As Rovers’ record-breaking season came to an end on Saturday (5th May), following their instant return, back to the Sky Bet Championship, the club held its annual End of Season awards in order to honour the squad and certain individuals whose individual brilliance brought success back to Ewood Park.
With all of the players crammed inside Ewood Park during the evening of Bank Holiday Monday, following an afternoon of celebration in Blackburn’s town centre with the fans, the ceremony saw 8 awards up for grabs throughout the evening; Young Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, Best Newcomer, Unsung Hero, Special Achievement, Seasonal Man of the Match, Goal of the Season and Player of the Year.
Kicking-off the plethora of awards, was the Young Player of the Year award. With Tony Mowbray giving a whole host of youth-teamers opportunities within the first-team squad – whether that being from kick-off, or from the bench – there were a few names which could have been etched on the trophy, including the likes of Joe Nuttall, Lewis Travis, and Ryan Nyambe, all of whom impacted the campaign with their various good performances as they staked their claim in Tony Mowbray’s side for the future.
Ultimately, however, the recipient of the trophy was goalkeeper, David Raya, whose eye-catching displays for Rovers saw him finish the season in the League 1 Team of the Season, following his 17 clean sheets in 45 games. The Spaniard, who has been second fiddle to various goalkeepers throughout his Rovers career, finally took his opportunity with ‘both hands’, as he was able to claim the number 1 shirt for himself and come into the fore, after a season of good performances.
The second award of the night was the Players’ Players of the Year, which – as the name suggests – was a collective vote by those who played alongside the winner throughout the season. With potentially the whole team being eligible to receive the award, because of their brilliant collective performances, the squad unanimously voted for one man, who played an integral role in the season and his ability to remain fit was key to Rovers’ success throughout the season.
With his promotion-clinching goal against Doncaster Rovers, still fresh in the minds of the players, it was the captain, Charlie Mulgrew, who was called up to the stage to collect the award. The 32-year old, whose 14 goals saw him finish with his career highest seasonal goal tally, led by example throughout the season with his influence and experience in the dressing room being vital in helping Rovers achieve their pre-season expectations.
Up next on the list of awards, was the ‘Best Newcomer’ award, which was introduced to celebrate a recruit from this season, who had had a huge impact on the squad and the fans. With over 11 permanent recruits signed by Tony Mowbray throughout the course of the season, there was a large plethora of talent who could have been awarded with such a trophy, with each of the new recruits, playing their part over the course of the 46 games.
Despite what could only be described as ‘a difficult decision’, the recipient of the award was fully deserved as his persistent, no nonsense playstyle captured the hearts of the Rovers fans. With none other than Richie Smallwood fulfilling the criteria, the ‘King of Ewood’, as he has come to be known, claimed the award following a great debut season which has seen him solidify Rovers’ midfield which has been shaky for years.
The fourth award of the evening was in recognition of a player whose work-rate, desire and passion for the club was unquestioned, but didn’t receive the plaudits others did due to his versatility and willingness to sacrifice his own performances and achievements for the will of the squad. With Mowbray’s team throughout the season, mainly being fixed on a set 11, the ‘Unsung Hero’ always rose to the occasion and the demands of his manager as he utilised his experience and technique to fit in wherever his manager asked.
The ‘Unsung Hero’ award was claimed by Elliott Bennett, who excelled throughout the season and was rewarded with a new contract in October. The former Norwich City winger’s rapport with the fans increased by the week, as he put in various shifts at right-back and central midfield without explicitly raising concern, or standing out in an attacking sense. Bennett, who has been at the club for 2 and a half years, has played under 3 different managers and maintained the consistency levels which has seen him remain a key figure at the club and this award signified his importance to the well-oiled machine that is the Rovers squad.
With the award ceremony ticking by, Bradley Dack – unlike on the pitch this season – was very quiet, as he had not received an award during the ceremony, when most would have expected him to. That, however, was soon to change as he netted a hat-trick of trophies which did not do enough to justify his importance to the Rovers side this season. Dack’s magnificent performances saw him scoop up, the Seasonal Man of the Match, the Goal of the Season (for Rovers’ counter-attack which ended in him scoring away at Peterborough United) and the Player of the Year. With the last two awards being confirmed before the final game of the season, which saw Rovers beat Oxford United 2-1, the third award, which was the ‘Seasonal Man of the Match’, was awarded to Dack for the most amount of ‘Man of the Match’ awards throughout the season.
As the evening, came to a close, one final award was handed out to the gaffer, Tony Mowbray, as a special ‘thank-you’ from the club for the work he had done in helping the club ‘on its way back’. With Mowbray’s hard-work throughout the season culminating in Rovers’ promotion, the manager’s results, dedication and honesty in interviews has seen him receive countless plaudits off the fans, who have praised the manager for bringing the ‘feel-good factor’ back to Ewood Park, following the 7 years of agony which the fans have endured.
With all the awards and plaudits handed out, Rovers’ fabulous season officially came to an end with all the players rewarded – with medals or individual awards on the night – for their efforts which resulted in Rovers moving one step closer to returning to the dreamland of the Premier League.
