10 Awards for a 10/10 Season

Image: Reuters via DNA India

With so many unforgettable moments and outstanding displays across the season both individually and as a collective, we’ve put together 10 categories and put the question to the whole Focus Team…

Don Love

Player of the season? Tim Ream due to the continued development of his game. Betts is my runner-up and I look forward to seeing him between the sticks next season.

Match of the season? This is an easy one for me. QPR match in March. Even though we drew 2-2 I was able to attend with my son and his mates. Not only was I able to see the match with my son but connect with some very special Fulham locals including a particular family who have kind of adopted me and made me feel apart of their special Fulham world. Nothing like being at the Cottage live with your son and meeting up friends.

Goal of the season? Fulham 2-0 Leeds. My goal of the season is not because it was a wonder strike from one distinct player but rather because it defines how dangerous Fulham could be as a team this season. Leeds take control of the ball in our half in what is some great passing movement that puts a Leeds player one v one with Betts. Betts make an incredible save that Ream picks up on and passes down the middle to send Johansen on his way. Johansen makes an outside pass to Mitro who lays it off for Tom who in turn passes it back to Mitro for a beautiful finish giving us a 2-0 victory over Leeds. The perfect counter attack.

Team performance? Millwall 0-3 Fulham.

Worst moment? Wembley Final when Odoi gets his second yellow and is sent off with 20 plus minutes till the final whistle. Well done to Slavisa for game management of bringing the subs Norwood, Kalas and Christie to see the game out.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Lucas Piazon who brought a completely different mindset and skills in my mind to the game. Case in point Reading away August 12th down to 10 men after 47 secs, Reading then scored in the 61st minute and are managing the game so that they look to be claiming all three points. Reading are running the clock down and have won a free kick in their half. Their player crosses the ball to the other side where a fellow player looks to make a pass back that Lucas picks up on and then beats the next defender to put him through 1-1 against the goalie in what is a brilliant calm finish. Match ends 1–1 and Fulham win an all too important point.

Unsung hero? AK47 for coming on in the last few matches of the season and showing just how much passion and strength he brings to the side.

Save of the season? Betts vs Leeds at home. Up to that point, Leeds was starting to dominate and the whole game could have changed if Betts had not come up big on a 1-1 save. Shout out goes to Ream saving the ball off the goal line vs Millwall at the Den.

Best signing of the season? Targett for coming in and making himself not only the obvious number one for the questionable left back spot but dominating that position which allowed Sess to play more forward in an attacking role.

Assist of the season? Ryan Fredericks doing what he does best, and I hope continues to do in the Premier League. Ipswich August 26th. Ryan receives the ball from Kalas then uses his speed and skills to beat the outside defender and take it to the touchline where he puts in a fantastic cross that finds Kebano for a fantastic header goal.


Scott Maltman

Player of the season? Ream.

Match of the season? Norwich 0-2 Fulham.

Goal of the season? McDonald vs Millwall away.

Team performance? Again Norwich away.

Worst moment? Sunderland away due to the journey and circumstances (weather and their first win etc).

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK47 coming on against Sunderland at home.

Unsung hero? McDonald is the unsung hero.

Save of the season? Betts save against Leeds of which we scored on the counter.

Best signing of the season? Mitro, hands down!

Assist of the season? Sess assist at Wembley… perfectly weighted and magical.


Dean Rosier

Player of the season? Ream.

Match of the season? Sheffield United 4-5 Fulham.

Goal of the season? Mitrovic vs Sheff Utd at home. ( I think this was the goal where every player touched it and there were about 42 passes before the goal)

Team performance? Derby away, won 1-2.

Worst moment? Odoi vs Brentford away. Odoi lost his head away at Brentford. Got sent off for 2 silly yellow cards within about an 8-minute window. We ended up losing the game against our rivals 3-1. Really didn’t sit well.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Kamara vs Sunderland (H).

Unsung hero? Bettinelli.

Save of season? Bettinelli from a Keogh header in the 95th min away at Derby. The save may not have been the best as such in terms of a worldy. But it was the significance and the timing of the save.

Best signing of the season? Mitrovic.

Assist of the season? Ryan Sessegnon Playoff final.


Dave Wilson

Player of the season? Tim Ream.

