IRELAND INTERNATIONAL RICHRD Keogh has been rewarded for his fine recent form, as he is one of four nominees for the Championship Player of the Month for October.

The 31-year-old centre-back, who has since been ruled out of Ireland’s upcoming play-off games with Denmark through injury, captained Derby, as they conceded just two goals in four games.

The Rams also won all four of their matches last month, helping them climb to their current position of seventh in the table.

The Harlow-born defender, who has made over 200 appearances for Derby since joining the club in 2012, drew plaudits for his performance in the East Midlands derby victory over Nottingham Forest in particular.

Yet as outstanding as Keogh has looked at club level, it has been somewhat frustrating for the player in the international set-up of late. He has started in just two of Ireland’s 10 World Cup qualifiers, largely due to the excellent form of first-choice centre-back pairing Shane Duffy and Ciaran Clark, with the Rams defender having featured regularly in the Boys in Green’s previous campaign.

The other three players vying for the Championship Player of the Month award are Bolton winger Sammy Ameobi, Wolves attacker Leo Bonatini and Sunderland striker Lewis Grabban (who is on loan at the club from Bournemouth).

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