Thursday, May 21, 2009

League honours Golden Six

The leading scorers and shot-stoppers from all three divisions of The Football League are to receive PUMA Golden Boot and Golden Glove awards to mark their respective achievements in all competitions this season.

The winner of the Golden Boot for the Championship, for the second consecutive season, is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. The Championship’s ‘Player of the Season’ has notched 25 goals to see off the challenge of Swansea City’s Jason Scotland (24) and Cardiff City’s Ross McCormack (23).

The Golden Glove award will be shared by Queen’s Park Rangers’ Radek Cerny and Paddy Kenny of Sheffield United. Both keepers recorded 19 clean sheets from 47 appearances in all competitions.

In League 1, where 4 players topped the 30 goal mark, Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford took the Golden Boot honours after hitting the back of the net 34 times. Tranmere Rovers’ Welsh international goalkeeper Danny Coyne, recorded 20 clean sheets to secure the division’s Golden Glove prize.

Grant Holt’s 28 goals in his first season at Shrewsbury Town helped him win the League 2 Golden Boot by a 5 goal margin. Brentford goalkeeper Ben Hamer, who spent the season on loan at Griffin Park from Reading, kept 20 clean sheets to help secure the League 2 title for the Bees and the Golden Glove Award for himself.

In announcing the PUMA Golden Boot and Golden Glove Award winners, Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League, said:

"These awards give us the opportunity to recognise the goalscorers and goalkeepers who have made a very special contribution to their team’s efforts this season. Each of these players has had an outstanding season and they all fully deserve this recognition.”

Roger Harrison, Marketing Director at PUMA UK, added:

“Strikers and goalkeepers can often win a match for their team with a last minute goal or breathtaking save. These new accolades give us an opportunity to reward players of all levels – congratulations to all of the winners.”

Goals and clean sheets in The Coca-Cola Football League, Carling Cup, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and FA Cup sponsored by E.ON have all counted towards the PUMA Golden Boot and Golden Glove awards.

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