Simply champion
McGinn takes top title
Former St Mirren midfielder John McGinn has been named as the P FA Scotland Championship Player of the Year.
McGinn, who now plays for Championship winners Hibernian, picked up the accolade having been shortlisted alongside team- mate Jason Cummings, Queen of the South striker Stephen Dobbie, and Greenock Morton’s Ross Forbes.
The Scotland international was in action against St Mirren on Saturday as the Paisley side confirmed their league survival with a draw against the Edinburgh outfit at Easter Road. Rory Loy’s second- half strike was enough to seal a 1-1 draw for Saints, which was enough to see them finish the season in seventh spot, despite finding themselves 11 points adrift at one stage of the season.
Saints still hold an interest in the highlyrated youngster, with the Buddies holding a 33 per cent sell- on clause if he was to ever leave Hibs.
Interest continues to rise in the 22- year- old, with Celtic just one of the teams rumoured to casting an eye over his progrsss.
And McGinn insists he isn’t fazed by the praise that is coming his way. He said: “There will be interest from elsewhere if you’re doing well, and I feel I am doing well at the minute, so I just need to take that in my stride, take it as a compliment and try and improve all the time.
“I’m a bit more used to speculation now. I think it’s a good thing, I think it means you’re doing something right and it’s always nice hearing managers saying nice things about you.”
E l s e w h e re, Liam Buchanan was named League One Player of the Year ahead of Livingston team-mate Danny Mullen, Alloa midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick and Airdrie striker Andy Ryan.
And Elgin City forward Shane Su t h e r l a n d collected the League Two Player of the Year award.