Irish League Premiership mid-season award picks: Best player, manager, signing, unsung hero and more from the campaign so far
It has been another Premiership season filled with magical moments, unpredictable results as the underdogs come out fighting and unforgettable goals.
The campaign has now hit the halfway point, which means it’s time to hand out some mid-season awards.
From the best player so far to the shining young star and the top-flight’s standout manager to the best goal, let’s see who takes home the win in each of our categories below.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Joel Cooper
Cooper has hit the headlines in recent days with his proposed move to Coleraine reportedly on the cusp of being completed and you can’t blame the Bannsiders for going all out to secure the 28-year-old’s services – he’s a player every Irish League club would love to have in their ranks.
According to Irish League Stats Man, Cooper has scored 34 goals and provided 25 assists in 83 league matches since returning to Linfield from Oxford United in 2022, including 11 goals and seven assists so far this term.
He has completed 123 successful dribbles this season – the next best is Glentoran’s Dylan Connolly on 72 and he has almost double the tally of third-placed Thomas Maguire – which is another indicator of the creative spark he has provided for David Healy’s side and his spectacular form is a big reason behind their current 11 point advantage.
Honourable mention: Joe Gormley (Cliftonville), Josh Carson (Ballymena United).
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Adam Glenny
What’s young these days? For the purposes of this award, we will include any Premiership player that is aged 23 or under.
Dungannon Swifts’ surge up the table has been mightily impressive – they were sitting tenth this time last year, but are now fighting at the top-end and looked a stern match for table-toppers Linfield before ultimately losing out 1-0 thanks to a piece of Cooper magic.
The County Tyrone outfit have kept 10 clean sheets, which is more than any other team, and 22-year-old Glenny has played his part in both defence and attack, scoring three goals (only Glentoran’s Frankie Hvid can match that tally in the defender category) as a true set-piece threat.
Honourable mention: Kieran Offord (Crusaders), Lewis MacKinnon (Portadown).
SIGNING OF THE SEASON
WINNER: Aaron McCarey
An absolutely stacked category with so many signings making an impact, including the likes of Danny Amos, Lewis MacKinnon, Dan Gyollai, Ben Kennedy, Josh Carson, Kieran Offord – the list truly goes on – but I’m opting for McCarey based on the impact he has had for Portadown.
In their last top-flight campaign (2022/23), the Shamrock Park outfit were relegated after winning just six of their 38 matches and conceded a whopping 88 goals in the process, but this time around sit fourth and only Larne (12), who have played five games fewer, and leaders Linfield (16) have conceded less than Portadown’s 19, which is a huge credit to McCarey and the collective effort in front of him.
According to Sofascore’s average match ratings, only Cooper (7.97) ranks higher than McCarey (7.57) while he has kept the joint-highest amount of clean sheets (seven) alongside Gyollai and Nathan Gartside (85) is the sole goalkeeper with more saves than his 69.
Honourable mention: All listed above plus Baris Altintop, Steven McCullough (both Portadown) and John McGovern (Dungannon Swifts).
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Rodney McAree
Wow, what an incredible job Rodney McAree has done at Dungannon Swifts this season.
There are many statistics that can be listed – most clean sheets, best home record, double the points from this time last season, sitting second in the table – to paint a clear picture of just how impressive the campaign has been, but it’s also the way they’ve managed to do it, playing an attractive brand of attacking football.
Dungannon haven’t finished in the top-six since 2010 and there’s of course a lot of work still to be done, but with arguably the league’s best manager at the helm, you wouldn’t put it beyond them.
Honourable mention: David Healy, Niall Currie.
UNSUNG HERO
WINNER: Danny Wallace
Wallace was placed on the transfer list by previous club Glenavon, deemed surplus to requirements at Mourneview Park, and wasn’t picked up by Dungannon until August 21, when the season was already underway.
His Swifts career started in horrid fashion when he was involved in a car crash on the way to a Premiership fixture with Ballymena United alongside three of his team-mates, but since breaking into the team in early-September, Wallace hasn’t looked back.
The 30-year-old put in a man of the match display on debut against Glentoran and has started in 16 consecutive Premiership matches with only Ben Buchanan-Rolleston (127) and Len O’Sullivan (123) making more interceptions than his 122.
Honourable mention: James Knowles, Daithi McCallion.
GOAL OF THE SEASON
WINNER: Shay McCartan (Portadown vs Larne)
I feel pretty confident that this will remain the Premiership’s best goal come the end of April, but if it doesn’t then lucky us because something very special has happened!
McCartan has enjoyed a solid start to his Ports career having arrived from Glentoran this summer, but undoubtedly his best moment so far was a 70-yard finish as Niall Currie’s side secured a famous win over reigning champions Larne.
As the ball sailed over Rohan Ferguson’s head, McCartan was arms aloft and Shamrock Park rose to its collective feet in both appreciation and shock at what had just occurred.