The April nominations for the Sky Bet League Two Manager of the Month Award are as follows:
Gary Bowyer (Salford City)
The demands at Salford are great, but Bowyer showed a cool head in masterminding five wins and a 17-point bonanza from eight games. The catalyst was a 2-0 victory at Forest Green as Bowyer’s men ended April in the play-off places.
Darrell Clarke (Port Vale)
This was the month in which Clarke’s impact on Vale following his arrival in February became apparent to all. His side kept five clean sheets and conceded just a single goal as they collected 16 points from six unbeaten matches.
Michael Duff (Cheltenham Town)
Whatever frustration lingered from missing out on automatic promotion last season because of sport’s lockdown was finally swept away as Duff’s consistent side earned a ticket to League One with 14 points from seven matches.
Hayden Mullins (Colchester United)
Thrust into the manager’s seat with Colchester sliding towards the trapdoor, Mullins’ calming influence inspired a draw at promotion-chasing Bolton and wins over relegation rivals Walsall and Southend to ensure survival.
The April nominations for the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month Award are as follows:
Tom Conlon (Port Vale) – midfielder
Vale captain and midfield dynamo in a side which swept past all-comers in April, Conlon linked play and contributed three goals and an assist. The centrepiece was an audacious wonder goal struck from near the halfway line in the win at Barrow.
Ian Henderson (Salford City) – striker
Ending the season as he began it – in form. It wasn’t just his six goals and an assist, it was the timing and importance of his strikes, which included a brilliant volley at Forest Green and late winners against Stevenage and Bradford.
Paul Mullin (Cambridge United) – striker
Six goals in seven games, including two against his former club Morecambe in a 2-1 win, took Cambridge to the brink of automatic promotion and made him the first player to score 30 League Two goals in a season since 2012/13.
Ben Tozer (Cheltenham Town) – central defender
As dependable as ever in the middle of a back three which conceded just three goals in seven games, Tozer also unleashed his not-so-secret weapon, a long throw which assisted four Cheltenham goals in their promotion month.