CARLOW-born Padraig Amond of losing FAI Cup finalists Waterford FC has been named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for October.
The 38-year-old in-form striker topped the nationwide poll with 72 votes to oust second-placed Patrick McClean of Derry City on 55 votes, with Shamrock Rovers star Graham Burke in third place on 27 votes.
The veteran Blues front man continues to inspire his team, and another stellar month saw him haul himself into contention for the Golden Boot with five goals and an assist, including a spectacular bicycle kick against Galway United.
He also scored his 50th goal for the club since his return to Ireland three years ago after an extensive career in the UK, and he played in this year’s Club Orange-sponsored FAI Cup final against Derry City at the Aviva Stadium.
Amond has now made over 800 career appearances, and he notched 18 goals this season as Graham Coughlan’s team avoided the dreaded drop and dovetailed that achievement with a superb run all the way to the FAI Cup decider.
The Blues skipper, who started his career with Shamrock Rovers youths and won four U21 caps for Ireland in 2008, intends to keep playing at the highest level until he reaches his 40th birthday on April 15, 2028.
“It was very disappointing to lose out to Derry in the final, but I suppose when we look back on it in time, staying up and surviving in the Premier Division is the most important thing for the club and the city itself.
It’s still all a bit raw for the lads and still hurts, to be honest, and when you see the way the Derry lads celebrated, that’s what we all want for Waterford as a club and for our own supporters and fans.
“It has been a really special six months for the club. It’s just a pity that we couldn’t put the icing on the cake, as it were. It wasn’t a great game. We restricted Derry to a handful of chances. We hit the bar, and we might have had a late penalty, but that’s football.
All we can do now is look forward to next season and try to go one better,” said Amond.
“We have made a positive start to the off-season with the retention of some very good players, and obviously we will have some new signings coming in as well. The manager is going to do a really good job in terms of recruitment and the club have done huge business in retaining him. The club has done brilliantly because he was a much sought-after manager given the way he transformed our club,” he added.
“We have the right man in place now, and it’s up to us as players to go and do the job on the pitch. We all want to give the club the best chance on the park and try to finish higher up the table and go further in the Cup,” said the club captain, who netted 18 goals in all competitions over the season and 16 in the previous two campaigns.
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