The Northern Echo's Team of the Season

With players from Sunderland and Hartlepool dominant thanks to their clubs' successes this season, this is a line-up that has out-performed all-comers during the course of the 2006-07 campaign.

Goalkeeper: Dimi Konstantopoulos (Hartlepool)

Keeping a club record 25 clean sheets - and the chance of another today - is testimony to the season the giant Greek has had.

A big, imposing figure in the penalty area and a superb shot-stopper, it is little wonder that Dimi Konstantopoulos has a string of admirers from above. Out of contract in the summer, today is likely to be his final appearance in a Pools shirt.

His penalty saves against Stockport and Notts County proved vital, but the save against Macclesfield which put Pools top of the league in February was his finest stop.

Right-Back: Micky Barron (Hartlepool)

Lifting the league title this afternoon at the end of his testimonial season would be a fitting end to the campaign for Pools' Mr Consistent and club captain.

Micky Barron started the season out of the side and has also missed the last five games through injury.

But he played throughout the record-breaking 23-game unbeaten run which put Pools into title contention and there's no doubt that Hartlepool are a better side with him in it. Barron is a real calming influence at the back and commands respect from all inside Victoria Park.

Centre-Half: Jonny Evans (Sunderland)

He only arrived on Wearside in January, but 20-year-old Jonny Evans quickly became the defensive rock upon which Sunderland's promotion to the Premiership was built.

Dominant in the air, strong in the tackle, and cool and composed on the ground, the Northern Ireland international has only lost two matches in a Sunderland shirt - and one of those was a relatively meaningless FA Cup game at Preston.

Roy Keane has already described Evans as a "Manchester United captain in waiting", but Black Cats fans are hoping that Sir Alex Ferguson allows him to spend one more season at the Stadium of Light.

Centre-Half: Jonathan Woodgate (Middlesbrough)

And to think there were those who doubted him. From the moment Jonathan Woodgate marked Thierry Henry out of the game on his Middlesbrough debut, it was obvious that the Teessider had lost none of his class.

With his fitness now much improved, and his reading of the game still as accomplished as ever, the England international has re-established himself as one of the best centre-halves in the Premiership.

His recent decision to sign a new four-year deal with Middlesbrough merely underlines the strength of the bond tying him to Teesside, an emotional attachment that was best expressed by his pride at being made captain last September.

Left-Back: Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough)

Hartlepool-born Andrew Taylor is the latest player to roll off Middlesbrough's Rockliffe Park production line and, on the evidence of this year's stellar performances at left-back, the defender could be one of the best.

Utterly unflappable despite his tender years, the 20-year-old has missed just three Premiership matches all season and has formed a left-wing partnership with fellow youngster Stewart Downing that should be a feature of Boro's play for years to come.

His willingness to attack on the overlap is a major asset, while a number of accomplished defensive displays against Cristiano Ronaldo proved he could hack it with the best.

Right-Midfield: Carlos Edwards (Sunderland)

Back in January, eyebrows were raised when Roy Keane spent an eight-figure sum on a player struggling in the Championship relegation zone. Five months later, though, and the decision to buy Carlos Edwards has surely proved the best £1.4m the Sunderland boss has ever spent.

The Trinidad & Tobago international would have been one of the most dangerous attackers in the division if all he had done was hug the right touchline and deliver crosses.

But his ability to score dramatic long-range goals as well - as seen against Birmingham, Southampton and Burnley - provided some of the most memorable moments of Sunderland's promotion campaign.

Centre-Midfield: Gary Liddle (Hartlepool)

Twelve months ago, Middlesbrough ended their season by fielding an entirely home-grown team - and Gary Liddle wasn't in it.

Since then, while others who played that day have failed to make the breakthrough at the Riverside, Liddle has positively flourished a few miles up the A19.

He has played and impressed at both centre-half and left-back, but it's in central midfield where he has really made his mark.

Some games in this division have been way too easy for the classy 20-year-old, who should make a name for himself in League One next season.

Centre-Midfield: Dean Whitehead (Sunderland)

When Roy Keane was looking for a new Sunderland skipper last autumn, Dean Whitehead was the first name that sprang to mind. As the last few months have proved, the Black Cats boss could not have made a better choice.

Returned to his preferred midfield position after a stint at right-back, Whitehead has been the driving force behind Sunderland's surge into the top two.

Endlessly energetic, fiercely committed and with a passing ability that will surely stand him in good stead when he returns to the top-flight, the former Oxford midfielder has led by example in the midfield engine room.

Left-Midfield: Andy Monkhouse (Hartlepool)

His season has ended prematurely after he was sent off last week, but there's no doubting the impact that Andy Monkhouse has had at Victoria Park.

His link-up with Ritchie Humphreys on the left has added something extra to the side, and it is little wonder that both players were named in the PFA team of the season.

In 36 games this season for both Pools and Swindon, Monkhouse only lost twice - and the first defeat didn't come until April.

Centre-Forward: Richie Barker (Hartlepool)

Danny Wilson's long-running pursuit of Richie Barker paid off in January - and how.

The £80,000 spent has proved the difference between the play-offs and automatic promotion, as Barker netted nine times in 18 games.

Vital goals against Lincoln and Stockport maintained Pools' promotion momentum and, even when he doesn't score, Barker's work-rate and effort make sure he brings something else to the side.

He misses today's finale after last week's sending-off, but there's no doubting the impact he's had to date.

Centre-Forward: Obafemi Martins (Newcastle)

Consistency remains a problem, especially away from home, but Obafemi Martins has nevertheless provided the highlights in a largely forgettable campaign on Tyneside.

The Nigerian's left-footed rocket at Tottenham was Newcastle's goal of the season, although both UEFA Cup efforts against Levadia Tallinn ran it close.

Seventeen goals is a decent return for a maiden season in English football and, with his acclimatisation process complete, Martins will be hoping for better things alongside Michael Owen next season.