The Football League celebrated its best and brightest with the EFL awards last night, and unsurprisingly, Aleksandar Mitrovic was rewarded for the finest goalscoring season in second-tier post-war history with the Championship Player of the Season award.
The Fulham man has bagged 41 league goals this term, with three games left to play and his goals have already secured the Whites the title. There was little debate when it came to the Serbian scooping the big prize, while Luton Town’s Nathan Jones was named Manager of the Season for the Championship.
Jones has done a remarkable job with a tiny budget and the Hatters have now all but guaranteed a play-off spot. If they can make it up to the Premier League it would be one of the great underdog stories, given the financial might others at the top of the division possess.
Four Fulham players feature in the Team of the Season, with Tosin Adarabioyo, Antonee Robinson and Harry Wilson joining Mitrovic. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are well-represented with Joe Worrall, Djed Spence and Ryan Yates in the team, while Brennan Johnson won Young Player of the Season and many feel manager Steve Cooper was unlucky to miss out on the managerial prize given the turnaround at the City Ground.
Wigan Athletic’s title-winning Leam Richardson won League One’s Manager of the Season, while MK Dons’ midfield sensation Scott Twine won the League One Player of the Season award. Whether MK secure promotion this season or not, with 16 goals and 13 assists already, Twine is surely going to be playing in the Championship next term.
In League Two, Forest Green Rovers took a clean sweep as Rob Edwards scooped the managerial prize while Kane Wilson has had a phenomenal season from right-back, and won Player of the Season. At 22, he has a huge future ahead of him.
Below is a run-down of every award handed out last night.
Championship Player of the Season
Aleksandr Mitrovic (Fulham)
League One Player of the Season
Scott Twine (MK Dons)
League Two Player of the Season
Kane Wilson (Forest Green Rovers)
Championship Team of the Season
Team: Lee Nicholls (Huddersfield Town), Joe Worrall (Nottingham Forest), Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth), Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham), Djed Spence (Nottingham Forest), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Philip Billing (Bournemouth), Ryan Yates (Nottingham Forest), Harry Wilson (Fulham), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham), Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth)
Manager: Nathan Jones (Luton Town)
League One Team of the Season
Team: Michael Cooper (Plymouth Argyle), Jack Whatmough (Wigan Athletic), Michael Ihiekwe (Rotherham United), Harry Darling (MK Dons), Wes Burns (Ipswich Town), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Barry Bannan (Sheffield Wednesday), Dan Barlaser (Rotherham United), Scott Twine (MK Dons), Michael Smith (Rotherham United), Ross Stewart (Sunderland)
Manager: Leam Richardson (Wigan Athletic)
League Two Team of the Season
Team: Jojo Wollacott (Swindon Town), Jon Guthrie (Northampton Town), Peter Clarke (Tranmere Rovers), Jordan Turnbull (Salford City), Kane Wilson (Forest Green Rovers), Nicky Cadden (Forest Green Rovers), Timothee Dieng (Exeter City), Finn Azaz (Newport County), Harry McKirdy (Swindon Town), Dom Telford (Newport County), Matty Stevens (Forest Green Rovers)
Manager: Rob Edwards (Forest Green Rovers)
Championship Young Player of the Season
Brennan Johnson - Nottingham Forest
League One Young Player of the Season
Paddy Lane - Fleetwood Town
League Two Young Player of the Season
Finn Azaz - Newport County
Apprentices of the season
Ryan Howley - Coventry City (Championship)
Ayodeji Elerewe - Charlton Athletic (League One)
Junior Tchamadeu - Colchester United (League Two)
Community club of the season
AFC Wimbledon
PFA Player in the community
Ryan Innis - Charlton Athletic
Contribution to league football
Ben Robinson - Burton Albion
Sustainability award
Cambridge United
Diversity award
Blackburn Rovers
Sir Tom Finney award
Jobi McAnuff
