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Lewis win SFWA Young Player Award

11 June 2020
Author AFC Media Team

 

Lewis Ferguson has today been named The Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year Award for 2019/2020.

He is the first Aberdeen player to win the Football Writers’ young player prize.

Eoin Jess was twice named the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year (1990/91 and 1992/93) and Kevin McNaughton was the last young Aberdeen player to be recognised (2001/02).

“It is a real honour for me. I am delighted.

“I would like to first of all congratulate the other boys on their nominations. They have had great seasons.

“I would also like to thank the guys who voted for me.

“I didn’t know that I am the first Aberdeen player to win the Football Writers’ Young Player award. It is nice to hear.

“I am delighted to get it.

“The other nominees had great seasons with their clubs. They deserved to be nominated. I was delighted just to be nominated but to win it is special.

“It was a tough season at times.

“Craig Bryson and Funso both joined last summer, and they were both injured for long spells. It was difficult because they were brought in to play and they are both experienced players.

“I had to take that responsibility on myself. I was playing with people who were not naturally centre midfielders, or I was playing with Dean who is younger than me. I had to take that responsibility on, but it is something that was going to come in my career where I was going to have to take responsibility on the pitch. I just took every game as it came, and I just had to use that experience to help me progress.

“The experience that I have gained from that responsibility has helped me massively. It has made me mature as a player and as a person. It has helped me progress my game having that responsibility. It has helped me to grow as a player.

“I was listening to Joe’s interview a couple of weeks ago and he was saying that we were just coming into a good bit of form before the season ended and I would agree with him. In the first half season we were a bit on and off. We were good on our day, but we were not consistent enough.

“Towards the end of the season we were getting boys back from injury, boys were fit, we had almost a full squad and we were playing some good football.

“We were coming into good form, we had a semi-final to look forward to and we were going to try and get that third spot, which I was confident that we were going to get with the way we were playing.

“It was sad the way that the season ended but your health is more important.”

He is only the tenth Aberdeen player to win a national award. Along with Jess and McNaughton, Martin Buchan (1970/71), Gordon Strachan (1979/80), Willie Miller (1983/84), and Alex McLeish (1989/90) have won the SFWA Footballer of the Year. The Dons’ to have won the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year are Mark McGhee (1980/81) Willie Miller (1983/84), Theo Snelders (1988/89) and Jim Bett (1989/90).

Lewis spoke to the Red Matchday editor and you can watch an extended interview with the Dons midfielder on RedTV this weekend.

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