The first month of the EFL season has passed, and with it, we have the first nominations for the Sky Bet Manager of the Month. Below is the shortlist for August's Sky Bet League Two award.
David Artell (Crewe Alexandra)
Using the pre-season to mould last season’s strugglers into a more coherent team, Artell led Alex through an unbeaten August, garnering eight points from four games, which included a derby day win at local rivals Port Vale.
Mike Flynn (Newport County)
Living up to the miraculous escape from relegation he inspired last season was a difficult-looking task for Flynn, particularly when County’s first three fixtures were away from home. As usual, he made light of it, guiding them to eight points from four games.
Darren Sarll (Stevenage)
Refused to allow his squad to dwell on dropping out of the play-off positions in the final weeks of last season. Instead, he built on the positives to steer Stevenage through an unbeaten August, with two victories and two draws.
Paul Tisdale (Exeter City)
Play-off final heartache in May was followed by young starlet Ollie Watkins leaving in pre-season. What could have been a feeling of gloom has been transformed into optimism by Tisdale. Ten points from their four opening games took Exeter top.
The judging panel comprises former Ipswich Town manager George Burley, Sky Sports’ EFL League expert Don Goodman; EFL Marketing Director Drew Barrand, League Managers’ Association Director Olaf Dixon and Sky Bet Football Trader Mikey Mumford.
The winners will be announced on Friday 8th September.