MICKY Nelson and Gary Liddle this week shared the players' player of the year award at Hartlepool United - and Nelson can understand exactly why his fellow team-mates voted for the midfielder.

After being voted supporters' player of the year, Nelson and Liddle finished neck and neck when their Victoria Park colleagues had to choose their key man.

Liddle, a product of the Middlesbrough Academy, got Nelson's vote after moving up the A19 last August and the vice-captain admitted: "He has had a fantastic season and it is obvious that he has enjoyed being out on the pitch.

"He has done a great job in whatever position he has been asked to play.

"A lot of lads who come to a lower league club from these Academy backgrounds start well, but sometimes the league gets to them and their form starts to dip but Gary has got better as the season has gone on.

"He made his debut at centre-back alongside me in the League Cup at Burnley and since then he has played left back/right back and centre midfield, as well as sometimes on the left or right.

"The only positions he has not played is in goal or up front.

"He has really nailed down that centre midfield role now where he can create things, break up the play and he has weighed in with a few goals as well.

"He is very comfortable on the ball, he is confident and is not rushed on the ball.

"He is very composed and it rubs off on people around him.''

Liddle was left out of the division's select XI picked by fellow professionals and Nelson, named in the back four of the PFA team, couldn't understand why Liddle was omitted.

"As we were coming to the end of the season we all thought that he had the potential to be in for a few awards,'' admitted Nelson.

"I thought that he might have been in the PFA team as well but I also thought that Dimi (Konstantopoulos) and Richie (Barker) should have been in there as well.

"The three of us that did get in thoroughly enjoyed it but it could have been more.''

With boss Danny Wilson searching for a new striker this summer after releasing Eifion Williams, a move for Darryl Duffy could be on the cards.

He impressed on loan at Victoria Park earlier in the season, and later went to Swansea for the final games. Five goals in five games earned him the player of the month award for April.

The Scot is likely to leave Hull for a fee of around £100,000 and is keen on a move to a club as close as possible to his home city of Glasgow.

Wilson has also been alerted to the news that Boro striker Danny Graham also available.