Strike sparks love-in at leaders!

After netting the record-breaking strike for the First Division North leaders in Saturday's 3-0 win at Prescot Cables, the 32-year-old former Manchester City trainee and Exeter City pro is pictured getting a smacker for his services to scoring from manager by Stuart Mellish.

The former Ashton United, Burscough, Chorley, Droylsden, Mossley, Radcliffe Borough and Southport attacker, who struck twice at Valerie Park to lead the division's scoring charts with 30 goals so far this season, was already celebrating at the weekend after being named on Friday as one of the five finalists in the running to be named this season's NPL Facebook Group's Fans Player of the Year.

The coveted accolade will be handed out at the 2016 EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Players of Year Awards which are returning for the fifth year running to the four star Brooklands Holiday Inn near Barnsley on Sunday 19 April.

Kilheeney faces stiff competition with Robert Dale at Blyth Spartans, Clitheroe's Sefton Gonzales, Stourbridge's Karl Hawley and Kidsgrove Athletic's Anthony Malbon all through to the finals and supporters currently voting for their favourites ahead of the poll's March 31 deadline.

Won last season by Spartans star Dale, the NPL Facebook Group Fans Player of the Year is the only footballing honour in the UK run soley by supporters and will be handed out next month by Leeds United manager Steve Evans.

The brainchild of former Manchester City keeper and NPL man Alan Ogley, the EVO-STIK NPL Players of the Year Awards are a unique celebration at the top levels of Non-League football with the focus on recognising the impact of players on the campaign and the votes cast by their managers who choose a 'player of the year' and 'young player of year' in each division along with eleven more in three divisional 'teams of the year'.

Launched in 2012, the inaugural accolades were handed out by World Cup referee Howard Webb and BBC 5 Live and Non-League Show presenter Caroline Barker. This season's star-studded night will also see the best young players from the NPLFA, the EVO-STIK NPL's ground-breaking league wide academy, honoured in front of their peers and the league's senior stars.

To take part in the online poll for the NPL Facebook Group Fans Player of the Year click on the following link and cast your vote: http://tiny.cc/NPLSPOTS2016. Fans can only vote once. Where multiples votes are made, all are deleted.

Image courtesy of John Hopkins

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