Club news

Connolly Nominated For Player-of-the-month Award

By Kieran Cleeves • 01 May 2018

Brighton & Hove Albion under-23 striker Aaron Connolly has been nominated for April’s Premier League 2 Player of the Month award.

The striker made four league appearances for the Seagulls throughout April, scoring five goals across the final two games of the regular season, before helping Simon Rusk’s team to a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals.

Connolly hit the back of the net twice against Stoke City at the Checkatrade.com Stadium - both first-time efforts from wide crosses, delivered by George Cox and Ales Mateju respectively.

The striker then fired Albion into a 3-0 lead at Wolverhampton Wanderers, coolly slotting home on three occasions to bag his first hat-trick for the under-23s - as the Seagulls won 5-0 to seal a home tie in the play-off semi-finals.

The Irishman played 90 minutes in Albion’s semi-final victory against Boro, and will now look to help the Seagulls secure promotion to the Premier League 2 Division 1 - when they meet either Aston Villa or Reading in the final.

Five other players make up the six-man shortlist for the award, which was decided by the Premier League Football Development Panel after managers nominated the best performance by an opposing player in each of their league matches during the month.

Connolly finds himself on the shortlist alongside Aston Villa pairing Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Jack Clarke, Newcastle United’s Daniel Barlaser, Reading’s Sam Smith and West Ham United’s Marcus Browne.

The winner, also selected by the Football Development Panel, will be revealed at 9:30am on Tuesday 8th May.