Burgess wins Pompey player vote

The Blues defender was the clear winner in The News’ online poll with 319 votes cast by supporters from a five-man shortlist.

Burgess’ 155 votes earned him 49-per-cent of the overall result, with Conor Chaplin, 126 (39 per cent) his nearest rival.

Kyle Bennett, 23 votes (seven per cent), Gary Roberts, eight (three per cent) and Michael Doyle, seven (two per cent) completed the response.

And few can argue that Burgess deserved the award.

The ball-playing defender earned rave reviews for his man-of-the-match performance in a 1-0 victory at Cambridge United – a game that saw him impressively assist Chaplin’s headed winner.

During that Abbey Stadium triumph, he also demonstrated his defensive excellence with a commanding performance in the victory, especially impressive considering the Blues were reduced to 10 men for the final half-hour.

Earlier in the month, the former Peterborough man marked his 25th birthday by heading home the only goal of the game against Leyton Orient.

Runner-up Chaplin also caught the eye after being handed an extended run in Pompey’s side.

The teenager scored in consecutive matches – against Notts County and Cambridge to take his tally to five in nine games.

There was also an assist for Bennett in a 2-2 draw at Plymouth.

In addition, the 19-year-old earned a new contract in October, taking him to the summer of 2019.