After a run of nine goals for Dundalk during July, David McMillan has been named as the latest winner of the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Player of the Month award.

The striker played a crucial role in the club’s European progress and in Stephen Kenny’s side maintaining its lead at the top of the Premier Division. The former UCD player kicked-off the month with back to back hat-tricks, the first of his senior career, against Derry City and Longford Town but he was outstanding too in the Champions League qualifiers, grabbing goals both home and away against FH Hafnarfjordur then two in the decisive second leg defeat of BATE Borisov.

“Between the league and Europe it’s been a good run for us,” he says, “and obviously it was topped off with an incredible night against BATE in Tallaght.

“Legia (their next opponents) are a great side and we’re going to be massive underdogs. They’ve had some great results in Europe. But our squad is feeling fit and strong, the players feel good.”

Beofre that, the league leaders must head to Bray Wanderers on Wednesday night.

“It (the league game) shouldn’t be a distraction,” he says. “We went a long time without a league game and we had a couple of injuries against Galway but we’re still capable. We didn’t take our chances against Galway and that was disappointing. We’ll need to improve on that.”

McMillan finished ahead of Cork City midfielder Greg Bolger and Bray’s Peter Cherrie, both former Dundalk players themselves, in the voting for the award.