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98/99: Player of the Month This award is voted for by the readers of BSaD and subscribers to the Watford Mailing List, each choosing a first, second and third place. Points are awarded as follows: three for a first place, two for second and one for third. Final totals
A curious final result, all in all, but one that seems almost insignificant compared to the mighty team effort that saw Watford promoted to the Premiership via the playoffs. For that reason, there was no vote in May. Not wishing to single out any one player, there was only one option - give the May award to Graham Taylor, the architect of it all. So, Gifton Noel-Williams takes the overall award for the season, despite having been injured for the crucial latter stages. His early season performances, however, helped set the tone for a campaign that was always spent challenging for a playoff place rather than fighting off relegation. The same can be said of Allan Smart, much (and unfairly) maligned but a key player. Finally, Tommy Mooney. He'd been nothing more than an extra for most of the season, before an astonishing scoring run catapulted him into third place with a landslide vote in April and Watford into a playoff spot. But there's no escaping it. The team was the star. See below for the month-by-month breakdown: August
The rest:
Votes cast: Micah Hyde wins the first BSaD 'Player of the Month' award for the new season. It's his first time, having finished second on no less than three occasions last term. One of only four players who started all seven matches in August (Alec Chamberlain, Steve Palmer and Peter Kennedy being the others), Hyde has adapted well to a new level of football and looks thoroughly at home. Second place goes to Richard Johnson, absent for more than half the games but scorer of two spectacular goals at Bristol City, and new signing Michel Ngonge shows great promise in third. Perhaps the most significant thing about August, however, is that ninety-three voters managed to nominate seventeen different players - proof, if it was needed, that the starting line-up is still very much under discussion. September
The rest:
Votes cast: No question about it, September was dominated by the summer signings. September's BSaD Player of the Month is Allan Smart who, having made a quiet start in August, came good for the Hornets in a big way. He not only scored vital goals against QPR and Swindon, he won massive acclaim for his tireless running and selfless input. A very pleasant surprise. Those who'd been calling for Nigel Gibbs' return to the first team weren't let down by his performances and the Watford legend finishes second. Dean Yates climbs into third place, demonstrating that he's settled impressively into the back-line. And an honourable mention for Nick Wright in fourth, who fought his way into the first team picture and couldn't look any livelier if you stuck a wasps' nest down his y-fronts. October
The rest:
Votes cast: With a resounding victory in October, Allan Smart wins consecutive 'Player of the Month' awards from the readers of BSaD. Recent weeks have seen Smart become a crowd favourite, his winning combination of an extraordinary workrate, strength and deftness of touch making him an outstanding signing even by Graham Taylor's standards. With injury currently keeping him out of the side, will Smart be able to make it a hat-trick? The ever-improving Gifton Noel-Williams grabs second place, with last season's overall winner Alec Chamberlain finishing on the podium for the first time in this campaign. November
The rest:
Votes cast: Teenage striker Gifton Noel-Williams wins his first BSaD Player Of The Month award, after a month that has seen him come of age. As injuries have forced changes to the strikeforce, Gifton has been the constant. He's led the line superbly, suddenly gaining control and technique to add to his natural strength. Not the finished article quite yet...but a damn valuable prototype. Running Gifton close in second place is emerging Hornet hero Nick Wright, who increasingly typifies the enthusiasm and ambition within this Watford side. In other months, Wright's votes would've been enough to win comfortably. Trailing miles behind in third is Darren Bazeley. December
The rest:
Votes cast: Having won his first Player Of The Month award last month, Gifton Noel-Williams follows it with another for December. With three goals in five matches during the month, Gifton's shown that his finishing has become more clinical as the rest of his game has grown. He looks the business. Richard Johnson and Steve Palmer fight it out for second and third places, with the Aussie midfielder pipping his team-mate by just one point. Perhaps the most remarkable change from November, however, is the sudden decline of Nick Wright - having polled 236 points in finishing a very close second last month, he slumped to eleventh with just nine points in December. January
The rest:
Votes cast: Gifton Noel-Williams makes it a hat-trick of BSaD Player of the Month awards with another win. Another fine month for the teenage striker ended with a brilliant winning goal against Sunderland that surely sealed his victory. With closest rival Allan Smart in a slump, Gifton seems odds on to take the Player of the Season trophy. Elsewhere, captain Robert Page deservedly finds himself in the top three for the first time this season - in partnership with Steve Palmer, he's been back to excellent form of late. Tony Daley comes third - and, if you needed proof that the Sunderland game swayed people's votes, he made just two appearances in January. February
The rest:
Votes cast: Nick Wright is BSaD's Player of the Month for February, winning the award for the first time. Despite being in and out of the side, Wright made a favourable impression at a time when attacking options were few...and he provided perhaps the month's most memorable moment, with a gem of a goal at QPR. Otherwise, not the happiest of months for the Hornets, something that's reflected in the voting. The defensive partnership of Robert Page and Steve Palmer occupies the second and third places, while new kid on the block Tommy Smith deserves an honourable mention down in sixth. But it's particularly worth noting that ten votes - more than for some first team regulars - went the way of Gifton Noel-Williams, who was injured and didn't make an appearance during February.... March
The rest:
Votes cast: March was a pretty awful month for the Hornets and that's reflected in the voting - the lowest turn-out since the BSaD Player Of The Month award started. Only Steve Palmer and Robert Page have emerged with much praise from Watford fans, as the defence managed a couple of clean sheets for the first time in a while. The votes for Alec Chamberlain in third place would barely have got him into the top ten in a normal month. Still, enough doom and gloom. April's going to be brilliant - right, kids? April
The rest:
Votes cast: ...And April was brilliant. At the end of a quite breathtaking month, and a month that the whole team should be thoroughly proud of, one player stands out. Tommy Mooney, scorer of six goals in six games, heading for the history books. Mooney's been a hero to Watford fans since his arrival at the club...but nobody could've predicted this, his finest hour, that famous never-say-die commitment taken to ridiculous extremes. The readers of BSaD salute you, sir. With the highest number of votes ever cast in one of our "Player of the Month" polls, there's still room for others to claim some credit. Steve Palmer, many people's choice for "Player of the Season" after another wonderfully consistent term, had a commanding month. And it's also very good to see the return of Micah Hyde to the rostrum for the first time since he won the August award.
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