How appreciative team-mates have dispelled Kiernan’s doubts
KIERNAN Dewsbury-Hall has admitted to being scared at how his Leicester City team-mates would receive him - but has won them over to take the players’ player of the season award in his first full year in the squad.
The homegrown midfielder bagged an awards double on Monday night, winning the fans’ young player of the year and also the accolade from the City first team. For Dewsbury-Hall, the latter was “the best award” he could get.
The 23-year-old was only introduced to the senior squad properly for the first time at the start of this season, and he has said he was a little intimidated at the idea of integrating into a tight-knit group.
But he has not only been accepted by the team, but they have recognised his performances and hard work to hand him the end-ofterm honour.
“It feels amazing, for me that’s the best award,” he told LCFC TV. “You’re with your team-mates every day for months on end. You’re with them more than some of your family.
“You learn a lot about them and for them to recognise what I’ve done this season really does mean a lot. I’m really thankful for that. They’ve been so good to me since the start of the season, they’ve brought me in and have integrated me well. I feel part of the team and I feel honoured.
“This award is a special one to me because it’s your work colleagues. I was scared at the start of the season that it would be tough to integrate with the lads because it is a very good dressing room and there’s a lot of very good players. It does mean a lot that they’ve taken to me. I’ve made some really good friendships, I’ve got some friends for life in this team. That shows it’s a family club and I hope that continues.”
It has been a whirlwind few months for Dewsbury-Hall to win the award, given he did not even make his first Premier League start for the club until December. Since then, he has been one of Brendan Rodgers’ first-choice players, starting 21 of the last 22 games in the league.
He added: “I feel like my teammates saw how hard I was working even up until December. Every day in training I was working as hard as I could.”