Michael Duffy named SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association Player of the Month for September

Dundalk star Michael Duffy has been named as the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association Player of the Month for September

The Lilywhites’ winger played a prominent role as Dundalk wrapped-up two of the three top domestic prizes during the month – clinching the league title and claiming the EA Sports Cup in an exciting decider against Derry City.

25-year-old Duffy delivered a sumptuous strike for the vital third goal that saw off the Shamrock Rovers challenge in the September 23^rd Oriel Park showdown.

That win ensured a second successive league title for Dundalk (and a fifth in six years).  Duffy’s second league medal with Dundalk arrived barely week after the Derry native had notched the first equaliser for Vinny Perth’s in the EA Sports final at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Duffy then slotted a vital penalty in the shootout as the Co. Louth men survived to capture the EA Sports Cup for the second time in three years, thus expunging some of the memory of that spot kick miss at the Aviva Stadium in the 2017 FAI Cup final.

Duffy, who was PFAI Players’ Player of the Year for the 2018 campaign picked-up the bulk of the votes to claim the September 2019 gong from Dundalk colleague Chris Shields who finished second and Shamrock Rovers striker Aaron Greene.

The former Derry City and Celtic player also ensured Dundalk’s place in a fifth consecutive FAI Cup final with a late, late volleyed finish in the 1-0 semi-final victory at the Sligo Showgrounds on September 29^th.

“It was a mad month,” reflected Duffy. “It’s one that we’ll all look back on fondly.

“I was pleased because I chipped in a few big goals. There were a couple of games where I was quiet, like the EA Sports Cup final. I didn’t see much of the ball, but to score the winner right at the end was unbelievable.

“Everything just seemed to fall for me, and I was in the right place at the right time. To win the title the way we did against Shamrock Rovers made it a special night.

If Dundalk can topple the Hoops at the Aviva Stadium on the first Sunday of November, they will become the first club to complete the domestic treble since Derry City in 1989. 

“We want to finish strongly in our last two league games, but all eyes will be on the FAI Cup final now,” Duffy added. “It’s going to be a massive day.

“If we could do the treble, I wouldn’t even know how to describe it. The fact that 30 years have passed since the last team achieved it shows that it’s not something that comes around very often.

“The boys will never forget the success they had in Europe, but if we can pull this off it will be something that stands to us for the rest of our lives.”