LONDON PRIDE
Charlton Athletic in the running for prestigious awards
CHARLTON’S excellent season has been rec- ognised with a host of nominations in the prestigious London Football Awards – and they’re mixing with some big-hitters.
Manager Lee Bowyer, who has put the Addicks in the thick of the League One promotion battle, has been nominated for Manager of the Year. He’s in competition with Chelsea’s Maurizio Sarri, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, Watford’s Javi Gracia and Arsenal Women’s Joe Montemurro.
Charlton’s Dillon Phillips is a contender for Goalkeeper of the Year, mixing with Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga, West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski and Watford’s Ben Foster. QPR’s Joe Lumley has also been nominated.
Striker Karlan Grant, who recently left Charlton for Premier League Huddersfield, has been nominated for Young Player of the Year (under-21) and EFL Player of the Year.
QPR’s Eberechi Eze is also in the running for the Young Player honour, while Premier League trio Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace), Declan Rice (West Ham) and Matteo Guendouzi (Arsenal) make up the shortlist.
Contenders
For the EFL gong, Charlton striker Lyle Taylor is also in contention, while Neal Maupay (Brentford), Luke Freeman (QPR) and Lee Gregory (Millwall) are the other possibles.
Brentford FC Community Sports Trust are one of three contenders, along with Arsenal in the Community and Chelsea Foundation, for the Community Project of the Year award.
Now in their fifth year, the awards, sponsored by Toscafund, raise funds for former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter Bob Wilson and his wife Megs’ charity, Willow - the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days.
Willow life president Wilson said: “It’s been a dramatic and exciting season for all the capital’s clubs and it’s refreshing to see names from some second and third tier league teams vying for awards against the usual premiership heavyweights.”
The shortlist of nominees was agreed by an independent panel of judges and announced by Wilson last Monday.
The winners will be announced at the awards night at London’s Battersea Evolution on February 28. For more details, check out www.londonfootballawards.org