Darren Ferguson and Gabriel Zakuani miss out on awards.
Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies and Hull City's George Boyd are rewarded for their fine form this month as Football League sponsors npower are proud to reveal the prizes for both the npower Championship Manager and Player of the Month Awards.
Four wins and a single draw ensured a near perfect month for Billy Davies as he helped propel Nottingham Forest into the Play-Off positions. While automatic promotion is probably a bridge too far, hitting the Play-Offs on form will certainly be encouraging for the Forest faithful.
Having signed on loan from Peterborough United in February, Boyd has made an instant impact at Hull, adding dynamism to their attacking play. His four goals in five March games included two on his home debut against Birmingham City and a screamer in the 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town at the end of one of his trademark bursts from midfield.
The two awards are determined by two separate expert panels. The Manager of the Month award is decided by former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley, Football League Chief Operating Officer Andy Williamson, League Managers Association Deputy CEO Olaf Dixon and npower Partnership and Sponsorship Manager Katy Thomas. The Player of the Month panel sees Katy Thomas joined by Wolves legend Don Goodman, BBC Sport’s Mark Clemmit and The Football League’s Head of Communications, John Nagle.
Speaking about Billy Davies' win, panel member Alan Curbishley commented; 'A fantastic month for Nottingham Forest where their winning run has catapulted their climb into a Play-Off berth. Billy Davies is enjoying his return to Forest where his side now have a realistic chance of promotion.'
Commenting from npower, Partnership and Sponsorship Manager Katy Thomas added; 'It was clearly a great month for both winners. So often it's the form team that does well in the Play-Offs, so Forest fans will be silently hopeful that this run can lead to promotion, while I'm sure Hull City fans will be hoping George Boyd makes his move permanent based on these performances!'
