Manager on four-strong shortlist for League One honour
Neal Ardley has been shortlisted for the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month Award for October.
Neal led AFC Wimbledon to four league wins and a draw out of six league games in October, a run which helped the Dons up to ninth in the table.
The judging panel nominated the following candidates in League One for the reasons given below:
Graham Alexander (Scunthorpe United)
Maintained his side’s position on top of the League One table throughout October. Emphatic victories over Chesterfield and Swindon helped them to average two goals per game and garner 13 points from six matches.
Neal Ardley (AFC Wimbledon)
As has become his managerial motif, he didn’t panic after a slow start to the season. Four wins and a draw from six games lifted his side into the top half and above Milton Keynes for the first time in the club’s short but proud history.
Phil Parkinson (Bolton Wanderers)
Went back to defensive basics to regain his team’s early season momentum. No League One side conceded fewer than Bolton’s three goals in October, the foundation stone for five wins and 15 points from six games.
Mark Venus (Coventry City)
Coventry were winless, bottom of the table, and four points adrift of safety when Venus took over on the final day of September. Three wins and a draw from five games later, he has engineered a remarkable turnaround and restored faith.
The judging panel comprises former Ipswich Town manager George Burley, Sky Sports’ EFL League expert Don Goodman; EFL Marketing Director Drew Barrand, League Managers’ Association Director Olaf Dixon, and Sky Bet Football Trading Manager Paul Lowery.
The winner will be announced on Friday.