Time to vote for The News/Sports Mail's Portsmouth Player of the Season

The Blues have the Championship in their sights as they embark on a play-off campaign.
Matt Clarke was the last Pompey player crowned The News/Sports Mail's Player of the Season. Picture: Joe PeplerMatt Clarke was the last Pompey player crowned The News/Sports Mail's Player of the Season. Picture: Joe Pepler
Matt Clarke was the last Pompey player crowned The News/Sports Mail's Player of the Season. Picture: Joe Pepler

There also remains other silverware up for grabs – namely The News/Sports Mail’s Pompey Player of the Season.

Matt Clarke previously dominated the voting, claiming the honour in each of his last two seasons before departing for Brighton.

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However, it’s now time for a new incumbent – and our readers have the opportunity to choose the worthy recipient.

There remain at least two matches to fulfil, yet the vast majority of supporters will already have opinions on who deserves to follow in the footsteps of David James, Alan Biley, Neil Webb, Noel Blake, Steve Claridge and Enda Stevens.

We are asking fans to email their choice to [email protected] before the deadline of Wednesday, July 1, at noon.

There are a number of obvious candidates for The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season who are bound to feature strongly.

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In no particular order, John Marquis is the club’s leading scorer at present with 14 goals this term.

The summer recruit from Doncaster has been in sizzling form since the turn of the year, with nine goals in 17 appearances during 2020 alone.

There was also the dramatic last-gasp winner against Exeter to earn a Leasing.com Trophy final spot against Salford in a Wembley match still to be rearranged.

Another high in the goal charts is Ronan Curtis, who has been back to his scintillating best since dropped out of the side at the start of October.

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The Republic of Ireland international has roared back to form and currently has 13 goals in 42 outings during the campaign so far.

There have also been a sizeable amount of assists as he continues to impress on Pompey’s left flank, earning himself a new long-term deal in February.

Defensively, Christian Burgess has been a tower of strength after re-establishing himself in Kenny Jackett’s team.

The long-serving centre-half started the season as third or fourth choice, with even Tom Naylor selected ahead of him in pre-season friendlies.

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However, Burgess has now racked up 43 games and four goals, becoming a pivotal figure during a campaign which will be his last at Fratton Park as he prepares to move to Belgium.

His defensive partner, Sean Raggett, has enjoyed something of a journey in front of the Fratton faithful, emerging magnificently following a difficult start.

Having returned from long-term injury when he arrived from Norwich, he struggled to impress. However, supporters soon began to see a very different player.

Raggett has become something of a cult figure, with fans applauding his no-nonsense defensive play and even chanting for his England inclusion.

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Another candidate is Tom Naylor, who continues to be the driving force behind a team with promotion ambition.

He inherited the captaincy from Brett Pitman in September, a promotion fully deserved and reflecting his popularity in a dressing room which last term voted him as Players’ Player of the Year.

Naylor is a crucial player whose presence is massively missed when absent. Consistent, whole-hearted and full of commitment, he is Pompey’s heartbeat.

Of course, there may be other potential recipients, but that is up to our readers to decide.

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Please email your choice to [email protected] before a noon deadline of Wednesday, July 1.

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