Cameron Brannagan was the big winner at the Grundon End of Season Awards tonight with fans and players all recognising the impact that the midfielder has had on Oxford United’s season.
Brannagan was the runaway winner of both the Grundon Supporters' Player or the Year trophy and the Johnston Quarry Group award for Players’ Player of the Year and then also won the Wellers Goal of the Season for his goal against Portsmouth.
He told us
“It’s wonderful to receive both Player of the Year trophies and really humbling to know that the hard work you put in all year is recognised by the fans and by the players who you work with on the training pitches and then play matches with. I’d like to thank everyone who voted and these awards mean so much to me.
"The Goal of the Season was a good one although I voted for Matty Taylor at Wigan! The awards are nice but I would happily give all three back to still be in with a chance of promotion."
On a glittering night at the Kassam Stadium around 300 guests gathered to join a night of reflection and celebration on everything that has happened throughout the club this season.
James Golding was voted by the coaching staff as the Smiths of Bletchington Young Player of the year, receiving the Jack Casley trophy at the end of a season that saw him earn his first professional contract.
Top scorer Beth Lumsden was a clear winner of the Textures Flooring/Autotrak Women’s Player of the Year, a double celebration after she helped her team win at Ipswich earlier in the day
Matty Taylor was the winner of the Whiting Builders Golden Boot but the night was not just about what happened on the pitch. The Goal of the Season award was renamed last night and will now be known at the Joey Beauchamp Goal of the Season Award.
Joey’s family were our special guests, as was Suzanne Lewis, wife of Micky, the second Legend to have an award named after him as a small reminder of all he did for the club. The Micky Lewis Club Person of the Year, sponsored by Planet Recruitment, was awarded to long-serving club secretary Mick Brown- a unanimous choice by his colleagues behind the scenes at the club.
There was one other award on the night, a surprise for Manager Karl Robinson who was awarded the Savvy Group Community Person of the Year. Karl works tirelessly to help others, coaching the Downs Syndrome Team, running a half marathon for Prostate Cancer, helping Helen & Douglas House and always a champion of mental health groups and countless charities.
“I wasn’t expecting that award and will be searching for the people who kept that a surprise from me!” he joked. “But it’s on behalf of the whole club really. We all work so hard and everyone who wears the badge knows what it means to so many people around the city and the whole of Oxfordshire.”
Our thanks to Grundon and to all our sponsors on a great night at the Kassam Stadium