A VAUXHALL Motors player is in the running to be named the region’s best non-league footballer.
Skipper Tom Hannigan, 24, has made the three-man shortlist for Blue Square Conference player of the year at the Northwest Football Awards.
The centre-back, who came to the judging panel’s attention by winning Motors’ supporters’ player of the year award last season, is up against Damien Reeves of Altrincham and Joe Connor from Stockport County.
The player of the year votes are decided by an online public vote which opened last week and closes at 5pm on Monday, October 29. There are also categories for the Premier League and three Football League divisions, with star names such as Vincent Kompany of Manchester City and Everton’s John Heitinga nominated.
Hannigan will discover if he has bagged the Blue Square Conference player prize on Monday, November 12 when the awards ceremony takes place at Lancashire County Cricket Club.
The defender told the Pioneer: “It’s a nice bit of recognition. A lot of the strikers get all the headlines for scoring goals. “With me being a centre-half, you don’t get as much recognition.
“I’m captain now so the manger must have thought I was decent last season.”
Hannigan, an IT programmer who lives in Bebington, said news of him being shortlisted came ‘out of the blue’.
He added: “It was a bit of a surprise. A friend who lives in Ellesmere Port found out and put it on Facebook and then it went on Twitter, and it spread everywhere as it does nowadays.
“In work, I did an email to everyone who works there asking them to vote. I just want everyone to vote!”
Hannigan’s rivals for the award, Reeves and Joe Connor, play a division above Motors in the Blue Square Premier and are with clubs who attract far larger crowds than Carl Macauley’s side.
But fans and players from Vauxhall Motors are doing everything to drum up support for the club captain, using the hashtag #votehannigan on Twitter.
Consistent performer Hannigan has clocked up more than 150 appearances for Motors in the last five years. He was released by Tranmere Rovers – the club he supports – when he was 16 and went on to play for Cammell Laird before signing for the Motormen.
Votes can be cast on the Northwest Football Awards website: www.northwestfootballawards.com. All supporters who vote will be entered into a draw to win a pair of tickets for the awards ceremony, hosted by Football Focus presenter Dan Walker.
