Get ready to cast your votes wisely
SO, another rollercoaster season is reaching its climax – and the National Game Awards are ready to honour the great and the good for their part in another memorable campaign.
Chesterfield may have given us an earlier than scheduled finish to the National League title race but there’s still plenty to play for and as we enter the final throes of the season, it’s when the big guns really to come to the fore.
Preparations for the National Game Awards ceremony at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane stadium on Wednesday May 22 are well under way and it’s our job is to give you everything you need to know before you cast your votes.
Sponsored this year by our friends at 1000GBP, the NGA for Player of the Year covers every player from the National League and the National League North and South.
Once again, there’s plenty of top candidates choose from – and we don’t envy you decision-makers when it comes to picking the person who takes the crown this year.
Naturally, after the season they’ve had, Chesterfield players will be at the forefront of many of your minds – the question is, which one of Paul Cook’s men have caught the eye the most.
Centre-back and captain Jamie Grimes has once again been solid as a rock in the heart of the Spireites defence, while the likes of Tom Naylor, Liam Mandeville and Ollie Banks have regularly pulled the strings to ensure a double-quick title celebration at the Technique Stadium. Take your pick.
Elsewhere, Eastleigh striker Paul McCallum has enjoyed a season to remember with 30 goals from 33 games before yesterday, while other standout performers include Altrincham playmaker Chris Conn-Clarke, quite brilliant in spells this season, and Gus Scott-Morriss, who has earned hero status at Southend United having helped drag the Shrimpers out of relegation danger amidst off the field challenges.
At Step 2, Ollie Pearce has plundered 34 goals for Worthing to spark another promotion push in National League South while, in the North, the likes of centre-back Jordan Cullinane-Liburd and midfielder Jamie Jellis have led another storming season at Tamworth.
The choice, as always, is yours, so get your votes in and give your club’s star man the recognition he deserves.