Stephen Kenny receives top award

Bank of Scotland Premierleague Manager of the Month for April

Stephen Kenny has been awarded the Bank of Scotland Premierleague Manager of the Month for April and as every Dunfermline supporter knows, well earned.

April was a make or break month for Dunfermline Athletic, they were the only Premierleague side with full points from the three games. Two vital home wins against Hibernian and Dundee United gave them a Premierleague lifeline going into last Monday night's game against St Mirren.

Their narrow victory against the Buddies closed the gap at the bottom of the table to just one point ensuring that if the Pars win their final three games and St Mirren drop at least one point, then they will secure Premierleague status next season.

Since joining the club in November from Derry City, Stephen Kenny has galvanized the side and made them a tougher proposition on the park. This has been particularly demonstrated in April as the team did not concede a league goal home or away.  The Pars boss commented:-

"I'm surprised to win the award if I'm being honest, I think awards should be for achievement. I know it's just for the period in question but I would say Gordon Strachan would be a more deserving winner because Celtic have just won the league. We're still at the bottom.

"We haven't achieved anything yet. I wouldn't like to be sitting down taking plaudits because we've done nothing. You can get a manager of the month award, but I know that football is essentially about players. It's about getting the most out of the group you have and we still have a lot to do in the last three league games.

"The results over the past month have given us a fighting chance. The players have shown great determination because lesser characters would have been relegated by now. When you're nine points adrift at the bottom of the league, as we were at one stage, it's a real test of resolve."