The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding United brought down the curtain on an eventful 2017/18 season with a lively awards night in the Social Club on Saturday.
After a topsy-turvy season, chairman Andy Gay and manager Chris Rawlinson were as one when declaring that to finish in 13th position still represented a successful season.
A particular positive highlighted was the introduction to the first team of a number of the successful under-21 side, who finished second in their debut season.
Two of those under-21 players who experienced NPL football for the first time, featured in Saturday’s prize giving ceremony.
Scott Floyd and Marcel Chipamaunga, both pulled on the royal blue shirts nine times and were named as manager Lewis Thorogood’s player of the year and players’ player of the year respectively.
A new mark was made in the first team awards with Neal Spafford and Ben Davision sharing the honours as manager Chris Rawlinson chose the players as his “men” of the year and players’ player of the year.
Club vice-captain Spafford also collected the award for gaining the highest number of man-of-the-match nominations during the season, although voting was tight with just a single point separating him from Cenk Acar and Davison.
Goalkeeper Michael Duggan was the supporters’ choice for their top man of the campaign, while skipper Gary King claimed the Golden Boot award with a total 14 goals in all competitions.
King was at the fore at the beginning of the evening, presenting bouquets of flowers to club secretary Louise Maplethorpe, social club manager Louise Norman and Jenny Tucker who tends the playing kit week in and week out.
Club chairman Andy Gay selected two people to share the honour of being named his clubmen of the year.
Chris Maplethorpe was recognised for his tireless work in numerous directions in keeping the club’s building works shipshape, and Lewis Thorogood was rewarded for his superb effort in organising and running the club’s highly successful debut junior six a side tournament and managing the under-21 team.
