Time to vote for your Chronicle & Echo Cobblers supporters' player of the year

Keith Curle’s side signed off their remarkable, pandemic-disrupted campaign in the best way possible when thrashing Exeter City 4-0 in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final at Wembley, sealing their return to the third tier.

So, after a highly successful, if sometimes unusual, 12 months, who gets your vote for 2019/20?

Let’s go through the runners and riders...

The goalkeeping position throws up an interesting conundrum.

While David Cornell played the majority of the season, it was Steve Arnold who got the nod for the three crucial play-off fixtures.

Cornell was a reliable performer between the sticks, and only Plymouth’s Alex Palmer (14) finished with more than his 13 clean sheets during the regular season.

But the Welshman was dropped following Town’s 2-1 defeat at Cheltenham in February and Arnold took his place, both before and after lockdown, and his two clean sheets in the play-offs were crucial to clinching promotion.

However, those shutouts against Cheltenham and Exeter owed a lot to the excellent work done in front of him and that’s where we come to Town’s formidable back three, who have so often laid the platform for success this season.

They are led by inspirational skipper Charlie Goode.

Curle’s decision to hand the 24-year-old the armband nearly 12 months ago paid off handsomely with a series of dominant, commanding performances at the back.

He also chipped in with four goals and caused all kinds of problems with his long throws.

Regularly seen alongside Goode was the more understated Jordan Turnbull.

He perhaps doesn’t quite grab the headlines like Goode, but Turnbull churned out good performance after good performance and he too was a threat at the other end, netting five important goals.

Making up the defence is Scott Wharton.

The 22-year-old won his third promotion medal in just two seasons and already has Cobblers fans clamouring for his return after turning out numerous classy performances on the left side of the back three.

At wing-back, Michael Harriman produced two superb performances in the play-offs, while on the other side you have assist-king Nicky Adams.

The 33-year-old won his fourth promotion in six years and once again he finished near the top of the creative charts, registering 17 in all competitions during 2019/20.

Only Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne has more.

In midfield, Ryan Watson started like a train and while a broken collarbone disrupted his campaign, the former MK Dons man came back strong and finished well.

He contributed seven useful goals, including the vital opener at Wembley.

It should also not be forgotten how well homegrown midfielder Shaun McWilliams started the campaign before a nasty knee injury suffered on Boxing Day, while Chris Lines was a regular partner for Watson during the first half of the season.

Alan McCormack, when fit, was the man who knitted it all together.

The vastly experienced 36-year-old continued to have his injury troubles but ran the show in the second leg at Cheltenham and was also key to Town’s Wembley triumph.

Paul Anderson and Mark Marshall joined as free agents and both went on to play important roles, particularly the former who was excellent during Cobblers’ fine run of form in the autumn.

The long-serving Sam Hoskins is often a source of division among fans but not so much this season.

He finished top scorer with 12 goals, including five expertly-taken spot-kicks and the clincher at Wembley, and his versatility came in extremely useful, doing important jobs at wing-back, midfield and up front at various stages of the season.

Despite rarely being a regular, Andy Williams also managed nine goals over the course of the campaign, while Harry Smith showed glimpses of what he’s about before he suffered the same fate as McWilliams at Crawley.

Vadaine Oliver might just be considered the signing of the season.

It would be fair to say fans had low expectations after he joined from Morecambe last summer, but Curle had a plan and Oliver became a crucial part of it, particularly in the play-offs. His physical presence at the top of the pitch was just too much to handle.

However, no-one made a more explosive impact than the remarkable Callum Morton. Had the 20-year-old not joined on loan from West Brom in January, it’s hard to see how the Cobblers would have won promotion.

He scored eight goals in 12 games and was phenomenal during the play-offs, netting three times and giving defenders nightmares with his incredible work ethic.

So there are the contenders, but who gets your vote?

Register your choice by emailing the name of your chosen player to [email protected]

Please title your email Cobblers Player of the Year.

Votes are restricted to one per person, but please be quick because the closing date is 6pm, on Friday, July 17.

The award will be presented to the winning player ahead of the new season.

So get voting!