With the North-East football season having come to an end last weekend, it’s time for a personal look back at some of the highs and lows of the last 12 months

BEST NORTH-EAST PLAYER

The Northern Echo:

A category that was dominated by Middlesbrough, with Daniel Ayala, George Friend and Adam Clayton all boasting strong claims. I don’t get to see a lot of Darlington or Hartlepool, but on the few occasions I’ve watched the former, Stephen Thompson has always stood out.

But when it comes to consistent excellence in the most trying of circumstances, you can’t look past Jermain Defoe. The Sunderland striker scored 18 goals in a struggling side, and was the single biggest factor behind the Black Cats’ survival.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY A NORTH-EAST PLAYER

The Northern Echo:

Defoe came close to an awards double thanks to his hat-trick display against Swansea, and Georginio Wijnaldum went one better when he scored four against Norwich last autumn. Gaston Ramirez was head and shoulders above everyone else on the field as Boro beat Huddersfield.

In terms of a one-off performance though, Rob Elliot takes the honours for his goalkeeping display in Newcastle’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth. The Magpies were battered from first minute to last, but thanks to Elliot’s heroics, they somehow claimed one of only two away wins all season.


BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN OPPOSITION PLAYER

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They might not be the most celebrated players in the Premier League, but Troy Deeney was exceptional as Watford won at Newcastle in the early weeks of the season, and Gerard Deulofeu sparkled twice against North-East teams, first when Everton put six past Sunderland and then when they knocked Boro out of the League Cup.

Cesc Fabregas had barely put a foot right in the final few months of Jose Mourinho’s reign, but when Newcastle visited Stamford Bridge shortly after the Special One’s departure, the Chelsea midfielder turned on the style. He ran the game and was back to his very best as Chelsea strolled to a 5-1 win.


BEST NORTH-EAST TEAM PERFORMANCE

The Northern Echo:

Sunderland’s 3-0 win at Norwich showcased Sam Allardyce’s side at their best, with some resolute defending establishing a platform for a host of free-flowing attacking play.

Boro take this award though, thanks to a 3-0 win of their own at Brighton. The Seagulls were still unbeaten when Aitor Karanka’s side travelled to the Amex, but Boro ran riot as goals from Kike, Albert Adomah and Cristhian Stuani kept them at the top of the table.

BEST GAME

The Northern Echo:

Sunderland’s 3-2 win over Chelsea, which effectively secured their survival, was a thriller, while Boro’s final game with Brighton had nerves jangling right to the final whistle.

In terms of sheer excitement and unpredictability though, Newcastle’s 3-2 defeat at Norwich was as dramatic as you’re going to get. Newcastle almost won it through Papiss Cisse, only for their season to collapse around them as Martin Olsson lashed home in stoppage time.


WORST GAME

The Northern Echo: Stoke City's Ibrahim Afellay (left) and Newcastle United's Jonjo Shelvey battle for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 2, 2016. See PA story SO

As ever, there are quite a few contenders for this, mainly thanks to Sunderland and Newcastle. Sunderland’s 1-0 home defeat to Watford was awful, as was their 1-1 draw with Swansea at the start of the season.

Newcastle were involved in more than their fair share of shockers, but the game that stands out is March’s 1-0 defeat at Stoke. It was the coldest I’ve ever been at a football game, both sides were dreadful, and Newcastle still ended up losing. A bad day all round.


BEST AWAY GROUND TO VISIT

The Northern Echo:

The obvious contenders are there – with the Emirates, Stamford Bridge and the Etihad all fantastic places to watch football and work. The quality of the pre-match press food is a big consideration, and all three are right up there with the best.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Carrow Road and Upton Park, but this year, there was only one place to be. Leicester’s King Power Stadium was a riotous combination of colour and noise all season long – covering a game there was a privilege.


WORST AWAY GROUND TO VISIT

The Northern Echo: Crystal Palace v Albion - from Selhurst Park

There are two considerations here – what’s it like to work at, and what’s it like to get to. QPR and Charlton struggle on both scores, and I’ve never particularly liked heading to a run-down St Andrew’s to cover Birmingham City.

But despite their investment in a new press room, Crystal Palace finish bottom of the pile. There’s no easy route to Selhurst Park, and the ground still feels like it could fall down at any minute. The fans create a decent atmosphere, but Palace remains the worst away trip of the season.

BEST PLAYER TO INTERVIEW

The Northern Echo:

We’re fortunate to have plenty of helpful and engaging players on our patch – and the likes of George Friend, Ben Gibson, Jan Kirchhoff, Jermain Defoe, Rob Elliot and Daryl Janmaat have been a pleasure to deal with all season.

I’m going to go for Lee Cattermole though. The Sunderland midfielder has matured massively in recent years, and is now one of the most thoughtful and insightful people you could wish to speak to. He’s not at all like the caricature he’s often portrayed as.

MOST MEMORABLE PRESS CONFERENCE

The Northern Echo:

It wasn’t a comfortable occasion, but Sam Allardyce handled himself superbly as he was forced to answer questions about Adam Johnson’s conviction. Aitor Karanka tends to keep his cards close to his chest, but he caused quite a stir when he suggested Burnley should have been promoted by February.

But the moment that will stick longest in the memory is the argument with a Daily Mail journalist that saw Steve McClaren leave the press room at Newcastle’s training ground with his authority completely undermined. Even at that stage, it was obvious he was a dead man walking.

WORST PREDICTIONS

Let’s end with a look at the Sports Desk’s predictions from our pre-season Kick Off Supplement. Suffice to say, they were a shambles.

I could end up having predicted the FA Cup winners if Manchester United triumph this weekend, but I had West Ham to be relegated and tipped Wayne Rooney to be the star of the season. At least I didn’t have Leicester to go down though – unlike every other member of the sports team!

Craig Stoddart’s suggestion that Christian Benteke would be the star of the season was laughable, although not as bad as Richard Mason, who went for Radamel Falcao. Paul Fraser didn’t get any of the relegated teams right and went for Arsenal to win the league.

All of that pales into insignificance though when positioned against Sports Editor Nick Loughlin’s tip for Flop of the Season. Claudio Ranieri. There’s only one flop there – and it isn’t the Leicester boss.