The nominees for April’s Isuzu UTE A-League Coach and Player of the Month are in – and now it’s to the fans to pick the monthly winners.
Among the nominees for this month’s coaches award are Premiership coach Melbourne City boss Rado Vidosic, Sydney FC manager Steve Corica and Western Sydney Wanderers’ Marko Rudan.
Central Coast Mariners coach Nick Montgomery was initially nominated for this month, but per the A-Leagues CPP: “a coach is ineligible if the coach has been suspended, as a result of being expelled from the technical area during a Match”.
Montgomery was suspended after getting a red card in the Mariners’ 1-1 draw with Wellington Phoenix on February 24.
This season, Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have partnered with Football Coaches Australia (FCA) to produce monthly nominees for fans of the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Liberty A-League Women to pick from as Coach of the Month.
The nominated coaches in the Isuzu UTE A-League for April was selected by the FCA panel, consisting of:
- Sarah West: Vice President, FCA
- Catherine Cannuli: Executive Committee Member, FCA
- Phil Moss: President, FCA
- Gary Cole: Executive Committee Member, FCA
- John Kosmina: Socceroos Team of the Century, former A-League/NSL head coach
Each member of the FCA panel votes for four coaches each month, granting four votes to their pick for Coach of the Month, three for their second-choice, two for their third and one for their fourth choice.
The fan vote will decide the Coach of the Month, and will then be a factor of the APL’s end-of-season process to determine Coach of the Year.
MORE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE NEWS
COMPLETE GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series
TALKING POINTS: Moment that earned a standing ovation from rival fans
AWARD SEASON: Every A-Leagues club’s end of season award winners
Isuzu UTE A-League April Coach of the Month: The nominees
Rado Vidosic – Melbourne City
April record
- Games played: 6
- Games won: 4
- Games drawn: 2
- Goals for: 14 (one scored in December in restarted Melbourne Derby)
- Goals against: 7
Steve Corica – Sydney FC
April record
- Games played: 5
- Games won: 3
- Games drawn: 2
- Goals for: 12
- Goals against: 5
Marko Rudan – Western Sydney Wanderers
April record
- Games played: 4
- Games won: 2
- Games drawn: 1
- Games lost: 1
- Goals for: 10
- Goals against: 6
Isuzu UTE A-League April Player of the Month nominees – April
This season, the top 10 players of each month are identified via the Opta Index, which gives players a rating of 100 for a given period.
Fans then vote for their player of the month, with 10 players from the Isuzu UTE A-League in the running for April’s honour.
The April nominees
Brandon Borrello – Western Sydney Wanderers
The Wanderers attacker continued his incredible season in April, scoring five goals in four games, including a brace against Macarthur FC.
Borrello also added two assists, playing an integral role in his side locking in a first finals appearance since 2017.
Marco Túlio – Central Coast Mariners
Tulio came back from the international break with a vengeance, helping the Mariners secure a first top-two finish since 2014.
The Brazilian striker scored four goals – with two of those coming in the second-place clinching win over Adelaide United – to go with two assists, along with an unbelievable hockey assist from inside his own half to help kickstart Jason Cummings’ opener against Western United.
Jamie Maclaren – Melbourne City
April was a special month for Melbourne City’s sharpshooter.
Maclaren ended a five game cold streak in-front of goal with a double against Wellington Phoenix, before firing a home a hat-trick a couple weeks later vs Western United to become the A-Leagues all-time leading goalscorer.
The Socceroos striker added another against Western Sydney to take his tally to six for the month and 24 for the season, wrapping up a fifth Golden Boot and fourth in a row.
Aiden O’Neill – Melbourne City
O’Neill carried over the confidence of earning his first Socceroos call-up in March with a solid end to the season with Melbourne City.
The 24-year-old continued to stand-out in City’s midfield with his all-around game, and even got on the score-sheet again in the restarted Melbourne Derby to wrap up the three points for his side.
Craig Goodwin – Adelaide United
Despite Adelaide’s dip in form throughout April, Goodwin was one of the few constant bright sparks during their four-game winless run.
The Reds star fired home two goals, to take his tally to 12 and while he didn’t tally one during April, Goodwin ended the season as the league’s assist leader with 10 to cap off what has arguably been the best campaign of his entire career.
Róbert Mak – Sydney FC
The return of the Mak after his re-call to the Slovakian national team was something special, as he helped Sydney FC return to the finals off the back of his incredible scoring form.
Mak fired home four goals in four games, including a brace against Western United that snatched an integral point early in the month. His strikes against Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar helped wrap up their finals berth, before being rested for their final game of the season vs Newcastle.
Danny Vukovic – Central Coast Mariners
The veteran keeper was brilliant in the Mariners’ mini resurgence in the final month of the regular season.
Vukovic made 22 saves in the last five games of the season, including a whopping seven in their stirring 1-1 draw against Melbourne City a few weeks ago.
Adam Le Fondre – Sydney FC
Le Fondre returned from injury late in the season to play a key role in helping Sydney wrap up a finals berth.
The English striker scored four goals in his last four games, with the first of those coming in a 1-1 draw vs Adelaide United that really kickstarted the Sky Blues’ mini resurgence.
Jordan Bos – Melbourne City
Bos finished the season just how he started it. The Melbourne City full-back’s breakout season continued in April, with the highlight coming in his brilliant performance vs Central Coast – where he fired home an unbelievable curling effort.
His performances have caught the eye of European teams and as reported by KEEPUP, the price tag he may go for would eclipse the outbound A-Leagues transfer record.
Andrew Redmayne – Sydney FC
Redmayne finished the season strongly during Sydney’s late-season resurgence. The Socceroos keeper added two clean sheets late in the campaign and put in a solid showing vs Perth Glory a week prior to kick-start their three game winning streak.
