Linfield midfielder Chris Shields was the toast of the 2022 NI Football Awards.

After helping the Blues to their fourth Premiership title in a row, the former Dundalk man was crowned Danske Bank Footballer of the Year.

A delighted Shields said: “It’s a great honour for me to win this award. I’d like to thank the Football Writers’, NIFL and Danske Bank for this prize.

“This is obviously my first year at Linfield, so I’m delighted that I have been recognised in this way.

“But really, this is just an added bonus. I came here to win the league and that’s exactly what.

“I must give a lot of credit to David Healy, who put faith in me. He’s a top class manager, and I’m glad I’ve been able to repay him. It was incredibly tough, with Cliftonville pushing us all the way, but I think we deserved the title.”

This year’s NI Football Awards were voted for by the members of the Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Association and the 12 Danske Bank Premiership managers.