The votes were counted and Mighty Shane headed to Aye Taipei for the much anticipated awards night.
Managerial Changes
But before the awards were dished out, the face of the Mighty Shane, Jack Snart, announced he was stepping down as manager after almost 5 years in the job.
Jack guided this Taipei football club through one of the most successful periods in its storied history. His will be big shoes to fill.
And who else could hope to fill these shoes but reigning clubman of the year, Danny Miller.
Danny’s role in growing our kickabout, the organisation of 5 tours just last year, and his unwavering commitment on the pitch made him the perfect candidate to succeed Jack.
Welcome to the hot seat, Danny!
Football Awards
We kicked off the awards with the golden boot.
Lukas Tschojer claimed his first golden boot for Shane with 6 goals in the league and 2 in the cup.
The beer-wielding Austrian went on to proclaim that he’ll “score 15 next season”. Fingers crossed.
Next up was the Rising Star award.
All played a big role this season but Dave Jennings picked up the award for his instant impact and devastating left foot down the flank.
Goal of the season came next, with a variety of weird and wonderful finishes making it onto the shortlist.
Alex Wyatt came out on top for his classy finish from the edge of the box against B53, bailing out Dan Swift’s wildly heavy touch in the process.
Following this, clubman is given to the person who’s shown exceptional commitment to the club over the course of the season.
Danny unsurprisingly retained his crown for another year full of tours and outings, as well as for his organisation of the kickabouts.
DRA was next on the cards.
The Dave Roberts Award (DRA) is an award named after our club's legendary founder and is given to the player who has made the biggest fool of themselves either on or off the pitch during the season.
Could Dan Swift be the first back-to-back winner? Fortunately for him, it was not meant to be.
Former Shane player and injury-prone whinger Matty Raitt ran away with it for leaving his camera flash on in a rather awkward situation. Chin up, Matty.
Finally, the MVP was announced.
Perhaps owing to Shane’s watertight defense, defensive duo Dan Engel and Jack Snart were tied in the polls.
Based on a precedent set long ago, a drink-off ensued to determine the winner. And after practicing all week prior to the team party, Jack brought it home.
We look forward to football in Taiwan returning after Lunar New Year, and hope for another successful season in the TIFL.
We’re always on the lookout for new players, so contact us if you’d like to get involved!