The prestigious awards, which include the overall accolade of Personality-of-the-Year and the title of Goalkeeper of the Year, will be presented at the Airtricity/SWAI Annual Banquet in Dublin's Conrad Hotel on Friday 14 January.
All six nominees for the title of 2010 Personality-of-the-Year are vying to win the Airtricity / Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland award for the first time. Managers Michael O'Neill, Paul Cook and Pat Devlin are short-listed, as are players Joseph Ndo, Richie Ryan and Gary Twigg.
Shamrock Rovers manager Michael O'Neill secured the Hoops' first League title in 16 years after a thrilling Premier Division campaign – and Rovers went close to their first double since 1987 but lost the FAI Ford Cup final to Sligo Rovers after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Paul Cook is recognised for his achievement in helping Sligo win an FAI Ford Cup and EA Sports Cup double, while also steering the Bit O'Red to third place in the table and European football next season.
Pat Devlin took over first-team affairs at Bray Wanderers in August following Eddie Gormley's departure. The Seagulls were bottom of the table and looked certain for the drop, but Bray avoided relegation following a dramatic play-off with Monaghan United.
Gary Twigg was one of O'Neill's key players again this season, despite missing the first six league games after surgery on a calf injury. He made his return and the goals flowed, putting away 26 in all competitions.
Although Cook masterminded Sligo's trophy charge, he couldn't have done it without key players Richie Ryan and Joseph Ndo.
Ryan was arguably the best midfielder in the League of Ireland this season and that was acknowledged by his peers in November when crowned PFAI Player of the Year on top of an Airtricity/SWAI Player of the Month award also presented that month. The only blot on his copybook was missing the FAI Cup final through suspension.
Ndo joined Sligo at the start of the season from Bohemians, although the Bit O'Red had to patiently bide their time as red tape prevented him making his debut until late April. The former Cameroon international was at his swaggering, confident best, driving Sligo to success this season, and he capped off the year with a man-of-the-match performance in the FAI Ford Cup final win over Shamrock Rovers.
The other main award of the night at the upcoming 2010 Airtricity / Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Personality-of-the-Year Awards is the Goalkeeper of the Year Award which will go to Alan Mannus, Ciaran Kelly or Peter Cherrie – all of whom are also bidding to win the award for the first time.
Northern Ireland international Alan Mannus was central to the Hoops first League title in 16 years, but was powerless to prevent Sligo denying the Hoops the double in the FAI Ford Cup final.
Ciaran Kelly was the reason, as he saved all four of the Hoops penalties in that dramatic shootout at Aviva Stadium. The Mayoman deputised in the second part of the season for injured Richard Brush and played an important role in the team's notable success this year.
Dundalk had a roller-coaster season, with the highs of leading the league and playing in Europe, coupled with the lows of a mid-season slide down the table, but Peter Cherrie – despite a foot injury that left him on crutches for weeks – remained consistent with some excellent displays as he closed out the season as the Lilywhites Player of the Year.
SWAI Personality of the Year nominees: Paul Cook (Sligo Rovers), Pat Devlin (Bray Wanderers), Michael O'Neill (Shamrock Rovers), Richie Ryan (Sligo Rovers), Joseph Ndo (Sligo Rovers), Gary Twigg (Shamrock Rovers)
SWAI Goalkeeper of the Year nominees: Peter Cherrie (Dundalk), Ciaran Kelly (Sligo Rovers), Alan Mannus (Shamrock Rovers).
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