Royals Player of the Season Contenders

Vital Reading takes a look at some of the contenders for our player of the season, which will be announced before this Saturday’s game against Burnley.

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Alex McCarthy – 43 apps – The 24-year old had a very good start to the season, often keeping us in games at times with numerous strings of saves week-after-week. However, there have been a few rare mistakes on occasions in recent months, but despite this, his progression makes him a contender for player of the season. A fantastic shot stopper with safe handling, I`m sure a few top flight clubs are keeping track of his progress.

Chris Gunter – 44 apps – After being thrown in the deep end at the start of his Royals career in the Premier League, the Welsh international has established himself as one of the best right-backs in the league. Definitely one of the favourites for the award, as he has been Mr. Consistent for us this campaign, with his improvement since the start of the season being great to watch.

Jordan Obita – 34(+2) apps – It`s always great to see a home grown player start in the team, even more so when he has put in a number of fine performances. Despite starting off the season as a winger, an injury to Wayne Bridge meant he was used as a make-shift left back, but hasn`t looked back since. His performances in defence suggest years of experience beyond his 19-years of age and will probably be favourite for the award.

Danny Williams – 25(+7) apps – The USA international has had a season plagued with injury and if he was fully fit for most of the campaign, would probably be the favourite to win it. His energy and box-to-box ability, likened to that of Steve Sidwell, as well as chipping in with some crucial goals, has already made him a fan favourite among Royals fans. He will hope his good form will get him a World Cup place too.

Garath McCleary – 35(+7) apps – An outsider to win the award, but when he is on his game, but can be unplayable. There have been a few too many games this season where he is anonymous, but proved that when he is at his best, he is amongst the best wingers in the division. McCleary also leads our assist charts with 12 so far, as well as scoring two goal of the season contenders against QPR, could he make it three in the play-offs?

Pavel Pogrebnyak – 34(+6) apps – My personal vote for player of the season, but I doubt he will be the one taking the award on Saturday. In August, Pog was struggling to get in the squad and looked as if he wanted a move away; now, he is our second top scorer and been the spearhead of our attack for most of the season. He has definitely had the hardest job all season as a loan striker for the most part, feeding off scraps, but has conducted himself superbly.

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There are a few contenders, but I expect it to be won by either Gunter or Obita, most likely the latter. Either way, it`s great to see young players such as Gunter, Obita and McCarthy amongst our top performers this season, who can only get better in the coming years.