Arbroath striker Joel Nouble on his Player of the Month surprise - and possible Livingston recall in January

Joel Nouble picked up the cinch Championship Player of the Month award for September - and admitted he thought it was an in-house prize.

Arbroath striker Joel Nouble has won the cinch Championship Player of the Month award for September. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

The English striker - on a season-long loan from Livingston - has made an immediate impact to help Arbroath charge up to third in the table.

Nouble, 25, has achieved an instant rapport with the Arbroath fans but he admits he was surprised at his accolade.

"When I was told, I thought that's great player of the month for Arbroath - I didn't realise it was for the whole league!" he laughed.

"Michael McKenna won it the previous month so we've won back-to-back awards which shows just how well all the boys have been doing.

"Have we surprised other teams? I don't know about that. I think we're deservedly in the top three and we could have had even more points than we have now.

"There's not a game we go into that we don't think we can win. But the manager has been stressing to us that the priority is staying up. We know it's a long season and the league can change quickly."

Nouble missed Saturday's come-from-behind draw at Morton due to a shoulder injury but expects to be back for Arbroath's next game against Raith Rovers after the international break.

If the towering front-man continues to make a huge impact then he is likely to be recalled by parent club Livingston in January, which would leave him with mixed emotions.

"Obviously, I feel I could help Livingston's situation and it's one of my ambitions to play in the Premiership against really good teams," he admitted.

"I always check their results on a Saturday after the Arbroath game and naturally hope they have won.

"But my focus just now is Arbroath. A lot of the fans have been messaging me saying please don't go in January but it's not really in my hands.

"I would love to try myself at a higher level but if it ends up that I stay with Arbroath then I wouldn't mind that either as I'm loving my time here."

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today