Weblogic Joomla Template Demo

The first ever Players Player Award at last weeks Watford FC End of Season Awards, held at Shendish Manor, was won by arguably the most popular man in the current squad, Lloyd Doyley. The My Watford News sponsored award was handed out for the first time, with players asked to vote for their player of the season based on consistent performance on and off the pitch, team player qualities, enthusiasm and passion for the game, connection with the supporters and good sportsmanship.

Lloyd clearly has all these qualities and has become a favourite among both his team-mates and the supporters, and it was no surprise to his name announced as the winner by My Watford News Editor Nik Allen. Described as “Mr Watford” by some of his team-mates, ‘Lloydinho’ thanked the rest of the players for voting for him in what was a short acceptance speech. My Watford News was able to grab a word with our Players Player shortly after the conclusion of the awards, and Lloyd was unsurprisingly honoured to receive the accolade. He said: “It feels really good to win this award and it’s even more special that it is voted for by the players and the backroom staff. Its nice to be appreciated and it shows that my team-mates appreciate me by giving me this award.” In a video presentation just before the award, Jack Cork, Jay DeMerit, Tommy Smith and Richard Lee all gave their reasons for voting for their Players Player, complimenting Lloyd’s consistency and efforts in training. So why does Lloyd think they voted for him over everyone else? “It’s probably because I’m the longest serving player,” he said. “I just work hard in training and always give 100% in games. Even if I’m not feeling too great, I’ll always give my best for the club.” Sadly for Lloyd, he was unable to grab his first goal for the club this season, despite fans urging him to shoot at every opportunity in the last game of the campaign against Derby County: “It was great support from the fans, I’m guessing most of them had a bet on me to score,” he said. “Every player would love to receive the support I am at the moment so I thank the fans for that.” So now that Lloyd has his hands on the first ever Players Player Award, does he think he will be able to hold onto the trophy next year? “I’d definitely like to win this award again, but I would also like to win Goal of the Season and Player of the Season too.”

There were plenty of other awards handed out at the black tie event, with the prestigious Player of the Season Award being the focal point. The first award handed out went to James Llwehellin, a life-long loyal supporter of Watford FC who sadly passed away this year. A moving tribute was played on screens around the room before James’ father David took to the stage and accepted the award. Following this was the Young Player of the Year Award, which went to 18-year-old Ross Jenkins. Jenkins beat off competition from Scott Loach, Jack Cork and Gavin Hoyte to pick up the accolade. The next trophy to be handed out was The Community Ambassador Award, which went to Captain Jay DeMerit. DeMerit was recognised for his work with the Watford Community Trust and within Watford and its surrounding areas. The Watford Hall of Fame saw its latest former player to be inducted on the night, with Graham Taylor’s first signing, Ian Bolton, being honoured with the induction. Captain DeMerit was once again invited on stage to collect the Team Performance Award, which was handed to him in recognition of the side’s 2-0 win over Swansea City. On loan Polish striker Grzegorz Rasiak was the next man to pick up an award, grabbing the Goal of the Season for his stunning strike against Charlton at the Valley back in March. The Final Award of the night was the Player of the Year Award, won last year by Tommy Smith. Only a handful of players have won the award back-to-back, and Smith was added to this list after he was again chosen as the team’s top performer. The evening, in association with The Watford Observer, saw players mingle with supporters and a host of fantastic auction items. Manager Brendan Rodgers, Chairman Jimmy Russo, Director Graham Taylor and Honorary Vice President Sir Elton John (speaking in a pre-recorded message from Las Vegas) all spoke to the assembled crowd about the season, with the hope next year of finishing even higher than this years 13^th.