Saints duo nominated for EFL awards
Southampton’s rise into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places has been rewarded with two nominations in the EFL’s October awards.
Head coach Tonda Eckert is up for Manager of the Month after a run of four wins and a draw, taking 13 points from a possible 15 as Saints rose from the bottom half of the table into fifth place.
October’s results started with a long-awaited first home victory over Portsmouth for 21 years in the south coast derby at St Mary’s, before a gritty 1-0 win at Norwich as Saints won on the road for the first time in the league this season.
A goalless draw against Bolton secured a third straight clean sheet, before the goals flowed in impressive victories at West Ham (3-2) and at home to QPR (4-1) as Saints rounded off the month in style.
James Bree, scorer of Saints’ memorable derby-day winner, has been nominated for the Player of the Month award for his performances during October.
Bree played in all five games during the month, as Saints showcased the fruits of their work at Staplewood during the extended international break with a trio of clean sheets.
The defender then followed up his decisive strike against Portsmouth with perhaps the most spectacular goal of his career to date, as his sizzling half-volley gave Saints a 2-0 lead inside 11 minutes at the London Stadium.
The defender faces competition for the award from three strikers in August Priske of Birmingham, Blackburn’s Andri Gudjohnsen, and the Championship’s leading scorer, Middlesbrough marksman Will Lankshear.
No manager picked up more points than Eckert during the month, with Chris Davies (Birmingham), Kim Hellberg (Middlesbrough) and John Mousinho (Portsmouth) also nominated.
Both awards will be decided by an EFL judging panel, with the winners to be announced on Friday.
