing me to play further forward and scoring more and creating more goals. At this minute, I’m liking my role further up the pitch with the ability to contribute goals and assists."
Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Don Goodman said: "It’s not often you get as precocious a talent as Ryan in football and the EFL is once again proving what a great hotbed it can be for young English players to flourish.
"The way Slavisa Jokanovic has incorporated the 17-year-old into the first team is as impressive as the way that Ryan has taken his opportunity and his form in January has mirrored the club’s in general."
O’Toole tops League One charts
Northampton Town midfielder John-Joe O'Toole has been named the Sky Bet League One Player of the Month for January.
A niggling groin injury caused O’Toole to miss 24 games this season and Northampton won just two of them.
With him in the team, they have won seven of 13. Arriving late in the box, he scored a goal in four successive games, including a lovely glancing header at Blackburn.
Northampton manager Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink said: "I'm really happy for John-Joe. He was brilliant for us in January and scored some very important goals.
"It wasn't easy for him, we have had to nurture him through a little bit as he has continued his recovery from injury, and he has been playing with pain, but that just sums up his character and his will to do well for the team.
"He was a big factor for us in a good month and he deserves the award."
O'Toole said: "It feels great to be recognised for this award. We’ve picked up in terms of results in recent weeks so that’s been great – apart from Saturday which was a bit of a kick in the teeth, so we need to get back to it, but we’re heading in the right direction.
"It’s been a bit of a difficult season for me personally injury-wise, and even when I got back in September/October it was frustrating being in and out of the team, but I’ve managed to get a run of games recently and managed to get on the end of a few which is nice but I want to get a few more now."
McNulty shines in League Two
Coventry City striker Marc McNulty has been named the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month for January.
McNutly maintained his rich scoring streak with another four goals in January, this time in four games as Coventry continued to climb the table.
The pick of his goals was a stroked winner against Chesterfield, while he also got an assist against Cambridge.
Coventry manager Mark Robins said: "It's great to see Marc being recognised for the hard work that he puts in week in week out and he is a deserved winner. his performances have been outstanding and his goals have been vital for us, so congratulations to him and let’s see if he can push on again and win the award in February as well."
McNulty said: "It’s the first time I’ve picked up one of these awards so it’s very pleasing to receive it.
"I went on a little run in December, and as a striker you take a lot of confidence from scoring goals and it’s just gone from one week to another.
"I think the boys have just been a little bit inconsistent this season, we know that ourselves but there’s still a lot to play for, there's still a lot of games and we’re positive that come the end of the season we’ll do well."
The judging panel for the Sky Bet Player of the Month comprises Sky Sports’ EFL expert Don Goodman; EFL Communications Director Mark Rowan, League Managers’ Association Director Olaf Dixon and Sky Bet EFL trader Mikey Mumford