Ex-Dundak captain Shields wins Irish League Footballer of the Year prize

Ex-Dundalk midfielder Chris Shields now holds Footballer of the Year awards from both sides of the border after being named Danske Bank Irish League Footballer of the Year for 2022.

The 31-year-old Dubliner, a central presence in Dundalk's imperial phase in the 2010s, transferred to Linfield in the summer of 2021, helping the Windsor Park club to a fourth league title in a row. David Healy's side edged out Cliftonville by a point to retain the title in 2021-22.

For Shields, it was the sixth league medal of his career, adding to the five he won at Dundalk between 2014 and 2019, and he's now been honoured with his second player of the year award.

The ex-Dundalk captain was previously named SSE Airtricity League Player of the Year in 2018.

"It's a great honour for me to win this award," Shields said of his latest individual gong. "I’d like to thank the Football Writers’, Northern Ireland Football League and Danske Bank for this prize.

"This is obviously my first year at Linfield, so I’m delighted that I have been recognised in this way. But really, this is just an added bonus. I came here to win the league and that’s exactly what we did.

"I must give a lot of credit to David Healy, who put faith in me. He’s a top class manager, and I’m glad I’ve been able to repay him. It was incredibly tough, with Cliftonville pushing us all the way, but I think we deserved the title.

"It’s a nice thing and I’m very proud to win it, but what we’ve achieved is done by a squad and staff. I’m more proud of the sixth league title of my career."