The WeAreBrighton.com 2017-18 End of Season Awards

It was a case of job done for Brighton and Hove Albion in the 2017-18 season as Chris Hughton’s side secured Premier League survival in their first campaign in the top flight, ending the season in 15th spot, some seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Many of you were keen to pay your tributes to that achievement, and that made this ninth edition of our WeAreBrigton.com End of Season Awards the most popular ever.

Voting took place across 11 categories with two awards being contested for the first time – Set Piece Marking of the Season and Comedy Moment of the Season – and the coveted Own Goal of the Season award being renamed in honour of Lewis Dunk for his efforts in consistently beating Maty Ryan.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. Here are your winners in the WeAreBrighton.com Awards 2018…

WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Season: Pascal Gross

From the moment he started scoring for fun in pre-season, £3m looked like a bargain for a player of Pascal Gross’ calibre. And so it has proven, the German playmaker marking his first campaign in England with seven goals and eight assists to be hailed by the pundits as one of the best Premier League buys of the season. Maty Ryan in second spot probably earned more points single handedly with some of his saves than Gross managed, but without the former Ingolstadt man creating and finishing, there is every chance we’d have faced an immediate return to the Championship.
Previous Winners: Anthony Knockaert (2017), Bruno (2016), Inigo Calderon (2015) Stephen Ward (2014), Liam Bridcutt (2013, 2012), Glenn Murray (2011), Andrew Crofts (2010)

Goal of the Season: Jose Izqueirdo v West Ham United (H)

This award could’ve been renamed the Jose Izquierdo Award, given that the Colombian had half of the six contenders for it. Two of those came against West Ham United who must have been sick of the sight of him by the time their second encounter with him, that 3-1 defeat at the Amex, was over. It was his goal in that game that was enough to win the award, Izquierdo picking up a deep corner way out on the left and sending a looping shot goalwards that dipped perfectly into the tightest of spots between the bar, post and the outstretched hand of Adrian. Beautiful.
Previous Winners: Steve Sidwell (2017), Jiri Skalak (2016) Rohan Ince (2015), Jake Forster-Caskey (2014), Craig Mackail-Smith (2013), Inigo Calderon (2012), Liam Bridcutt (2011), Gary Dicker (2010)

Lewis Dunk Award for Own Goal of the Season: Lewis Dunk v Manchester City (H)

Having scored for own goals in the 2016-17 season, it was good to see the Albion go one better this time around and net five. One man excelled in this particular area, with Lewis Dunk netting four for himself before the end of February. One more would’ve broken the Premier League record for most own goals in a season, but unfortunately for Dunk he couldn’t quite get there. Still, something to aim for next time around? His best was judged to be the bullet header he sent through the legs of Maty Ryan in the opening day defeat to Manchester City.
Previous Winners: Fiakyo Tomori (2017) Tomasz Kuszczak (2014), Dean Hammond (2013), Lewis Dunk (2012)

Set Piece Marking of the Season: Crystal Palace – James Tomkins

You’d need around seven hands to count all the goals that the Albion conceded from corners this season, which allowed us to create this brand new award for the worst Set Piece Marking of the Season. There were plenty of candidates, but the undoubted winner was the game of pinball that broke out in the box in April’s derby game at Crystal Palace. An absolute comedy of errors saw Maty Ryan spill the original ball in, flaying legs from three or four Albion players attempting to clear but not being able to all eventually led to James Tomkins nutmegging Ryan as he fired home the loose ball.
Previous Winners: New category!

