Manchester City FC defender Richard Dunne has been named as the Republic of Ireland's Player of the Year for 2007 after fine performances for club and country.

'Nice to be recognised'
The 28-year-old Dubliner claimed the title for the first time, with City team-mate Stephen Ireland named the Young Player of the Year after scoring four goals in his first six games at senior international level. "It wasn't a great year for Ireland as we didn't qualify for [UEFA] EURO 2008™ but it's nice to be recognised," said Dunne. Reading FC striker Kevin Doyle's goal away against Slovakia was voted as the nation's goal of the year.