January manager of the month

Mike Ratcliffe collected the QBE Fantasy Football manager of the month award for January after scoring a stunning 105 points.

His team, AVIT, came out on top after a nail-biting final round of the game at the end of the month.

Ratcliffe, an account executive for the past seven months at Hull-based broker The Insurance Partnership, said it literally went to the last minute.

“The Liverpool keeper conceded in the last minute, so it was a bit nerve wracking. A few guys behind me had him in their teams, so I think that won it for me,” he said.

As a Hull City season ticket holder for over 20 years, Ratcliffe says the fantasy league has reignited his interest in Premiership football.

Out of four January transfers, he said the decision to put Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen between the sticks was a deciding factor. “It was a bit of a long shot,” he said. “But I think that decision on one of the weekends made quite a difference.”

With no more transfers remaining, Ratcliffe thinks his chances of winning the league overall are slowly fading.

He is now aiming to claim victory against his colleagues in their private league.