Newport County forward Shaquille Gwengwe has been nominated for the League Two Player of the Month award for August. The 25-year-old scored four goals in five games for the Exiles during the month.
Hayden Mullins, the Newport County manager, said the nomination was fully deserved. "[It was] rightly deserved, with four goals in five games," Mullins told reporters. "He works incredibly hard."
Gwengwe joined Newport this summer from non-league side Poole Town, where he netted 47 times last season. All four of his August goals for County came while playing in a wide attacking role. Mullins believes the forward can also develop into an effective central striker.
Midfielder Ciaran Brennan highlighted Gwengwe's threat. "Shaq definitely knows where the goal is," Brennan said. "So when he's on the pitch there's always half a chance that he might sniff something out."
The nomination comes as Newport seek to improve their form, having lost their last two matches. They sit 20th in the League Two table with four points from five games, a record of one win, one draw and three defeats.
Gwengwe's contribution has been vital, with three of his four goals coming while experienced striker Christian Doidge was on the pitch. Doidge, who scored eight times in the first three fixtures, has missed the last two games through injury. His absence coincided with a dip in goals, County scoring just once in those matches.
Doidge has now returned to full fitness, completing a full week of training and being passed fit for the upcoming match against Fleetwood Town on 12 September. His availability offers a boost as Mullins looks to combine his firepower with Gwengwe's emerging talent.
The other nominees for the August award are Charlie Larkin of Barnet, Josh March of Crewe Alexandra and Harry Boyes of York City. Newport County's next chance to climb the standings is this weekend's home game, with the full squad available for selection.
