SOCCER/Awards: Irish captain Roy Keane leads the list of nominees for this year's Eircom/FAI International Soccer Awards, which are due to be presented at the Citywest Hotel on February 10th, three days before Ireland's friendly match against Russia.
The Manchester United midfielder is one of three of Mick McCarthy's regulars to make this year's short-list. Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given and Steve Staunton of Aston Villa are also included.
All three made major contributions to the successful World Cup qualification campaign, with Keane ending up as joint top scorer, Given capping a string of impressive performances with a couple of crucial saves in the home leg of the play-off against Iran, and Staunton returning from the periphery of the squad to become a regular in central defence.
In the young player section, Richard Dunne is nominated along with Damien Duff and Ian Harte. Of the three, Harte's was the most extensive contribution to the team's success, with the Leeds United left back finishing the campaign as the only player to have played in every minute of every one of the 12 games. He also finished as the team's joint top scorer with Keane.
Duff appeared to come of age over the course of the campaign and proved how adaptable he could be when McCarthy opted to use him in an out-and-out striking role.
Dunne, meanwhile, continued to impress during the first half of the year, taking up where he had left off at the end of 2000 when his contributions in Amsterdam and Lisbon were critical against Ireland's main group rivals.
Three players who made their senior debuts during the past year are in contention for the under-21 award: Millwall's highly rated midfielder Steven Reid as well as central defenders John O'Shea and Andy O'Brien.
On the domestic front, Glen Crowe's remarkable goalscoring record for Bohemians over the past 12 months makes him the frontrunner for the National League's player of the year award.
The former Wolves striker won the the PFAI and Soccer Writers awards last year, and now needs to beat off competition from Shelbourne's impressive full back Owen Heary and UCD's player/manager Paul Doolin if he is to complete a hat-trick.
NOMINATIONS - Senior: Shay Given (Newcastle United), Roy Keane (Manchester United) and Steve Staunton (Aston Villa).
Young player: Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Richard Dunne (Manchester City) and Ian Harte (Leeds United).
Under-21: Andy O'Brien (Newcastle United), John O'Shea (Manchester United) and Steven Reid (Millwall).
Eircom League: Glen Crowe (Bohemians), Paul Doolin (UCD) and Owen Heary (Shelbourne).
Youth: Stephen Capper (Sunderland), Jonathan Daly (Stockport County) and Sean Thorntan (Tranmere Rovers).
Under-16: Pierre Ennis (Aston Villa), Ciaran Sharkey (Belvedere) and Glen Whelan (Manchester City).
Women - Senior: Sharon Boyle and Olivia O'Toole (both Shamrock Rovers) and Yvonne Treacy (Arsenal).
Women - Under-18: Maire Curtin (Lifford), Rachel Jenkins (St Catherine's) and Mary Waldron (St James Gate).
Junior: Pat Holden (Evergreen), David Kane and Christy McElligott (both Ballymun United).
Under-15: David Cassidy (Home Farm), William Flood (Manchester City) and Edward Keyes (Leeds United).
Schools: Noel Hunt (Mount Sion/Shamrock Rovers), Brendan Sweeney (Deerpark/Cobh Ramblers) and Ashley White (St Macartan's/Monaghan United).
Intermediate: Barry Porter (Letterkenny Rovers), James Smith (Cherry Orchard) and Stephen Yelverton (Rockmount).
