We’ve been voting for the player of the season awards this week, and it’s a reflection of the success we’ve enjoyed in both League Two and the Adran Premier that there are a lot of strong options to select from.
Inevitably, the promotion-winning men’s team throws up a number of worthy choices.
Last season’s winner, Paul Mullin, is a serious contender to win the award in back-to-back years, something only 4 players have done previously. To come back from a serious injury like he has and be in a position where he’s going into the last match of the season with a chance of being the division’s top scorer is a remarkable achievement. Despite also having to play through back pain he’s scored 9 goals in our last 7 games, or 14 goals in 12 if you prefer. Whichever you prefer, it adds up to a player who has stepped up when he was most needed.
Elliot Lee is also a possibility. When Mullin was absent at the start of the season, Lee’s prolific run was crucial compensation. Seven goals in seven games from midfield kept us ticking over, and even when he ran through a dry spell, his work rate was outstanding.
Lee has also excelled in the run-in, along with a host of players whose performances have been superb when the chips are down, but have suffered interrupted seasons. Eoghan O’Connell, for example, has seen us through the high stakes matches with a series of masterful performances. However, he has also missed a lot of games in the middle of the season, as did the other outstanding members of our back three, Tom O’Connor and Max Cleworth.
The same could be said of Andy Cannon, whose non-stop energy and intelligent running have helped him to stand out in the second half of the season. He is most certainly worthy of the award, not least because after his red card at Crawley represented a low point which he showed remarkable character to recover from.
The field of serious contenders is very large. I’ve not even mentioned the force of nature that is James McClean or George Evans, the midfield Rolls Royce. Arthur Okonkwo has had a magnificent campaign too, and he is also an obvious choice for the young player of the year award, alongside Cleworth
That’s a really tough decision: both of them have been exceptional all season, and have been tremendous in the run-in. Okonkwo is an absolute class act, and if we can secure a permanent deal for him we’ll have pulled off a serious coup, but Cleworth’s continued progress has been wonderful to see, and his winner at Colchester sparked our terrific sprint to the winning line.
So who did I vote for? Both decisions were tough as a consequence of the quality of the field rather than a paucity of options, which has certainly been the case in previous years. Finally I plumped for Mullin and Cleworth.
DragonHeart 