He might play for the team occupying bottom spot in the Premier Division but Dave Mooney is lording it at the top of the scoring charts.
The Longford Town striker - courted by clubs in England and Scotland - scored six goals during an impressive month and now sits joint top with former Cork City star Roy O'Donovan on 14 league goals.
Mooney has been the key figure in Longford's resurgence and was today named eircom/Soccer Writers Association of Ireland (SWAI) Player of the Month for August.
The 22-year-old's timely goals mean Longford are now no longer detached at the foot of the table.
The Midlanders still face a relegation battle but Mooney's strikes give the club hope as they now sit just two points off Waterford United.
After being deducted six points earlier in the season, Mooney admits spirits in the dressing room were low but their recent run of form has motivated everyone at Flancare Park.
"We were going through a very hard time earlier this season", he says. "The point deduction hit everyone very hard. The mood changed in the dressing room and our confidence was gone.
"Then we got a draw against Drogheda before the break and that did us good. After that we got a bit of a run going.
"We got a last minute winner against UCD and it carried everything on a bit more. We started winning games and playing well and that kept the momentum going."
Mooney was the subject of transfer speculation before the window shut. Southend United expressed an interest as did a number of Scottish clubs.
Although no move materialised, the club's manager Alan Matthews is resigned to losing Mooney at season's end.
For the time being, however, the striker is focused on avoiding relegation and reaching an FAI Cup final for which Longford hold a quarter-final date against Limerick this weekend.
"The priority for the club is to stay up," says Mooney. "We're still bottom and have got a long way to go but finishing top scorer in the league would help my cause greatly for whatever happens at the end of the season.
"Hopefully getting into a Cup final and helping Longford stay in the league would help me get to those places."
