Keena lands League of Ireland player of the month award again

Mullingar’s Aidan Keena still sits on top of the League of Ireland scoring charts, and he has been rewarded for his form with SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers’ Ireland Player of the Month award for July.

The Sligo Rovers forward hit crucial goals against Bala Town and Motherwell in the Europa Conference League, in a continental run which thrilled Bit O’Red fans in the July heat. On the domestic front, he also bagged a brace against former club Shelbourne earlier in the month.

Keena (23), who has hit 14 goals for Sligo in all competitions this season, also won the award in March.

“It’s brilliant to win the player of the month award again,” he said. “With goalscoring, if your team’s doing well, you’re always going to get chances as a striker. We hit a good bit of form there, and I got a few chances throughout the month and put them away, thank God.

“I think going into any season as a striker, you want to be in there at the top of goalscoring. We have eleven league games left, and hopefully by the end of it I’ll still be there.”

Under the tutelage of John Russell, Sligo enjoyed one of their most memorable European runs in a long while, with a goal from Keena sealing a giant-kill of Scottish club Motherwell at Fir Park. This was one of the former Mullingar Athletic youngster’s favourite moments of the year.

“The European run was brilliant for the club, the fans and players and coaching staff alike – we all loved it. Hopefully we can push on for the rest of the season and get to Europe for next season as well,” Keena added.

“My standout moment is probably the hat-trick at home against [Finn] Harps earlier on in the season. It was a good way to introduce myself. I think it was only the third or fourth game into the league, so I was delighted to get that.

“We got eleven games left for the rest of the year, and everyone that’s around us we need to play them again, and some teams a couple of times. So our aim is to put a run together and get ourselves in contention for Europe.”

Sligo have made a bit of history this week, becoming the first club to simultaneously pick up men’s and women’s player of the month award. Keena’s Rovers clubmate, Emma Doherty, picked up the SSE Airtricity Women’s National League Player of the Month Award for June/July

“It’s the irst time that two players from the one club have won it in the first team. It’s brilliant for Emma; she’s been flying, scoring goals, so it’s well deserved for her,” said Keena.

“It’s their first season in the league, and we’ve been coming to games and watching them whenever we can, and I’m pretty sure most of the fans around the town get down as much as they can for the women. They’re flying as well with a few good results lately, so hopefully they can finish strong too.”