Match of the season? As an occasion, the final against Villa. *From a match entertainment perspective Fulham 4-1 Ipswich*

Goal of the season? Cairney against Villa in the final.

Team Performance? Millwall away.

Worst moment? Birmingham away (Burton Albion away close second).

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK against Sunderland

Unsung hero? Mark Maunders. Mark is the Player Care Manager at the club and has provided many years dedicated service to the club. He is responsible for looking after the players and helping them to settle in, especially important for those coming from overseas, helping them practically so they can fully focus on the football. Has proved very popular with players both present and past.

Save of the season? Betts against Leeds, one on one saved, we went down other end and scored.

Best signing of the season? Mitrovic.

Assist of the season? Sess against Villa at Wembley. Followed by Kalas at Millwall.


John Clarke

Player of the season? Ream.

Match of the season? Villa in the playoff final.

Goal of the season? Cairney in the final.

Team performance? Wolves at home.

Worst moment? Birmingham away.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK against Sunderland home.

Unsung hero? Rui Fonte – not so much on the pitch but he celebrated like he got us 100%.

Save of season? Betts against Leeds home (we scored on the counter as a result).

Best signing of the season? Mitrovic.

Assist of the season? Sess against Villa in final.


Ben Robinson

Player of the season? Gotta be Tim Ream.

Match of the season? Regular season, Sheffield United 4-5 Fulham. Including playoffs – no other choices, Villa at Wembley.

Goal of the season? Kmac vs Millwall, a CDM hitting a 30-yard screamer? Beat that… killed Millwall off completely after being blitzed all first half by them.

Team Performance? Reading away, late equaliser after playing with ten men from the 47th second after Kalas was sent off.

Worst moment? Brentford equaliser at the Cottage.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK47 away to Hull. We were 2-0 down & two second-half finishes from Kamara rescued a draw.

Unsung hero? Denis Odoi, stepping In when needed and making the CB position his own.

Save of the season? Bettinelli at home to Leeds.

Best signing of the season? The big man, Mitro.

Assist of the season? Johansen 2nd leg vs derby. Lovely chest down for sess to get us back into the game.


Sam Dymond

Player of the season? Tim Ream.

Match of the season? Aston Villa 0-1 Fulham (playoff final).

Goal of the season? Aleksandar Mitrović’s 2nd vs Sheffield United at home – an instinctive half-volley flick from Stefan Johansen’s pass that bamboozles me each time I see it as much it did Jamal Blackman on the night.

Team performance? Millwall 0-3 Fulham – grit and guile.

Worst moment? Neal Maupay’s 94th-minute equaliser for Brentford – the goal that ultimately meant we missed out on automatic promotion and instead got the day of our dreams.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Aboubakar Kamara – 4 of his 7 goals were off the bench but the double at Hull ensured our unbeaten run didn’t end at 2 games.

Unsung hero? Oliver Norwood – stepped in when needed, patient when not. Scored some crucial penalties and was always good for an injury-time hoof forward.

Save of the season? Marcus Bettinelli’s double save versus Nottingham Forest at 1-0 to deny Ben Osborn and Apostolos Vellios.

Best signing of the season? Aleksandar Mitrović – the missing piece of the jigsaw.

Assist of the season? Cyrus Christie for Aleksandar Mitrović at Bristol City.


Dannyboi

Player of the season? Tim Ream, easy decision.

Match of the season? Millwall 0-3 Fulham. Tale of two halves and an outstanding effort from the fans.

Goal of the season? Cairney vs Villa at Wembley. It summed up our whole style of play perfectly. Beautiful goal.

Team Performance? Derby 2nd leg (Derby away in the league 1st half & Millwall away 2nd half come close but the 2nd leg was outstanding from beginning to end).

Worst moment? Losing to Burton away was horrible. It felt like a long journey home knowing we’d just gifted points to a team so inferior to us.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Norwood in the playoff final. Crucial tackles & experience to clear the ball into the corners to relieve pressure from our 10 men.

Unsung hero? Slav’s coaching staff. The attention to detail and trust our manager has in his coaching team says it all. They’ve played a big part in implementing our style of play and I have no doubt how much hard work must go into it.

