Manager of the month - September 2007

Darren Scott is the first QBE Fantasy Football manager of the month thanks to his team the Smurfs clocking up an impressive 79 points for the month of September.

The Smart & Cook broker and Lincoln branch manager lands a prize of £2,500 for his success which he puts down to his tactics. "I started off by looking to include striking midfielders and scrapped that and went for a solid defence with good strikers and Fabregas." His change of heart was motivated by watching the players who were doing well in other fantasy football leagues that had started.

His defence strategy has worked with Manchester United defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic getting him 14 and 13 points respectively.

Darren's team name, the Smurfs, was chosen for no particular reason he says and confesses to being both a Man Utd and Lincoln fan. Scott has been with brokers Oughtred & Harrison since 1998 before it was bought by Smart & Cook in February 2003.

So how is Scott looking to maintain his success? "I am looking to keep hold of enough transfers so I can make important changes and monitor closely the players doing well," he says.