Memorable Moment of the Season: Manchester United (H)

The final six games of the season being against top seven teams looked daunting when it came to securing Premier League survival. That made it all the more remarkable that the Albion did so with two games to spare, and by beating Manchester United at the Amex. Brighton were excellent in the 1-0 win and for residents of a county in which so many of us had to put up with plastic United fans lording it over us when we were at school in the 1990s and 2000s, defeating them to ensure survival was a particularly sweet way of doing it.
Previous Winners: Wigan Athletic home (2018) Sheffield Wednesday home (2016) Fulham away (2015), Forest away (2014), Palace home (2013), Doncaster home (2012), Charlton away (2011), Southampton away (2010)

Comedy Moment of the Season: Anthony Knockaert’s Face Plant

There were plenty of funny moments of the course of the season which has necessitated the introduction of this brand new award. One stood out in particular though, largely because it was beamed into homes up and down the nation when Brighton ran out convincing 3-0 winners at West Ham United. Jose Izquierdo had just scored an absolute screamer to put the visitors 2-0 ahead and celebrated by producing the perfect knee slide. Anthony Knockaert tried to join him but only succeeded in getting his knee stuck in the ground and tumbling forward to end up with a quite ridiculous face plant.
Previous Winners: New category!

Flair Moment of the Season: Anthony Knockaert’s Skill v Manchester United

As if beating the Premier League runners up at home wasn’t taking the piss enough, Anthony Knockaert rubbed salt into the wounds with a quite brilliant piece of skill that left Anthony Martial completely bamboozled. Knockaert had picked the ball up in the far right hand corner of the pitch and there looked to be nothing on before he produced a quite outrageous dragback and nutmeg combination to leave Martial on another planet before racing towards goal and delivering a low cross.
Previous Winners: Blowing the title (2017), Colin Calderwood (2016), Chris O’Grady (2015), Andrea Orlandi (2014), Liam Bridcutt (2013), Vicente (2012), Cristian Baz (2011), Inigo Calderon (2010)

Villain of the Season: Crystal Palace Supporters

Shows how much that you lot must hate Crystal Palace fans, that they can win Villain of the Season ahead of the racists from Burnley. Those poor residents of Croydon had an interesting day in the league meeting at the Amex, beginning by graffitiing over a mural of Bruno in Brighton city centre before ticketless fans smashed their way into the ground injuring stewards and leaving genuine supporters with tickets stuck outside and then proceeded to let off fireworks once inside. Classy behaviour.
Previous Winners: Alex Pritchard (2017), Mike Dean (2016), David Burke (2015), Nigel Adkins (2014), El Hadj Diouf (2013), Glenn Murray (2012). Nigel Adkins (2011), Dean Hammond (2010)

Look-a-like of the Season: Jesus of Nazareth

Remarkably, Jesus Christ wins the Look-a-like of the Season Award for a second time and it comes from a different player. In 2016, Inigo Calderon helped the Son of God to claim the crown but its another bearded latino right back who has bought the title back to Nazareth. Ezequiel Schelotto is even more of a ringer for Jesus than Calderon was given that he has the long hair required to play the role and that means that he has ended up being our most convincing winner of a category in this seasons awards with 63% of the vote.
Previous Winners: Shirley from EastEnders (2017), Jesus Christ (2016), Neil from The Inbetweeners (2015)

Sexiest Player of the Season: Maty Ryan

It was quite the debut season at Brighton for Maty Ryan. The Australian number one finished second in our Player of the Season poll, his goal celebrations of sprinting the length of the pitch to join in whenever we score at home saw him take runners up spot in Flair Moment of the Season as well and he tops things off by securing the Sexiest Player award. While some might say he is too short to be sexy, you clearly don’t agree and it isn’t hard to see why he has won this for anyone who has seen his Twitter profile picture.
Previous Winners: Shane Duffy (2017), Inigo Calderon (2016, 2015), Andrea Orlandi (2014, 2013), Vicente (2012)

Best Bald Head of the Season: Bruno

For the sixth year in succession, captain Bruno wins our Best Bald Head of the Season award, continuing the domination of a category that he has won in every season since he arrived at the Amex from Valencia. There was some genuine competition for the first ever time this season though, Glenn Murray’s bizarre decision to shave all his hair off for the FA Cup Quarter Final at Manchester United in March ensuring that this was the lowest share of the vote Bruno had received since 2013, although the fact he still secured 75% tells you everything you need to know.
Previous Winners: Bruno (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013), Gordon Greer (2012)