Save of the season? Betts away to Hull City. We were 2-0 down at halftime, got a goal back from the penalty spot and were throwing the kitchen sink at it trying to find an equaliser. Betts made an outstanding save as we got caught out & within 2 or 3 minutes, Kamara equalised. The unbeaten run wouldn’t have happened without that save.

Best signing of the season? Has to be Mitro but feels very harsh on Targett.

Assist of the season? Sessegnon in the final, the pass was genius.


Cameron Ramsey

Player of the season? Tim Ream.

Match of the season? Sheffield United 4-5 Fulham, Bramall Lane.

Goal of the season? Stefan Johansen against QPR at Loftus Road in front of travelling support.

Team performance? Victory over Wolves at home, how clinical and cutthroat the collective was.

Worst moment? 3-1 loss against Brentford at Griffin Park.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK47 without a doubt.

Unsung Hero? Marcus Bettinelli.

Save of the Season? Betts against Leeds United at home to set up the devastating counter-attack.

Best signing of the Season? Matt Target – integral to Sessegnon’s progression offensively.

Assist of the Season? Sessegnon Playoff Final for Cairney.


Pete Grinham

Player of the season? Kevin McDonald marginally ahead of Tim Ream by a fag paper.

Match of the season? Playoff final vs Villa.

Goal of the season? Mitrovic v Brentford (H).

Team performance? Wolves (H).

Worst moment? Brentford injury time equalizer at CC.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Kamara vs Sunderland (H).

Unsung hero? Denis Odoi (an awesome athlete).

Save of season? Every one by Bettinelli.

Best signing of the season? Mitrovic.

Assist of the season? Sessegnon in the playoff final.


Morgan Calton

Player of the season? Tim Ream – A completely different player from last season with a head so cool he’s got icicles for hair!

Match of the season? Derby at home in the playoffs.

Goal of the season? Mitro vs Wolves – the strength to fend off challenges, a little bit of trickery and a great strike… a perfect goal.

Team performance? Derby, playoffs 2nd leg.

Worst moment? Brentford’s 94min equaliser.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK away at Hull…rescued a point for us just as the streak was getting going.

Unsung hero? Dennis Odoi – was he going to be sold? Would he ever play? Yes, he would! And didn’t he do well…

Save of the season? Betts vs Derby, last minute reaction stop to keep it 2-1.

Best signing of the season? Mitro – special mention for Matty Targett.

Assist of the season? Sess vs Villa in final….that vision!


Matt10

Player of the season? Tim Ream.

Match of the season? Playoff Final.

Goal of the season? Johansen v Cardiff. We were up 3-2, and Cardiff are pressing. Fredericks manages to hoof the ball out of danger, and Johansen picks it up from behind the half with no one near him. He takes it all the way down the pitch and lobs the keeper to make it a secure 4-2 victory.

Team Performance? Fulham 2-0 Wolves.

Worst moment? Losing to Sunderland away.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? AK47, home vs Sunderland.

Unsung hero? Johansen. Always does the dirty work, pressures high when needs to, drops back, had 9 assists in the season, and 6 goals.

Save of the season? Betts save away to Sunderland, reaction save from header then off the crossbar.

Best signing of the season? Mitro.

Assist of the season? Johansen back heel vs Derby away. When his initial pass is deflected at the top of the box, he manages to be first to the loose ball, and backheels the ball perfectly into Sess, who smashes it far post at a tight angle.


Matt Domm

Player of the season? The ice cube that is Tim Ream. His defending has really come on this year and, combined with his calmness on the ball and passing ability, we’ve got ourselves a ready-made Premier League centre-back.

Match of the season? For pure football reasons, away to Cardiff on Boxing Day. It was right at the start of our incredible run, it was their first home defeat of the season and it was a victory for football over whatever it is Colin plays.

Goal of the season? Aleksandar Mitrovic against Wolves for me. It showed everything we were missing in a striker – strength to hold up the ball, a turn away from two, good footwork to get in position to shoot and a low, powerful finish from the edge of the box.

Team performance? The second half against Millwall. Our attacking style culminated in a perfect performance and included a rare screamer from Mr Reliable, Kevin McDonald.

