After Saturday’s fantastic 2-1 comeback win at the Dreams2Reality Stadium against Chasetown, the Colls hosted their end-of-season awards night, which included celebrating and reflecting on our 25/26 campaign and looking ahead to our landmark 10th season in the Northern Premier League.
We would like to thank Jack Smith from our stadium sponsors, Dreams2Reality.co.uk, for presenting this years’ awards. We thank Dreams2Reality, as well as ArcHomes, for their continued support.
Here are the award winners as we shine a light on our outstanding campaigners.
Committee Player of the Year: Ben Rydel
The right-back and midfielder made his return to the Colls in July, after a successful stint with Widnes, in which he won the 24/25 Division One West title, appearing 42 times. Ben previously represented the Colls as a key player throughout the 2023/24 campaign, ultimately ending the season as captain, and was likewise near ever-present with 42 appearances and 3 goals. This season, Rydel has once again been a mainstay, appearing 38 times and scoring once, that being the winner against Chasetown this past Saturday. Congratulations again to Ben! Here’s to the same next season.
Supporters’ Player of the Season: Sam Sheridan
Mr Consistent, Sheridan has rarely put a foot wrong all season, delivering performances at right-back and midfield when needed. Sam has also developed a habit for scoring some truly wonderful free-kicks this term, a highlight being his equaliser against Shifnal Town back in December. Sheridan has a brilliant eye for a pass and delivered a highlight reel assist for Sam Olawumi’s opener against Wythenshawe Town just over a week ago. Congrats to Sam and more of the same please next season.
Manager’s Player of the Season: Sam Sheridan
Clearly, Danny Lafferty and his staff were on the same wavelength as the Colls faithful as Sheridan scooped up his second award of the night. Congrats once more Sam!
Players’ Player of the Season: Rodney Ajayi
The Colls leading appearance maker this term, Rodney, caught the eye of his peers with his giant frame and silky feet, dazzling midfield opposition up and down the league. Ajayi has notched 3 goals so far this season, with 2 games left to play. The midfielder’s assist for Kielen Adams against Newcastle Town sums up his game to a tee: he bamboozled his way down the left wing before picking his head up and delivering a perfect pass for Adams to tap home. Congrats to Rodney!
The Eric Lancaster Award – Supporter of the Season: Francis Rafferty
The second ever ‘Eric’ award was presented to our very own Franny, an evergreen presence at the Dreams2Reality Stadium, whose hard work on matchdays covers stewarding, ball-boy duties, and managing the scoreboard. Francis is often one of the first to arrive on a Saturday, helping to prepare the stadium ahead of kick-off, from the snack-bar to the corner flags. Francis is truly deserving of the recognition for his efforts as a long standing volunteer, and we also congratulate him on his recent house move.
The Coalden Boot: TBA
The race for the Colls Golden Boot awards is still to be decided, with 2 fixtures left of the season. Winger Chinedu Uche currently leads the way with 13 goals, most recently the all-important equaliser against Chasetown before we went on to claim all 3 points. Kielen Adams is sat in second place with 10 goals, the number nine registering his 10th in that 3-0 victory over Wythenshawe Town. Adams looks imperious as of late, doubling his tally in just over the space of a month and despite not getting on the scoresheet in the win over Chasetown, his hold-up play and the way he brought others into play were fantastic. Rounding off the podium places, as of writing, is Harry Showman. The Salford City loanee has registered 8 times for the Colls this term in just 19 appearances, boasting the best goals-to-game ratio in the squad. Best of luck to the lads in the last 2 games!
But most importantly, a big well done to all of the lads on a well-fought campaign, and hopefully we can finish it off in style, as we are currently on a 2-game winning streak and the performances have been fantastic. A big thank you to all of the staff. And last but not least, everyone at the Dreams2Reality stadium and the Colls faithful who follow the team around the country.
As we look to next season, the most applicable word is optimism, this team have a lot more to give.
Words: Zach Scott Moloney – Photos: Harvey Brindle
