Glentoran manager Declan Devine has been named manager of the month for December by the Northern Ireland Football Writers.
The Glens boss led his players to three wins and one draw in the Irish Premiership in the final month of 2024, helping his side finish second in the top flight table.
The Oval team won 3-1 against Crusaders at Seaview, won 2-1 against Cliftonville at Solitude, drew 0-0 with Linfield on Boxing Day and beat Portadown 2-0 at Shamrock Park.
The east Belfast side also started the month by beating big Belfast derby rivals Linfield 1-0 at Windsor Park to progress to the quarter-finals of the BetMcLean Cup.
“When I came in at the end of last season, I felt we needed a restart, a reset,” said Devine, who was originally hired on an interim basis following the departure of former manager Warren Feeney, before taking on the role permanently.
“We have a good fight, a good spirit and the boys enjoy coming to work every day.
“May it continue for a long time as we need to continue to raise standards and performance levels. We know we have a lot of work to do.”
Devine was recently rewarded for his efforts with a new two-and-a-half-year contract that will see him remain in charge of the Glens squad until 2027.
“Everyone is pulling in the same direction at Glentoran – it’s a really positive place to be and we will continue to build on that,” added the former Derry City and Bohemians boss.
“We have to continue and try to be better every day.
“We have to challenge when it comes to titles and trophies, but we have to understand what there is to improve. We need to get back to the mentality of winning trophies.”
