Five key men but one stood out above all as the best
AND PICKS HIS PLAYER OF THE SEASON
Derby County secured their return to the Championship at the weekend when they beat Carlisle United amid glorious scenes at Pride Park – their first promotion in 17 years. Derby County writer assesses the club’s key performers to name his Rams player of the season. Here is his top five...
Leigh Curtis FIFTH: EBOU ADAMS
Had the on-loan Cardiff City midfielder been at Pride Park all season, it is a pretty fair assumption that the majority of fans would agree there would have been two outcomes – one, that Derby would have lifted the title ahead of Portsmouth; and two, that Adams would have been crowned their player of the year.
The fact he is on this list having played only 17 games and scored one goal underlines the impact he made on this team after his arrival in January and in the recent history of Derby loan signings it’s hard to think of one that has been more transformative.
Everything that Derby had been missing in the centre of midfield, he brought in spades
If there was a tackle to be won, he won it. If there was a shot to be blocked, he blocked it. He set the tone when he threw himself in front of a shot away to Charlton Athletic on his debut and then punched the ground in celebration.
There was also the strike against Blackpool which won the goal of the season award.
But, in truth, there have been so many moments that left Derby fans breaking the cardinal rule, which is to never fall in love with a loan player.
Hopefully, a deal can be struck to make his stay permanent in the summer, otherwise there are going to be a lot of broken hearts.
FOURTH: JAMES COLLINS
It was all rather fitting that James Collins should score on the final day of the season as he secured what was the sixth promotion of his career.
It was Collins in a nutshell. After a knockdown from Sonny Bradley, it was one touch and finish.
That took his tally to 19 for the season, only one short of the magical figure he had targeted back in August.
He probably would have reached it had he not picked up a knee injury against Exeter City in February which left us all fearing the worst and Derby without a striker until Dwight Gayle’s arrival. Collins may not be the quickest but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in his endeavour. He often set the tone with how hard he pressed from the front and he is just a born winner.
He’s been a brilliant servant to Derby and everybody at Pride Park was so thankful that his knee injury didn’t rule him out for the rest of the season. Otherwise, that would have robbed him of his Carlisle moment, which given how hard he has worked, and given his contribution to the season, would have been bordering on the criminal.
THIRD PLACE: NATHANIEL MENDEZ-LAING
To put Mendez-laing third in the list of top performers this season was a difficult choice to make. In many ways, it was like trying to do a
Rubik’s Cube in the dark because there can be no dispute that he has been amazing.
He’s scored nine goals and created 16, which are extraordinary figures.
And if we could hand out three Player of the Season awards, we would give him one.
That is what is so infuriating because you have to pick a winner from some very strong candidates.
But boy has he been good. You give him the ball and he just wants to drive at defenders.
If it doesn’t work, he has the bravery to keep demanding it.
After the Cambridge United game, in which his goal secured a memorable 1-0 win during a pivotal weekend of the season, Mendez-laing spoke about his journey and how Derby was now his home and his club.
They say a happy footballer is a dangerous one, which has proven the case here because Mendezlaing has been too hot to handle for many League One defences.
He deservedly claimed a place in the Football League team of the year, and when he is in full flight he is worth the ticket price alone.
He’s been a spectacular source of creativity and if he’s had a couple of games that have fallen below his standards, he’s never been out of form for long. He’s been a joy to watch.
Collins has been a brilliant servant and everyone at Derby was thankful his injury didn’t end his season
RUNNER-UP: EIRAN CASHIN
What is there to say that hasn’t already about a centre-back who has simply been magnificent this season?
His partnership with Curtis Nelson has been formidable and ultimately laid the foundation for what has been a record-breaking season.
There has been narrative to Cashin’s season too – he could have left on deadline day last summer when Brighton & Hove Albion were trying to do a deal with Derby to take him to the Amex.
His Premier League dream did not materialise after a day of negotiations but he never sulked. He just got
his head down to become a hugely pivotal figure in a team that showed indomitable spirit throughout the season.
And when we flick back through the moments of the season, who can forget him being left under a pile of bodies for the winner he scored away to Oxford United, when he also delivered a peach of a cross for Liam Thompson to make it 2-2?
Who can forget the pivotal goalline clearance against Lincoln City when the score was goalless?
He reads the game magnificently, he is not afraid to put his body on the line and there is something wonderfully old-school about the way he defends.
For one of the academy boys who dreamed of putting a promotion on his CV, it is a wonderful story that has been given the ending it deserved. He rightfully won the Young Player of the Season, but the 22-year-old could have easily won the top award too, he’s been that good.
WINNER: CURTIS NELSON
Mendez-laing and Cashin were bona-fide contenders for the top prize but you can’t really look beyond Nelson, who has been a model of consistency throughout the season.
He has played every minute of every League game, the only outfield player in League One to do so.
He is a fierce competitor, a brilliant professional, somebody who has been a pillar of solidity and one of Warne’s most trusted and reliable lieutenants.
In fact, Nelson and Cashin sounds like a great buddy cop movie and the pair of them together have had most attacks in League One on lockdown as they finished with the best defensive record in the division.
But Nelson’s influence and consistency did not go unnoticed by his team-mates, who bestowed him with the Players’ Player of the Year prize, the ultimate accolade when it comes to the end-of-season awards.
He deserves all the adulation that has come his way and the fans quickly recognised just how crucial he has been to their return to the Championship.
He’s been a formidable competitor whose mantra has been “thou shalt not pass” and the way he handled Devante Cole in a 3-0 win over Barnsley was Nelson at his peak.
Having arrived on a free transfer last summer after leaving Blackpool, it was shrewd recruitment for a player who has demonstrated tremendous leadership in the heart of the defence.
He’s strong, he’s smart, he’s hardly put a foot wrong and that is why he is our player of the season as well as the fans’ and the players.’