Sheffield United promotion hero wins 'most prestigious' EFL award as 1,602-game career recognised
Sheffield United enjoyed Championship promotion under boyhood Blade Neil Warnock almost 20 years ago.
Former Sheffield United promotion-winning manager Neil Warnock was rewarded for an incredible career on Sunday evening after being handed the EFL’s Contribution to League Football award.
Warnock’s managerial career has spanned over 40 years, with the experienced head coach taking charge of a record 1,602 EFL games. Those four decades have also included eight promotions, more than any other manager in EFL history, with success enjoyed at the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City and Notts County, the latter of whom he won back-to-back promotions with in 1990 and 1991.
United fans will remember Warnock for his spell at Bramall Lane between 1999 and 2007, a period in which he took his boyhood Blades to the Premier League after finishing second and winning automatic Championship promotion in 2005/06. And for that and many other achievements, he was rewarded during Sunday’s EFL awards evening.
The EFL’s website describes their Contribution to League Football award as the ‘most prestigious’ accolade handed out at their yearly awards, with winners recognised for a ‘lifetime of service’ while making a ‘significant impact’ on the Football League. And Warnock joined previous winners Chris Kamara MBE and John Motson OBE in claiming it.
"I've worked hard for this award,” Warnock said. “It's been a long career - 45 years - and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd last that long. Yeah, I've had my ups and downs, but overall, I've really enjoyed football. I try to make people enjoy it. I try to put smiles on the fan's faces, and I think I've done that.
"I am very much like a fan, and I think they appreciate that I say it how it is - cost me a few quid over the years, that. [The EFL] is just the best league in the world. How they do it year and year out, and the crowds they get... We're very lucky in England to have Clubs like this, and I've enjoyed every minute of it."
Sheffield United’s EFL awards night success
Unitedites had plenty of interest in last night’s EFL awards ceremony in London, with a heavy involvement not only of former managers but also current boss Chris Wilder and his players. Wilder missed out on Championship Manager of the Season to Burnley’s Scott Parker but two Blades made it into the Team of the Season.
Gustavo Hamer earned his spot with nine goals, seven assists and countless talismanic performances, while left-back Harrison Burrows also made it into the XI alongside top performers from Leeds United, Burnley, Sunderland and Norwich City. Hamer was also named Championship Player of the Season for his efforts and having claimed the award, outlined his hope of pairing individual honours with promotion as a team.
"This season has been tough for us as a unit, as we didn't get automatic promotion, which is what we really wanted,” he said. “We're ready to go again into the Play-Offs, though. Trust between players and managers is very important in Football and in life. I think the trust Chris Wilder gives me to play the way I want to play is great.
"I've been lucky enough to be in the Play-Offs before, so you know how it feels. This time I want to win and lift that trophy and get where we belong."
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