Woon Honoured
The season-end gala was relatively subdued given Grilled's less-than-successful campaign, but the guests did manage a generous round of applause for 28 year-old midfielder
Woon Shun An, an outside selection for Player of the Season. Apparently, fan voting had been at its thinnest for some time, which allowed Woon's dedicated supporters to tilt the outcome.
Not that Woon was undeserving of the prize, as head coach
Djan Bacelar hastened to emphasize. "Woon has improved steadily since his arrival, and while he has not been a prolific goal-getter, he kept us going through some hard times with his hard-driving style. This is too often underrated, and it's nice to see him get recognition for it."
Skipper
Tian Yonghang ran Woon close in the final reckoning, with
Zhao Jing Wei a distant third. The Young Player gong went to Japanese-Singaporean Yuta Nakakita, who lived up to expectations with the Wings, and has walked directly into the first team of Turkish club HusPas, though word is that he is currently in talks about a transfer to Poland's Kulawy Team.
The Farmer Bunnies held their event in conjunction with the Birds, and German playmaker
Berndt Weißhaus was declared as their first senior awardee. Former Hit_Men defender
Chow Pin Yeng then took the youth title, with
Elias van Dal praising his output at both ends of the pitch.
With the presentations over, the respective coaches gave their brief thoughts on the upcoming season, though neither strayed from their expected script with Bacelar promising the title, and van Dal continuing to focus on development. Details were scarce, however, as they kept their cards close to their chest.
