The April nominations for the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month Award are:
Rob Edwards (Luton Town)
A dream of a month as Luton clinched a play-off berth with 14 points from six unbeaten games. To add to the feelgood factor Edwards has brought to Kenilworth Road, he enjoyed personal redemption with a 2-0 derby day win over Watford.
Paul Heckingbottom (Sheffield United)
Even the lure of an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley could not deflect Heckingbottom from his true purpose of achieving automatic promotion. Six wins out of seven games with a 13-4 goals differential meant they accomplished it comfortably.
Russell Martin (Swansea City)
With little more than pride at stake, Swansea played free and easy in April as Martin’s expansive passing style reaped a reward of 17 points from seven unbeaten games and pushed the Welsh side into the top half of the table.
Neil Warnock (Huddersfield Town)
It would not be a Championship season without a Warnock nomination. His powers of persuasion remain undiminished, inspiring an ailing Huddersfield side to 11 points from six difficult fixtures and the cusp of a successful fight against relegation.
The April nominations for the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month Award are:
Manuel Benson (Burnley) – wing-back
Four extraordinary goals in the month from the Burnley wing-back. Near carbon copies of each other, too, cutting inside from the right before curling a left-foot shot into the far top corner with stunning accuracy on each occasion.
Gustavo Hamer (Coventry City) - midfielder
Hamer was the driving force behind Coventry’s surge into the play-off places. A ball of constant motion dragging his side through games from box to box, his material contributions were two goals and four assists in seven games.
James McAtee (Sheffield United) – midfielder
When the Blades needed a cool head to secure automatic promotion, it was 20-year-old McAtee who provided it with his fearless dribbling ability, scoring the winners against Norwich and Bristol City among his three goals and an assist.
Matty Pearson (Huddersfield Town) - central defender
Playing as the right-hand man of three central defenders and then as a right-back, Pearson was his usual solid self defensively but it was at set pieces where he really shone, combining positioning and bravery to score four goals and set up a fifth.
