Derby County end of season awards as David McGoldrick snaps up 2/6

Player of the season: David McGoldrick

This is an obvious one, McGoldrick has been fantastic in a Derby County shirt. 22 goals in League One including three hat-tricks speak for themselves.

He’s not just been a prolific goal scorer either. McGoldrick’s creative play meant that virtually every attacking move went through him. A talisman and fan favourite, David McGoldrick wins player of the season.

Young player of the season: Eiran Cashin

Cashin has gone from an unknown academy product to becoming a crucial part of Derby’s starting eleven. The 21 year-old has put in some incredible performances over the course of the season. He’s solid at the back with the ability to play long balls forward to start attacking moves.

Cashin broke out in the 2021/22 season under manager Wayne Rooney developing into a star. In 43 appearances, he started 40 of those games. A fantastic asset for (hopefully) many years to come. Eiran Cashin wins young player of the season.

Breakout player of the season: Jake Rooney

Jake Rooney was a fairly unknown prospect going into the season, however he has cemented himself as a contributing member of the squad. Mainly sitting on the bench, when he has made appearances, he’s shown himself to be a very talented defender.

Rooney has the ability to bomb up the line with the ball and make things happen, yet he also has the solid defensive ability to keep things shored up at the back. Expect Rooney to be more and more involved in a Derby shirt and maybe eventually take the same path as Eiran Cashin.

Goal of the season: Max Bird vs Cheltenham Town

This was a tough one as there have been some incredible goals for the Rams this year, but Bird’s effort against Cheltenham was sensational. He picked up the ball from well outside the box, taking one touch and thundering the ball into the top corner contributing towards a 3-2 win. Honorable mentions for goal of the season include: Lewis Dobbin vs Torquay Utd and Haydon Roberts vs Shrewsbury Town

Signing of the season: David McGoldrick

Considering that most of Derby County’s squad was made up from new signings last season, it was not a surprise to give the award to the player of the season. But as mentioned, McGoldrick has had a career year for the Rams and the fact that interim Derby Boss Liam Rosenior managed to bring in McGoldrick to a League One team is worth congratulating.

Game of the season: Derby County 1 – 0 Oxford United

This wasn’t the most entertaining game, it didn’t have the most goals or the best football being played but the opening game of the season was special. It was the first game that the Rams played under new owner David Clowes and the atmosphere at Pride Park showed.

An emotional day where fans could celebrate the existence of Derby County just had to win this, plus it was topped off by a fantastic strike from new signing Conor Hourihane which led to a 1-0 victory. A brilliant way to start a season that many fans didn’t know if they would ever see.