Pompey skipper earns award nomination

BRETT PITMAN has been nominated as League One player of the month for September.
Brett Pitman. Picture: Joe PeplerBrett Pitman. Picture: Joe Pepler
Brett Pitman. Picture: Joe Pepler

The Pompey skipper’s six goals in seven games was enough to earn him a place on Sky Bet’s four-man shortlist.

Also listed are Michael Jacobs (Wigan), Kieffer Moore (Rotherham) and Richard Smallwood (Blackburn).

In terms of goal-scoring, none can match Pitman.

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The striker has produced an explosive start to his Fratton Park career.

A consolation goal in last weekend’s disappointing 2-1 loss to Oldham took his tally to nine in 11 league appearances so far.

However, he missed last night’s Checkatrade Trophy clash with Crawley having undergone a nose operation earlier this week.

He, of course, broke his nose scoring the opening goal in the 4-1 home triumph over Fleetwood.

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Gary Roberts won the September 2016 League Two award, following three goals and two assists.

Previously, Gareth Evans collected the accolade for December 2015 after four goals in a month.

Now Pitman is in the frame, with the League One winner to be announced on Friday morning, however he faces stiff competition.

Wigan winger Jacobs has scored four goals this season for Paul Cook’s side, with two arriving in September.

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They include a 30-yard winner against Northampton, with the 25-year-old described by the panel as ‘imagination and unpredictability make him almost impossible to mark. Equally happy dribbling or dinking a pass into his strikers’.

The Latics are currently second in League One and beat Walsall 2-0 last weekend.

Moore was part of the Rotherham side which won at Pompey at the start of September.

The on-loan striker from Ipswich went on to net five times and provide two assists in seven appearances for a second-successive nomination.

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The panel described him as ‘powerful in the air and bullish on the ground, he is the focal point of a free-scoring Rotherham attack’.

Completing the quartet of players is Smallwood, Blackburn’s defensive midfielder.

The former Middlesbrough apprentice arrived at Ewood Park in the summer and has quickly become a key man.

Smallwood produced a volleyed goal in a 3-0 victory at Rochdale and during the month also registered an assist.

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The panel said he had ‘quickly earned himself cult hero status at Ewood Park with his non-stop tackling style’.

Blackburn won four games in September and currently occupy sixth spot in League One.

Meanwhile, Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has been nominated as September Manager of the Month.

Also shortlisted for the award are Paul Hurst (Shrewsbury), Stuart McCall (Bradford) and Paul Warne (Rotherham).