Take A Look At Who Will Be Up For The Football League Awards
Port Vale’s nominations for the Football League Awards 2015 Team of the Decade have been decided.
We asked you, the fans, to vote for Vale’s best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker of the last ten years to be put forward for the accolade.
The final decision for the Team of the Decade will be based on performances of the nominated players from all 72 clubs in Football League matches only.
A team of eleven will be announced at the tenth annual awards ceremony on Sunday 19th April at The Brewery in London.
So, without further ado, here are your nominations.
Goalkeeper: Mark Goodlad
Having come through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest, Mark Goodlad moved to Port Vale in 2000 without having made a first team league appearance. He spent his first season at the club behind Paul Musselwhite and Kevin Pilkington but became the Valiants number one after the duo left the following summer. The shot-stopper played a key role in Vale’s Football League Trophy win at the Millennium Stadium in 2001 and won the club’s Player of the Year award during his time at Vale Park. In the 2005/06 season, Goodlad faced four penalties and saved three, while the other hit the post. His playing career ended in January 2008 when a persistent Achilles tendon injury forced him into retirement.
Defender: George Pilkington
Defender George Pilkington signed for Port Vale under Brian Horton in June 2003 from Premier League outfit Everton. He went onto make over 250 appearances for the Valiants in all competitions over the next five years, including many as club captain. Pilkington won Vale’s Player of the Year award for the 2005/06 season. He left in the summer of 2008 for Luton Town and currently plays for non-league outfit Macclesfield Town.
Midfielder: Micky Cummins
Signed from Middlesbrough in 2000, Micky Cummins was an integral part of Port Vale for the six years he spent at the club. A regular goal scorer from midfield, his most successful season in front of goal came in 2005/06, his last for the club, as he finished with eleven in all competitions. Cummins made more than 250 league appearances for the Valiants before leaving on a free transfer to join Darlington in May 2006.
Striker: Tom Pope
Who else? A Port Vale fan born and bred, Tom Pope realised his boyhood dream in January 2011 when he joined the club on loan from Rotherham United. He bagged his first goal for the Valiants in a cold Friday night fixture at home to Bradford City in front of the Sky Sports cameras, netting a brace to win the game 2-1. The forward joined the club permanently that summer and two years later played an integral role in Vale’s promotion from League Two, scoring an impressive 33 goals in all competitions. He continued his hot-streak in front of goal the following year in League One, netting 16 in all competitions. A knee injury ruled him out for three months this season but the striker made his return from the sidelines against Crewe Alexandra in January before bagging his first goal back away to Walsall last weekend.
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