1. Daryl Horgan, midfielder, Cork City FC
Horgan is no stranger to these pages, his fantastic goals this season have seen him make news outside of Ireland with Spanish paper Marca and Italian paper La Repubblica fawning over his spectacular solo effort against Drogheda United last month. In a struggling Cork City team, Horgan has been one of the few bright spots of the campaign. He leads the team’s goal scoring charts with 8 in all competitions. Bar one or two poor performances he has been key to the best offerings the team have put forward this year, his two goal haul in a surprising win over Sligo Rovers a little over a fortnight ago was testament to that. His crossing is decent and he is consistently capable of beating opposing full backs. While he has played on both sides I think he is more suited to the right flank as he can become a bit predictable cutting on to his right leg when on the left wing . This is Horgan’s second full season in the top flight with Cork City after appearing in a handful of games for Sligo back in 2011, he left the club to go on loan to Cork who at the time were in the first division. His two year deal will run out this December and don’t be surprised to see an English side try and pick him up. Cork City will be desperate to hold on to their best performer this year. The 20 year old is certainly one to watch over the coming years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbcaPXA5IE8
2. Chris Forrester, midfielder/forward, St.Patrick’s Athletic
The former Bohemians player has played a massive role in St.Pat's stellar league campaign so far. He is suited to playing a number of positions, on the wing or in a more central attacking role but he has found himself on the left hand side of an attacking triumvirate more often than not. While not the sole attacking or creative presence like say Horgan in a strong St.Pats side, Forrester has been perhaps their best player. He has scored some crucial goals such as his winner against Bray Wanderers in the early stages of the season and has also slotted home in emphatic wins over Shelbourne and UCD. His hat-trick against Shels was one of only three this season and showed the quality he possesses. Forrester’s talents were recognized by his club and fellow players last season as he won the PFAI Young player of the year as well as the St.Pats award. He vision is superb and his involvement with the Irish U-21's will only continue his development as a player that will interest clubs from abroad.
3.Dave O’Leary, midfielder, Limerick FC
Limerick have had a solid season on their return to the top flight and David O’Leary has been a key part of that. The Corkman who has been with Limerick for several season now (I may be wrong but I believe Cork City manager Tommy Dunne did have the opportunity to sign him at one point but decided not to). Perhaps his superb display in Turners Cross a couple of months ago accounts for that. In a stunning game O’Leary set up 2 of Limerick’s 3 goals to secure a win. He only turned 21 last week and his steady work in midfield has played a huge role for Limerick so far this year. What I like about O’Leary is he looks like he is an all-round central midfielder. He has the defensive capabilities of his teammate Joe Gamble with an additional attacking dimension too. Talking to Limerick fans he has been their most consistent player this season. The league of Ireland has produced many central midfielders who have moved abroad; Davey Meyler and Keith Fahey would be the most famous of exports but plenty other such as Gary Dicker and Gary Deegan have also enjoyed success at Championship level, it wouldn't surprise me to see O’Leary join their ranks soon.
4. Dave McMillan, forward, Sligo Rovers
The oldest of the group at 24, McMillan has already carved out a decent career in the League of Ireland for himself with stints at UCD (two) and St.Pats. A brief move to Australia two years ago didn't last long and he arrived back at UCD midway through last season. The students were struggling to stay up and McMillan’s goal tally provided a much needed boost and saw them comfortably avoid any relegation playoff. He averaged a goal every other game last season between league and cup, not bad for a guy who only had half a season in the league. He continued his fine form for UCD this year with 12 goals in 19 games by July. He signed for Sligo Rovers on a free transfer showing how well he could combine with fellow Rovers frontman Anthony Elding after he followed home from an Elding knockdown. McMillan is a goal behind Derry’s Rory Patterson in the goalscoring charts and I see no reason why he can’t surpass him assuming he gets enough game time. With the likes of Elding, Danny North and Aaron Greene (Raffaele Cretaro can play up top too) it’s a competitive front line. McMillan’s older than typical League of Ireland exports but he could follow in the footsteps of strikers like Conor Sammon, John O’Flynn and Graham Cummins who left at a similar age. He has an array of talents he is something of a natural poacher and can also contribute around the field and drop deep into a playmaking role.
5. Michael Rafter, forward, Derry City
Derry have always been a top exporter of League of Ireland talent. The likes of David Forde, Paddy McCourt, Niall McGinn and James McClean being the most notable. There are a number of promising young players at Derry but Rafter is perhaps the pick of the bunch. He has 9 goals in 17 games in all competitions. He has been a fine foil for leading man Rory Patterson and been a key part of Derry’s success. In a tight title the goals of Patterson and Rafter are crucial, especially with a sometimes suspect defence. With a creative midfield with the likes of Barry Molloy, Ruaidhrí Higgins and Paddy Kavanagh the strikers tend to get chances. Rafter has only just turned 21 so will have time to develop. If he continues his goal scoring exploits he may not be here too long.
