Danny’s the December destroyer with another monthly award
RUNCORN LINNETS favourite Danny O’Brien has been awarded December’s Macron Player of the Month honour in the Hallmark Security League Premier Division.
A common factor in Runcorn Linnets’ rise to the top of the table at New Year has been the everconsistent form of the defender.
The one-time midfielder has just kept on producing the goods in his own inimitable style – understated but at the same time spectacular – and club officials had no hesitation in naming O’Brien as first-team player of the month for December.
It is not as if there were not other strong candidates either.
Attacking midfielder Kris Holt has been a revelation since returning to the Runcorn ranks full-time from dual registration with Atherton Collieries (his hat-trick against Barnton being the obvious highlight) while Kieran Nolan has excelled in the holding role. Freddie Potter came off the bench to score twice in the Runcorn derby win on Boxing Day, promptly adding a further brace to steer Linnets to a 2-0 victory over Hanley Town, while Aaron Morris and Jimmy Moore have cemented an already-strong central defensive partnership with three consecutive clean sheet triumphs.
But you just can’t keep a good man down and O’Brien’s nomination completes a straight hat-trick of club player of the month awards for the former Cammell Laird 1907 man.
The statistics tell their own tale with O’Brien again proving much more than an excellent defender as Linnets negotiated a tough Christmas schedule of three league games over the holiday period with a triple shut-out.
The month did not have the kind of start Runcorn had hoped for as they exited the Buildbase FA Vase at the hands of Marske United – although not before Linnets had come close to fighting back from 3-0 down to force a replay.
With scheduled contests at home to 1874 Northwich and away against Padiham falling foul of the weather, Linnets had to wait until December 23 for their first league outing of 2017’s final month but they certainly made up for lost time.
O’Brien’s individual progress was checked by a neck injury which led to his 20th minute withdrawal against visiting Barnton but he had already made a mark with another successful spot-kick to put Michael ● Ellison’s men on course for a comfortable 4-0 win.
The defender passed a fitness test to play against Runcorn Town on December 26 and his contribution in a 5-0 triumph at Pavilions was immense. With Linnets already leading 10-man Town, the full-back scored with a typically accurate and perfectly-flighted 20-yard free-kick, doubling the interval lead at 2-0.
For good measure, O’Brien again converted from the penalty spot, after Stuart Wellstead had been sent tumbling, to make it 4-0.
Such has been his recent productivity in front of goal, it was something of a surprise not to see him on target again in the 2-0 defeat of Hanley Town at the Millbank Linnets Stadium on the Friday before New Year.