Sheffield United sweep board at Star Football Awards - but who was our pick for player of season (so far)?

But despite the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, we at The Star decided that the show simply had to go on. So, rather than gather with the great and good of local football for The Star's annual Football Awards, our team of football writers instead decamped to their spare rooms and conducted a shortened ceremony via Zoom instead.

It was certainly less glamorous but no less important. As the only regional media outlet to cover every game Sheffield United have played this campaign, and indeed in seasons previous, too, we feel we are uniquely placed to cover the ups and downs of the Blades.

Of course, recently there have been far, far more ups than downs and this season has been no exception. Two of our awards - Team of the Year and Manager of the Year - were no-brainers, with the Blades and Chris Wilder winning respectively.

But United's player of the year (so far) was trickier. Any one of eight players could conceivably have won the award, and that could have been as high as NINE had the vote been held earlier in the year when John Lundstram was in fine form.

Personally I voted for John Fleck, who wouldn’t look out-of-place in any midfield in the league on this season’s form. But the award went to Jack O’Connell; a worthy winner. There is hopefully more to come from him, and United, if and when the season resumes.

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