The Alex won four out of five matches during the month, all four also containing clean-sheets as Portsmouth, Crawley, Colchester & Carlisle all fell by the wayside.

The only blip was a 2-1 defeat to Newport County, though the first half of that game was also a good performance with Crewe leading 1-0 at the break.

The other managers in contention are Derek Adams of Plymouth, Gary Bowyer of Blackpool & John Coleman of Accrington Stanley, with the Friday 7 April 2017.winner set to be announced on

The judging panel comprises former Ipswich Town manager George Burley, Sky Sports’ EFL League expert Don Goodman; EFL Marketing Director Drew Barrand, League Managers’ Association Director Olaf Dixon and Sky Bet Football Trading Manager Paul Lowery.

Guided his side skilfully through a horrendous-looking March fixture list in which they faced five fellow promotion contenders. Highlighted by a 1-0 win at leaders Doncaster, they managed 13 points and four clean sheets from six games.

Having arrived in the New Year with Crewe in crisis, Artell needed time to impress his methods on his team. Four wins from five games, all without conceding a goal and including victories at Portsmouth and Carlisle, testify to his success.

Managing amid supporter unrest is not easy. Bowyer passed the test with flying colours in March, leading Blackpool to a near perfect 16 points from five games, which included vital victories over promotion rivals Plymouth and Stevenage.

Stanley were in 21st place, six points above the relegation zone when March began. Five wins and two draws from seven games later and thanks to Coleman’s positivity and nous, they ended it in 13th, seven points off the play-offs.