Welsh Premier League Football - Gareth Owen is player of the season

RHYL midfielder Gareth Owen is the league managers' choice as the Welsh Premier player of the season for 2008/9.
Owen quit the manager's chair at Airbus UK Broughton a year ago to link-up with his former assistant at The Airfield and Lillies' head coach, Allan Bickerstaff.
He has enjoyed a tremendously successful season, making 31 appearances and scoring eight goals to spur Rhyl to their first title in for five years and has already picked-up the Daily Post's Phil Stanley Memorial Trophy.
The 38-year-old was the first choice of eight managers and received 56 points in the vote, eight more than team-mate Neil Roberts. Another Rhyl player, defender George Horan, came third, ahead of Rhys Griffiths (Llanelli), Chris Sharp (Bangor City) and Martin Rose (Port Talbot Town).
Connah's Quay born and bred, Owen joined Wrexham as a trainee, signing professional in July 1990. He won eight Wales Under-21 and one 'B' international cap and made 298 Football League appearances before his release from the Racecourse at the end of the 2000/1 season, when he transferred to Doncaster Rovers.
He returned to his home town club Nomads in the summer of 2003 after 53 starts and helping Rovers back into the Football League and made 64 Welsh Premier appearances before his switch to Airbus, where he became player-manager and clocked-up another 89 league starts.
Photo: Gareth Owen with his Welsh Premier championship medal [Mike Taylor].