Waterford’s Ronan Coughlan has won the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for April.
Striker Coughlan scored a sensational 11 goals in April as Waterford ramped up their First Division title tilt.
The 27-year-old former Sligo Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic man scored in all five of Waterford's matches in the month. Waterford picked up maximum points available to keep the pressure on league leaders Galway United.
Coughlan’s 11-goal haul included four first-half goals as the Blues beat Athlone Town 4-3 at the RSC. Coughlan grabbed a hat-trick three days later in a 4-1 victory away to Treaty United.
Also included was a match-winning brace against Bray Wanderers and key strikes against Kerry and Cobh Ramblers, as Keith Long's team completed a perfect April.
The win is Coughlan's first Player of the Month accolade. Coughlan had previously been nominated twice, in September 2020 while with Sligo Rovers and again in April 2021, shortly after joining St Pat's.
"It's great” declared Coughlan. I was nominated in the past when I was playing in the premier division, I think I was runner-up. That was the closest I ever got”.
"I probably wouldn't have thought I'd have won it playing in the First Division but I'm delighted to have won it. It was a great month for myself” added Coughlan.
"We had five games in the month and I scored 11 goals” smiled Coughlan. “I don't think I ever dreamed of something like that to be honest”. "We won all five games so it was a great month for myself but also for the team."
Soccer Writers Ireland player of the month award
Coughlan becomes Waterford's second winner of the player-of-the-month prize in just six months. Former Blues attacker Phoenix Patterson landed the award last September.
Coughlan finished first in the vote of SWI members in a very tight poll, finishing just ahead of Sligo Rovers' Max Mata, who leads the Premier Division scoring charts. Shamrock Rovers' Jack Byrne, who returned to form in eye-catching fashion in April, came in third.
The six-man shortlist for April's player-of-the-month award also included Bohemians Krystian Nowak, Shamrock Rovers striker Graham Burke and 21-year-old Shelbourne midfielder Jack Moylan.
