Aston Villa duo Steve Bruce and Sam Johnstone nominated for awards
Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has been nominated for the September Championship manager of the month award, whilst Sam Johnstone is in the race for the players' award.
Bruce survived a tumultuous start to the season, in which a section of fans called for him to leave the club, to shoot Villa up to seventh in the table - five points from top.
September was deemed a crucial month for the ex-Hull City and Blues manager, and he delivered 14 points from a possible 18 - including a 4-0 win away at Burton and a 3-0 victory at Barnsley.
Meanwhile, on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Johnstone has been a key player in Villa's recent run, keeping clean sheets against Bolton, Burton, Barnsley, Middlesbrough and Brentford.
It was in the latter in which he put in a stand out performance, pulling off a string of saves to earn his side a point.
Bruce has already stated his desire to bring Johnstone into the club on a permanent basis, following his second spell on-loan at Villa Park.
He joins Wolves winger Diogo Jota, Bristol City defender Aden Flint and Norwich's young midfielder James Maddison in the race for the award.
Bruce faces competition from Bristol City manager Lee Johnson, Preston's Alex Neil and Norwich boss Daniel Farke, both awards will be decided tomorrow.
