Shelbourne's league winning striker Sean Boyd has been named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for October.
The former Longford Town, Finn Harps and Shamrock Rovers man from Swords celebrated the "greatest moment" in his career after Damien Duff’s Reds beat Derry City to bridge an 18-year wait for league championship honours.
Boyd topped the nationwide poll with Dylan Watts of Shamrock Rovers second and St Pat’s Joe Redmond third.
Shels’ last won the league title in 2006 but their dramatic late victory at the Brandywell also ended Rovers’ drive-for-five in domestic football.
"It’s undoubtedly one of my best moments in football and probably the best thing that’s ever happened in my career. It’s been brilliant and I am delighted to get this Soccer Writers monthly award as well," said an elated Boyd.
Our monthly winner scored ten goals and four assists in 27 games for the Tolka Park outfit having netted 15 goals and a Cup final appearance in his first season at Shels’ in 2022.
"I think I just burst into tears when the final whistle went up at the Brandywell. It was a huge release of emotion after years of me thinking I’d never get to be a League of Ireland champion.
"Even after my ACL injury and all the rehab, I always had faith that it might happen one day and when it does you have got to fully appreciate it.
"It certainly does not come around that often for a footballer so it’s special to be part of a team that has won the league title," he added.
Boyd has come a long way since he suffered that ACL injury in a winter training match for out-of-contract players back in December, 2019 and now he has come full circle and capped it all off of with a league winners’ medal.
Some of the biggest influences on his career have been Stephen Bradley, Joey O’Brien, Ronan Finn, Luke Byrne and, more recently, Damien Duff.
"They are the people who have influenced me most in football and I know I am lucky to have them in my life," said Boyd.
"The way the manager is, we are going to defend the title for him and for ourselves. There will be no backward steps and we will give everything we can to achieve our goal. It’s a case of best foot forward and we go again," he concluded.
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