Longford Town manager Alan Mathews was tonight named as the eircom Soccer Personality of the Year by the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland.
He received his award at a gala banquet in the Alexander Hotel from eircom's Managing Director of Retail Cathal Magee and SWAI President Gerry McDermott.
It is the first time that Mathews has won Ireland's top football award and he was selected after a nationwide poll of SWAI members from a shortlist that also included Shelbourne duo Pat Fenlon and Jason Byrne, Dublin City's John Gill, Limerick's Mike Kerley and former Waterford United manager Jimmy McGeough.
The Soccer Personality of the Year is the oldest individual award in Irish soccer and many of the game's great names adorn the famous Golden Nib trophy since it was first presented in 1961.
During the 2003 season Mathews guided Longford Town to their best ever season since joining the eircom League in 1984. The Midlanders won the FAI Cup for the first time when they beat St Patrick's Athletic in a thrilling final at Lansdowne Road.
Earlier in the season Mathews had guided Longford to the eircom League Cup final where they lost narrowly to St Pat's. Having won the FAI Cup, and guaranteed European football at Flancare Park next season, Mathews then ensured his players kept their focus for the remainder of the season as they ended the campaign in fourth place in the Premier Division, their highest ever finish.
A season to remember was then completed in December when Longford Town supplied two players - Stephen Paisley and Sean Dillon - to the Ireland U-20 squad which finished ninth at the World Youth Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The 38-year-old is a former Longford Town player who played for the club in the early 1990s when Dermot Keely was manager. He made his eircom League debut for St Patrick's Athletic in 1984 and also played for Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, and Galway United. He was assistant manager to Keely at Home Farm Everton and Shelbourne.
Shelbourne's Steve Williams was named as the Goalkeeper of the Year and became the second recipient of the specially commissioned trophy donated by former UEFA Vice President Des Casey.
Former Bohemians manager Billy Young, who recently retired as assistant manager to Ireland's U-21 international team, was presented with the SWAI's Merit Award for his services to football.