Saints fans have a week to vote for their top man of 2009/10 season.

For the first time in several seasons there are actually several contenders for the award won by Kelvin Davis last season and who himself broke a hoodoo where the recipient of the trophy left the club soon after.

After Dean Richards won it in 1999/00 he at least stayed another year, 00/01 winner Wayne Bridge bettered that and stayed 2 more seasons, in 2002 Chris Marsden lifted the award and followed that with one more full season plus a handful of games the following year before playing his last game for the club on Boxing Day 2003.

May 2003 saw James Beattie the winner for the second time, but as we know he would only have one more full season, aw would the winner in 2004 Anti Niemi who like Beattie had another half season added to the full term before leaving in the Januarytransfer window.

Then came a run of four winners, three of whom would leave without kicking another ball for the club, Peter Crouch in 2005, Chris Baird in 2007 & Andrew Davies in 2008, in between them was Claus Lundekvam who had no intention of ever leaving until in the final league game of 06/07 the year after his award, he was stretchered off, never to play again, this along with Gareth Bale's injury in the following play off 1st leg game scuppered our promotion hopes.

So Saints fans will be hoping that Kelvin broke the hoodoo last year, although as we have seen, we have to go back to Wayne Bridge in 2001 for a player who has actually played two more seasons after winning the award, so lets hope he is here next year.

Goalkeepers seem to have won the award more than most since it was innaugarated in 1974 and won by Mick Channon, since then Peter Shilton has won it twice, Tim Flowers twice, with Dave Beasant, Paul Jones, Antti Niemi and of course Kelvin with one apiece, making the keepers being triumphant 8 times out of a possible 36, ironically defenders have also accounted for 11 wins, perhaps showing were much of the action has been during these times. 

To register your vote simply send the surname of the player you want to win to

player@saints.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

Middlesbrough Polls