Highland League champions Cove Rangers swept the boards at last night’s glittering end-of-season awards dinner at Nairn.
Cove’s top scorer Daryl Nicol picked up the player-of-the-year award, while the Aberdeen club’s John Sheran was voted manager of the year.
For the first time in the history of the awards, a clubman of the year did not take the top prize.
The players’ voting system of first, second and third-choice totted up to leave Nicol as player of the year. Midfielder Blair Yule was voted Cove’s clubman of the year.
Nicol top-scored with 42 goals for the season but 15 of those came in various cup competitions, leaving him on 27 league strikes.
So the trophy for the most league goals went to Brora Rangers forward Paul Brindle – 30 of his 31 goals last term coming in league matches.
Reflecting on a memorable season, Nicol, who with his girlfriend is due to emigrate to Australia next month, said: “It is a wonderful feeling to pick up such a prestigious award.
“It means even more as it is other Highland League players who have voted for me.
“I have to thank each of our management team and every one of my title-winning team-mates, especially my fellow forwards Jonny Smith and Jamie Watt and midfield playmaker Blair Yule, not to forget our inspirational captain Eric Watson.
“I certainly couldn’t have won this award without their support. I would also like to thank every one of the opposition players who voted for me.”
Manager Sheran is on holiday in Dubai but the assembled audience was able to see him on video accepting his award from long-serving Highland League secretary John Grant.
Paying tribute to his Cove colleagues, Sheran, who was also voted manager of the year by his peers in Cove’s 2008-09 title-winning season, said: “I am delighted to receive this award but it’s not just about me. This is also for my management team, my assistant Graeme Mathieson, our coaches Roy McBain and Scott Bridgewater, as well as our physio Mike Pirie.
“All of these guys contribute during the season and everyone works hard to make sure that we win games.
“I am the one who has the pleasure of picking these things up but, in truth, it is for all the guys in the management team.
“At the start of the season we spoke to the players about having to play every one of our games away from home this term. I think they coped very well with that and, in fact, the bigger pitches rather than the smaller pitch at Allan Park actually helped us.
“We know that we are now going to have to do it again next season.
“We’ll just have to get on with it and, hopefully, we can make a good start next year.”