THE EFL awards were due to be held on Sunday night before the coronavirus shook football.
Instead, we asked our Football League reporter JUSTIN ALLEN to pick his worthy winners…
⚠️ Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news & updates
Kalvin Phillips wins SunSport’s Championship player of the seasonCredit: Getty Images
CHAMPIONSHIP
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – KALVIN PHILLIPS (Leeds)
THE boyhood Leeds fan is the heartbeat of Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion-chasing team.
England boss Gareth Southgate went to watch him in January with an eye on the Euros.
There is no doubt that Phillips, 24, is the best midfielder outside the Premier League.
And while he is seen as a Yorkshire hard-man on the pitch, he’s a big Northern Softie off it.
Phillips was named the club’s Community Player of the Season for a third consecutive year after making more appearances than any other and forming a bond with six-year-old Leeds fan Sarah Emmott, who has a rare kidney disease.
MANAGER OF THE SEASON – MARCELO BIELSA (Leeds)
IT’S not hard to see why the likes of Pep Guardiola have been inspired by him.
His team is the fittest and most intense, hungry, hard-working, attack-minded, possession-dominating side I’ve ever seen in the Championship.
Bielsa likes to keep a distance from the players, preferring to oversee a team of coaches, but he is still affectionately labeled “Grandpa” by his stars.
The Argentine shows tremendous faith in his players. When there have been wobbles and a loss of form, he has stuck to his guns… keeping faith in players, like striker Patrick Bamford, despite heavy criticism.
Marcelo Bielsa wins SunSport’s Championship manager of the yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty
GOAL OF THE SEASON – CAULEY WOODROW (BARNSLEY v Charlton, August 2019)
A GOAL of pure instinct. The Tykes striker saw the ball ricocheting towards him 20 yards out.
He stuck out his right foot, hooked the ball over his shoulder and with the same boot fired a wonderful shot into the top corner.
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM OF THE SEASON (4-3-3)
KEEPER: Samba (Forest)
DEFENCE: Cash (Forest), White (Leeds), Ajayi (West Brom), Ayling (Leeds)
MIDFIELD: Sawyers (West Brom), Phillips (Leeds), Pereira (West Brom)
ATTACK: Benrahma (Brentford), Mitrovic (Fulham), Watkins (Brentford)
LEAGUE ONE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: IVAN TONEY (Peterborough)
HIS 24 goals have been massive for the promotion chasers and if Posh fail to go up to the Championship, it will be hard for them to keep him.
Toney has great movement, pace and knows how to score. Now 24, maybe it is finally his time to kick on to greater things.
Ivan Toney wins SunSport’s League One player of the seasonCredit: Rex Features
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: MARK ROBINS (Coventry)
THE man who saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job at Manchester United in 1990 has steered the Sky Blues top of the league, despite yet more off-field turmoil over their Birmingham groundshare.
Robins has already led them out of League Two and now they look set for Championship football.
GOAL OF THE SEASON: KYLE VASSELL (Rotherham v Peterborough, Feb 2020)
MILLERS ace Vassell defied the laws of physics, chest controlling the ball superbly before spinning his body upside down to time an incredible volley.
LEAGUE ONE TEAM OF THE YEAR (4-4-2)
KEEPER: Trott (AFC Wimbledon)
DEFENCE: O’Nien (Sunderland), Ihiekwe (Rotherham), Dickie (Oxford), Jacobson (Wycombe).
MIDFIELD: Henry (Oxford), Walsh (Coventry), Barlaser (Rotherham), Curtis (Pompey)
ATTACK: Godden (Coventry), Toney (Peterborough)
LEAGUE TWO
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: EOIN DOYLE (Swindon)
IRISH striker’s 25 goals have fired the Robins to the brink of promotion.
He was recalled from a season-long loan by Bradford in January against his wishes. Yet Doyle secured a permanent return before that window closed. Leads the line superbly.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: MICHAEL DUFF (Cheltenham)
HAS been spot on in the transfer market, such as with the loan signings of Jacob Greaves and Jake Doyle-Hayes.
Duff and Co were in the play-off mix — some feat with one of the division’s smallest budgets.
GOAL OF THE SEASON: CHARLIE VERNAM (Grimsby v Colchester, Feb 2020)
PICKING the ball up just outside his own box, the Mariners ace slalomed past several players, then fired home from outside the box to seal a first career hat-trick.
LEAGUE TWO TEAM OF THE YEAR (4-4-2)
KEEPER: Flinders (Cheltenham).
DEFENCE: NG (Crewe), Bramall (Colchester), Raglan (Cheltenham), Hayden (Carlisle)
MIDFIELD: Grant (Swindon), Lowrey (Crewe), Sarcevic (Plymouth), Smith (Oldham)
ATTACK: Doyle (Swindon), Maynard (Mansfield)
EFL YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON: JUDE BELLINGHAM (Birmingham)
THIS 16-year-old defied his age to produce mind-bogglingly impressive midfield performances.
He is a strong tackler and has shown flashes of his passing ability, which will only improve.
No wonder Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are battling for his signature.
Jude Bellingham wins SunSport’s EFL young player of the yearCredit: PA:Press Association
Twin footballers Josh and Jacob Murphy deliver Boots prescriptions to elderly to help them during coronavirus crisis
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