Worst moment? The fact that after everything, second place was ultimately in our hands but we lost to Birmingham. I’m over it now, though, since it led to a win at Wembley.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Aboubakar Kamara against Sunderland. When Matt Targett was taken off injured and things up to that point just weren’t working, Slav brought on Kamara to change things up. He showed superb touch and sheer pace to turn the game in our favour.

Unsung hero? Ollie Norwood. I don’t think he’ll stay now we’ve gone up, but deserves a lot of credit for his part all season to keep us in touch while Tom Cairney was injured or unfit. Add to that his ability from the spot and I think he was worth a few points for us this year.

Save of the season? Marcus Bettinelli vs. Derby (from Andreas Weimann). We were 2-1 up and under pressure at Pride Park. Weimann was played through and it looks for all the world that Marcus was about to bring him down, but he got down and made good contact on the ball to get it wide of goal and away from danger.

Best signing of the season? Mitrovic. Next…

Assist of the season? Ryan Sessegnon vs Aston Villa. I think we saved the best for last. Not only did the boy wonder have to do well to control a pinged pass from Stef Johansen, but he had the vision to thread it between Alan Hutton and the ex-Chelsea centre-back with the perfect weight for Cairney to slot in. The £170m assist.


Jon Shaub

Player of the season? Timmy Ream. Someone who once made me nervous now almost has me cheering REEEEAAMM before he has done whatever brilliance he is about to.

Match of the season? Match for me is Derby 2nd leg in the playoffs. The crowd, the performance from the players and the shift in momentum at the time when it really mattered.

Goal of the season? Odoi against Derby in the playoffs. I enjoyed that game can you tell? There’s something about legendary goals stopping in midair and going into that top corner.

Team performance? Wembley! Huge pitch, huge occasion, huge pressure and down to ten men. They really fought for each other and for us in the white wall!

Worst moment? For me, this was against Brentford at the Cottage. Injury time seemed to drag on as long as StefJo’s walk when subbed. Think we got what we deserved but it all turned out great in the end.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Has to be Kebano against Brentford! Ok, I take that back… I’m going for Christie away at Preston who put in a vital cross from Mitro to score.

Unsung hero? I’m going StefJo. Never stops, isn’t scared to try difficult balls, has made some of my favourite ever professional fouls this season alone. On a serious note, he has required surgery on his groin for most if not the entire season but played through for the team.

Save of the season? After to going to almost all the home games this season I’m struggling to remember many of them and who they were against. Two pens in a minute by Betts vs Hull in the cup beats Mitro’s save against Sess narrowly against Leeds at home.

Best signing of the season? Has to be Mitro. He has been immense not only in attack but also in defending all over the pitch. Slavisa has also said he is huge on the training ground and in the locker room.

Assist of the season? Sess in the final for me. The perfectly weighted ball. Honourable mentions to the Villa keeper (Sam Johnstone) teeing up Ayite and StefJo backheel for Sess vs Derby away.


Luke Jennings

Player of the season? Tim Ream.

Match of the season? Sheffield United 4-5 Fulham.

Goal of the season? Kevin McDonald away at Millwall.

Team performance? Wolves at home.

Worst moment? Burton Albion away.

Most valuable contribution as a sub? Kamara vs Sunderland home.

Unsung hero? Bettinelli (might sound crazy, but just don’t think he gets the plaudits he deserves).

Save of the season? Bettinelli away at Sunderland. Header from the 6-yard line, saved point blank with his forearm down low up onto the bar.

Best signing of the season? Targett loan (closely followed by Mitro). Freedom for an astonishing Sessegnon.

Assist of the season? Has to be Sessegnon to Cairney at Wembley!


James Hingle

Player of the season? Sessegnon.

Match of the season? Wolves 2-0.

Goal of the season? Cairney. His goal at Wembley from a perfectly weighted throw ball from Sess was all we needed to get back to the premiership.

Team Performance? Derby, second leg playoff.

Worst moment? Losing 3-1 to Brentford at Griffin Park.

Most Valuable contribution as a sub? Kamara against Sunderland at home, completely changed the game.

Unsung hero? McDonald.

Save of the season? Bettinelli against Leeds at home. The resulting save saw us break out from the box and score.

Best signing of the season? Mitrovic.

Assist of the season? Sessegnon at Wembley.