A trio of Spartans Women have made the shortlist for the 2014 SWPL Awards, where players and managers are recognised by their fellow footballing friends and foes for their contribution on and off the pitch.
Manager Debbi McCulloch is the only female in the running for Manager of the Year whilst the duo of Kerry Montgomery and Sarah Ewens make up 50% of the shortlist in the Player of the Year category.
Montgomery was delighted at hearing of her nomination, “This is only my first full season playing at this level, so I’m over the moon. It’s good to get noticed and appreciated by people that aren’t just your team mates but from other players throughout the league.”
It’s been an exciting season for Kerry who has scored 12 times in her 25 outings from her midfield berth and the playmaker’s talent has also been appreciated by National Team Coach Anna Signeul.
Montgomery added, “I’m still on the periphery of the Scotland squad and there’s a lot of hard work ahead to try and cement myself in the squad, but as anyone who knows me will tell, I love a challenge and I’m looking forward to it!”
Sarah Ewens has been in some of her finest form since joining the team in 2009. The player has netted a remarkable 102 goals in 120 games, 27 of these coming in 24 appearances during this campaign.
Ewens noted, “I’m flattered but it shows that hard work definitely pays off. I’m also chuffed that there are three of us from Spartans nominated for awards as it shows how well we have done this season. I think a lot of other teams were happy to write us off at the start of this season, but we’ve proven the doubters wrong once again.”
Manager of the Year nominee Debbi McCulloch, who recently presided over her 125th game in charge said, “Obviously I’m very honoured and proud to be nominated and recognised by my peers however I think it shouldn’t just mean something to me, it should mean something to everyone in the club. It’s not just me who puts in the hours and the hard work, it’s the backroom staff, the coaching staff and of course the players too.
“I wouldn’t be able to do the job without the support of all those people and I’m eternally grateful to them. Obviously we’ve had a successful season so far and we want to make it even more so over the coming weeks, starting with the Edinburgh Derby this Sunday v Hibs followed by the Scottish Cup Final v City on the 16th November.”
The full list of nominees is as follows:
Manager of the Year:
Debbie McCulloch (Spartans)
Bruce Morrison (Inverness City)
Eddie Wolecki-Black (Glasgow City)
Young Player of the Year:
Lizzie Arnot (Hibernian)
Erin Cuthbert (Rangers)
Lucy Graham (Hibernian)
Player of the Year:
Sarah Ewens (Spartans)
Jo Love (Glasgow City)
Kerry Montgomery (Spartans)
Denise O’Sullivan (Glasgow City)
A Client Manager with an independent invoice financier firm during the day. Outside the office I volunteer as Media Manager across the Spartans FC family. Political hopeful. Broken / Retired Prop who played rugby for Scotland in his prime...
