The Stockport County 2021/22 award winners were announced at Edgeley Park yesterday, as the players and staff gathered on the pitch in front of a packed Cheadle End to celebrate their title success.
Over 5,000 fans were present at Edgeley Park, as Club President Steve Bellis and manager Dave Challinor presented the trophies to this year’s winners.
See below to see who’s picked up this year’s awards:
Academy Player of the Year – Toby Green
It’s been an outstanding season for our Academy side this year, reaching the third round of the FA Youth Cup and seeing seven players represent the first team in the Cheshire Senior Cup and FA Trophy.
One of those players was Toby Green, one of the stars of that FA Youth Cup run, and his dazzling displays this season have seen him named Academy Player of the Year by Academy Manager Damien Allen.
Goal of the Season – Jordan Keane v Needham Market
There was plenty of competition this year after a season filled with spectacular goals (108 of them in total) but it was Keano who took home the trophy for his piledriver at Needham Market.
Collecting the ball 30 yards from goal, the defender strode forward before hitting an unstoppable, swerving drive into the top corner, via the underside of the bar, to double County’s lead on the day. He doesn’t score normal goals!
George Haigh Young Player of the Year – Ryan Rydel
It was neck and neck all the way between Ryan Rydel and Ollie Crankshaw in the voting forms, but in the end it was assist machine Rydel who was named the winner. The 20-year-old has been outstanding since Dave Challinor’s appointment, playing 36 times in all competitions and registering an incredible 14 assists.
The wing-back also scored one of our most important goals of the entire season – the winner against title rivals Wrexham at Edgeley Park, all the way back in September.
Grahame White Players’ Player of the Year – Paddy Madden
It’s always special to receive recognition from your teammates, and our Irish goal machine Paddy Madden was voted as this season’s Players’ Player of the Year. Leading from the front, Paddy simply hasn’t stopped running or scoring all season long.
His 25 goals in 49 appearances have fired us all the way to the title, and the striker was mobbed by his teammates as he collected his award.
Men’s Player of the Year – Paddy Madden
Paddy crowned a glorious season by making it a double, voted for by the supporters as our new Men’s Player of the Year – fighting off fierce competition from Will Collar and Ryan Croasdale to take home the main award of the evening.
It was fitting that with the pressure on heading into our final two games of the season, the Irishman once again came up with the goods for County – scoring in both games to guide us over the finish line.
Congratulations to all the award winners and to the rest of our brilliant Champions – 2021/22 will go down in the history of this Football Club and will never be forgotten.
