Lincoln City defender Sonny Bradley has been nominated for League One Player of the Month, joining manager Michael Skubala among the possible award winners.
Michael is a regular in the nominations for Manager of the Month, but as a team, we’ve not had lots of player recognition, as everyone has been good. However, March has seen serial winner Bradley nominated, just days after his heroics formed part of a day Imps fans will never forget.
As the crowd filtered out of the ground on Monday, still disbelieving City had been promoted, Sonny spoke to Rob Makepeace and outlined the mentality that has taken this outstanding group to the second tier.
“We knew a point would be enough to do. But we had, I think, 92nd, 93rd minute, we had a chance to take it into the corner, and we could have taken a 1-1 and that would have been done, but absolutely not,” he said.
“We’re trying to win a league title. I know how much that will mean if we do win a league title. So we went on, and when Jack Moylan goes through 1-1, I put my mortgage on him to score from there, and that’s exactly what he did.”
March formed an important part of that league title push, with a huge win against Cardiff City kicking off a run of four wins and a draw. Bradley has some stiff competition for the award, but he surely has to be a standout option.
The 34-year-old has been the bedrock of a defence that continues to underpin everything good about City’s season, combining authority in the air with a no-nonsense approach in the tackle and the kind of leadership that sets the tone for those around him. His presence has been central to a run that delivered three clean sheets in five matches.
Elsewhere, £15m-rated Dom Ballard (Leyton Orient) showed his sharpness in front of goal with a third hat-trick of the season at AFC Wimbledon, part of a return of five goals and an assist that has helped steady Orient’s position, while also producing a composed finish on the run and a well-taken header at Stevenage. He’s got to be the favourite for the award.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan (Reading), stepping in for Jack Marriott, delivered six goals in six games, including a decisive header at Burton and his first senior hat-trick at Luton, driving Reading towards the play-off places. His presence wasn’t enough to get them over the line against City, though, nor was that of Oliver Norwood at Stockport County. He returned from injury in March to reassert control in midfield, dictating tempo and contributing three goals, among them a vital equaliser at Luton.
Individual awards probably aren’t high on the list of a player’s priorities, but the seasoned defender will surely be delighted to see he is still recognised nationally as a big figure at this level.
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