Sky Bet EFL Manager & Player August Award Nominations for August
Leeds United, Peterborough United and Lincoln City lead the way for the Sky Bet EFL Manager and Player August Award nominations.
Leeds United are recognised in both the Manager and Player of the Month Awards for August, following their fine start to the Sky Bet EFL Championship season.
New head coach Marcelo Bielsa has guided Leeds to the top of the league, thanks to four wins and two draws from their opening six games. Meanwhile Elland Road forward Kemar Roofe is nominated after his four league goals in August.
Bielsa is up against Tony Pulis, whose Middlesbrough side are joint top of the table with Leeds on 14 points; Blackburn Rovers' Tony Mowbray; and Phil Parkinson of Bolton.
Peterborough United both top League One and are the division's top scorers. They've bagged 16 goals to date, and claimed five wins from their six league matches. That has been rewarded with boss Steve Evans being nominated for August's Manager of the Month title.
He is up against Kenny Jackett of Portsmouth, Sunderland's Jack Ross, and Dean Keates at Walsall.
Posh's striker Jason Cummings is nominated for League One's Player of the Month for August after contributing six of their 16 goals so far.
In League Two, leaders Lincoln City unsurprisingly lead the way, with manager Danny Cowley and central defender Michael Bostwick up for awards.
Lincoln remain unbeaten, with five wins from six, and a three point lead at the top. Cowley is up against Carlisle's John Sheridan, Exeter's Matt Taylor, and Paul Tisdale of MK Dons.
The winners of each award will be announced at 0600 BST on Friday 7 September.
Sky Bet EFL Championship August nominees
Manager of the Month
Marcelo Bielsa (Leeds United)
The Argentine has made an exceptional start at Elland Road, giving outsiders like Mateusz Klich a chance to impress and his players licence to attack at will. Six unbeaten games yielded 14 points and took them top.
Tony Mowbray (Blackburn Rovers)
Having won back the club’s Championship status, Mowbray is determined that Rovers won’t struggle again. Well organised at the back, exciting going forward, a nine-point haul from five unbeaten games suggests they belong.
Phil Parkinson (Bolton Wanderers)
Has harnessed the momentum his side gained when securing their Championship status in the dying minutes of last season to perfection. Behind a solid defence, they beat West Brom, Reading and Birmingham to earn 10 points from five games.
Tony Pulis (Middlesbrough)
Doing what he does best, organising from the back a Boro side that has collected 14 points from six unbeaten games. They conceded just two goals all month and registered five successive clean sheets, most notably at Leeds.
Player of the Month
Ben Alnwick (Bolton Wanderers) - goalkeeper
His own save of the month highlights reel was the platform for Bolton’s impressive start. Superb fingertip saves against both West Brom and Birmingham were bettered by a pair of astonishing stops against Sheffield United.
Kemar Roofe (Leeds United) – striker
Spent his career to date flitting between midfield and attack, but showed his future is as a striker, performing impressively as a frontman. Technically sound in the air and on the ground, he managed four goals and two assists.
Ollie Watkins (Brentford) – striker
Three goals and three assists as Watkins spent the month setting up team-mates and terrorising opposing full-backs at will with his dribbling ability. The sweet timing on his shots was evident in goals against Rotherham and Stoke.
Andreas Weimann (Bristol City) – striker
Made a positive first impression at Ashton Gate by scoring five of his new side’s seven goals in August. Allied a terrific work-rate to his knack for finding space in the box and even headed off his own line to preserve the 1-0 win at Swansea.
Sky Bet EFL League One August nominees
Manager of the Month
Steve Evans (Peterborough United)
Stated publicly that the Peterborough job was the one he had been waiting for. The feeling is mutual after a perfect August saw his side collect 15 points, score 15 goals and sweep the opposition away with their attacking prowess.
Kenny Jackett (Portsmouth)
Now in his second season at Fratton Park, Jackett’s methods are fully engrained. The combination of pace up front and solidity at the back brought Pompey 13 points from five unbeaten games with just three goals conceded.
Jack Ross (Sunderland)
Ross combined astute summer signings Chris Maguire, Glenn Loovens and Max Power with promising youngsters like Josh Maja to rekindle the enthusiasm at the Stadium of Light and brought 13 points from 15.
Dean Keates (Walsall)
Last season’s struggles against relegation have been quickly forgotten thanks to the fresh, positive mindset Keates has instilled in his players. A fine haul of 13 points from five games has the Saddlers looking upwards once again.
Player of the Month
Dimitri Cavare (Barnsley) – full-back
A dynamic month at both ends of the pitch for Barnsley’s French right-back. Used his physical strength to help preserve four clean sheets, drove forward to serve up four assists and topped it off with a goal to savour against Scunthorpe.
Jason Cummings (Peterborough United) - striker
What an impact he has made at London Road. Six goals and three assists as he helped propel Posh to the top of League One. Commanding in the air, skilful on the floor, the on-loan Scot has formed an instant partnership with Matt Godden.
Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth) – winger
New to English football, the summer signing from Derry harried and hustled his way to three goals and an assist. Driving inside, he didn’t give Blackpool defenders a moment’s peace with both goals in the win at Bloomfield Road.
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland) - winger
Scoring the last-minute opening day winner against Charlton set the tone for both the Sunderland youth product and his team. Persistent and determined, the young American will chase everything and also has four assists to his name.
Sky Bet EFL League Two August nominees
Manager of the Month
Danny Cowley (Lincoln City)
Picked up where his team left off last season, allying fitness to an unquenchable team spirit. That brought his side 13 points from five unbeaten games, four of them from losing positions. Oh, and leadership of Sky Bet League Two.
John Sheridan (Carlisle United)
No stranger to a Manager of the Month nomination, for once Sheridan has been asked to build a side, not fight a fire with relegation looming. He is equally adept at both, as proven by a 10-point haul from his first five games.
Matt Taylor (Exeter City)
Following a long-serving manager can often be a poisoned chalice, but Taylor looks utterly comfortable in the chair and has made the transition for his team a seamless one – witnessing 10 points from his first five games.
Paul Tisdale (MK Dons)
Nominated for a second successive August – impressively so given that it is with a different club. Left Exeter after 12 seasons and had an instant impact in Milton Keynes, inspiring his new side to 11 points from five unbeaten games.
Player of the Month
Michael Bostwick (Lincoln City) – central defender
Rugged in appearance and nature on the pitch, Bostwick typifies Lincoln’s spirit. The converted midfielder’s ability to break up play contributed to his side conceding just four goals in five games, while he also ventured forward to score against Swindon.
Michael Doughty (Swindon Town) – midfielder
The box-to-box midfielder achieved the remarkable feat of scoring four penalties in a month, demonstrating coolness and variety. Two of them came in his hat-trick against Macclesfield on opening day, his other goal being a header.
James Norwood (Tranmere Rovers) – striker
After seven seasons in non-league, Norwood’s return to the EFL could not have gone better with six goals and all but one of Tranmere’s total. Allies a prodigious work-rate and harrying defenders to calmness in front of goal.
Ollie Palmer (Crawley Town) – striker
Five goals in five games for Palmer, who looks to have finally found a home that suits him. Dominant in the air as he proved with a header on his debut at Cheltenham. A mazy dribble and finish against Bury demonstrated his other strengths.
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