Leeds United stars beaten to Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season award

LEEDS UNITED'S stars have been beaten to the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season award by Brentford striker Ollie Watkins.
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United had a host of contenders for the award with Luke Ayling having been named the division's PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Year and with Pablo Hernandez having taken United's own player of the season award.

Former Brighton loanee centre-back Ben White also took the YEP Player of the Year award after playing every single minute of every Leeds league game as the Whites romped to promotion as Championship title winners.

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Whites midfielder Kalvin Phillips has also seen his fine displays rewarded with an England call.

WINNER: Lethal Brentford striker Ollie Watkins. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.WINNER: Lethal Brentford striker Ollie Watkins. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.
WINNER: Lethal Brentford striker Ollie Watkins. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.

Leeds finished ten points clear of second-placed West Brom who also sealed automatic promotion by finishing two points clear of both third-placed Brentford and fourth-placed Fulham.

Despite recording a fine eight-straight victories, Brentford were then beaten in the play-off final by Fulham.

Yet Bees striker Watkins has been named the Championship season's star man as part of the 2019-20 EFL Awards following a campaign in which he finished as the division's joint-top scorer with Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic.

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The duo ended the season with 26 goals each with 24-year-old Watkins now scooping the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season award.

Leeds have been long-term admirers of Watkins but are breaking their transfer record to sign 29-year-old Spanish international striker Rodrigo from Valencia.

Teenager Jude Bellingham picked up the EA Sports Young Player of the Season award and LFE Championship Apprentice of the Year gong after his 44 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club Birmingham City secured a move to German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 the 2020 EFL Awards ceremony was cancelled.

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As in previous years, an independent judging panel selected this season’s winners.

EFL AWARD WINNERS

Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season

Ollie Watkins – Brentford

Sky Bet League One Player of the Season

Ivan Toney – Peterborough United

Sky Bet League Two Player of the Season

Eoin Doyle – Swindon Town (now Bolton Wanderers)

EA Sports Young Player of the Season

Jude Bellingham – Birmingham City (now Borussia Dortmund)

LFE Apprentice of the Year – Championship

Jude Bellingham - Birmingham City (now Borussia Dortmund)

LFE League One Apprentice of the Year - League One

Luke Matheson – Rochdale AFC (now Wolverhampton Wanderers)

LFE Apprentice of the Year - League Two

Scott Pollock – Northampton Town

Mitre Goal of the Season

Charles Vernam – Grimsby Town (now Burton Albion)

Screwfix Moment of the Season

‘Football Never Went Away’ – Response of EFL Clubs to COVID-19 pandemic

PFA Players in the Community (announced in March 2020)

Sky Bet Championship – Cyrus Christie (Fulham)

Sky Bet League One – Calvin Andrew (Rochdale)

Sky Bet League Two – Joel Grant (Plymouth Argyle)

Ignition Sports Media Community Club of the Year (announced in March 2020)

North West – Wigan Athletic

North East & Yorkshire – Middlesbrough

Midlands – Derby County

London – Charlton Athletic

South East – Crawley Town

South West & Wales – Cardiff City

YouGov Sport Community Project of the Year (announced in March 2020)

Championship – Charlton Athletic

League One – Portsmouth

League Two – Cambridge United

Kin + Carta Connect Family Club of the Year

Championship – Luton Town

League One – Peterborough United

League Two – Plymouth Argyle

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Thank you Laura Collins

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