Paul Simpson is among the four nominations for the Sky Bet League Two manager of the month award for March.
The citation for Simpson’s inclusions says: “Returning to his hometown club with their EFL place in jeopardy, Simpson has inspired a remarkable transformation.”
Five wins in seven March games appear to have brought survival on the pitch while restoring faith and hope off it.
The Sky Bet Manager of the Month judging panel comprises former Barnsley manager Danny Wilson; Sky Sports’ EFL expert Don Goodman; EFL Communications Director Mark Rowan, and Sky Bet EFL trader Ivor Davies
Winners to be announced on Friday and Simpson’s rivals for the award are:
Joey Barton (Bristol Rovers)
Lost amid his side’s relentless drive into the play-off positions with another five wins from seven games has been the solid foundation on which he has built Rovers’ momentum. They kept four clean sheets and conceded just three goals.
Gary Bowyer (Salford City)
His quiet demeanour mirrored the stealthy progress of his Salford side as they picked up 12 points from six unbeaten games. The January acquisition of striker Matt Smith is proving inspired, with Salford scoring 11 goals in March.
Matt Taylor (Exeter City)
A busy March fixture list saw Exeter collect 14 points from seven games and move into the automatic promotion places. Taylor’s team did it with youthful energy and enjoyment, too, in-spite of a growing injury list at St James’ Park.
It should be noted that Simpson beat Barton in a head-to-head at Brunton Park, coming out 1-0 winners.
