End of Season Awards: Sunderland’s most improved player of the season

Most Improved Player of the Season: Nominees

Matty Crichton: Niall Huggins

For a player who has been painfully unlucky with injury issues, has almost left the club numerous times on loan and started the season in our plans as a third choice at both right-back and left-back, our most improved player simply has to be Niall Huggins.

At the beginning of the season the Welshman was practically a forgotten man. He was someone who when he played was always steady, but having made just eight appearances in his first two seasons, no one really knew quite if Huggins was capable of playing week in week out.

Ian Bendelow: Chris Rigg

It’s not because Chris Rigg has gone from being a bad player to a good one in the course of one season which makes him my nomination for most improved player. It’s because he’s gone from a just-turned-16-year-old who had made a handful of appearances to someone who has at times showcased some pretty scarily ability.

An eye for a pass, capable of chipping in with goals, and showing the kind of fearless attitude on the pitch which shows he has not been affected by the malaise which has struck the majority of the team post-December.

The match against Sheffield Wednesday was a key case in point. Rigg entered the fray at half time and proceeded to buzz around like a bumblebee that had necked 15 cans of Red Bull. But with purpose. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he is one of most talented players in the squad already based on current ability. However his potential far outstrips pretty much everyone else, and what he could achieve really is up to him.

I have a few Newcastle United supporting mates who tell me rather unkindly that we’re just keeping him warm for them, but I see that Rigg has this weekend been linked with Leverkusen and Dortmund. So as I told them, he’s already far too good for the barcodes.

I fully expect him to feature on this list again at the end of next season, because his scope for improvement is still colossal.

Ewan Bowman: Dan Neil

A player destined for the Premier League someday and arguably should be picking up international recognition at England U21 level.

Dan Neil’s game has come on leaps and bounds, especially since our promotion. He’s a player who can control the tempo of a football match, a great passer and one of the leaders in our squad.

People will say he could score more goals and I’m sure Neil would agree with that. But I feel the best is yet to come from him. If we sign an experienced holding midfielder this should allow him to be a number 8 and attack the box more which with his attributes will make him more of an effective playe

Malc Dugdale: Trai Hume

This season wasn’t a great one for us fans, especially the second period of it, but if you look at it end to end there are very few players who were as consistent at such a young age as Trai Hume, so he gets my vote for most improved, as he is going from strength to strength season after season.

I’m pretty sure no outfield player has played more minutes than Trai across that last campaign, and he has become such an automatic name on the starting eleven team sheet, we forget Trai is still only 22, yet is already a six time capped Northern Ireland international and a pivotal part of who we are. Even in the crappiest of games, Trai does his job and can get the occasional “Huuuuume” out of the most lethargic crowds.

Bomber: Anthony Patterson

You could be forgiven for thinking a 24 year old goalkeeper with 91 Championship appearances, playoff runs in two divisions and an appearance at a Wembley final might not fit the criteria for a most improved player… but Anthony Patterson should certainly be in the conversation this season. Since he burst (or was forced) onto the scene following Thorben Hoffmann shipping six at Bolton, and the demise of Lee Johnson’s tenure in charge, Patterson has pretty much been ever present.

However, because of this he has very much had to learn on the job – and learn fast! He was the subject of a lot of criticism in the second half of that league one season, and again perhaps unfairly chastised at times last campaign. At various points over the 21-22 and 22-23 seasons, there have been complaints that he was useless at corners and crosses, not physical enough, not vocal enough, and not commanding enough… this season however there has been none of that which really goes some way to show how much Patto has worked to plug some of the gaps.