Pitchside Player of the Year is shared
on 18/05/09 by Andy Starmore
It has been decided that the Pitchside Player of the Year for 2008/09 is to be a joint award, given it was too difficult a decision to single out one player.

There were of course many candidates for this award given you could have practically anyone from Poole Town and indeed VT.

There were performances of such tremendous consistency throughout both outfits but in the end it was narrowed down to two players, one from each club.

Charlie Austin was prolific in front of goal for Poole Town and is to be congratulated on a superb season but, over in Southampton Warren Hunt of VT became the league’s top goalscorer with 48 to his name and therefore Hunt is joint Player of the Year for 2008-09.

In front of goal Hunt was a constant menace to every team he came up against and defenders must have been quaking in their boots with the thought of facing such a competent striker.

His goals helped VT to gain possession of the Wessex League Cup, become runners up in the league and to make an exciting Hampshire Senior Cup final appearance at St Marys, where unfortunately they were beaten in injury time 1-0 by Fleet Town.

Well done to Hunt for a wonderful season where he terrorised defenders throughout the Wessex League.

And the joint recipient of the award?

It had to be someone from such a consistent Poole Town outfit. And not just anyone.

It may have been his last full season, who knows, but Taffy Richardson, at the tender age of just 43, produced the goods as if he was still a 20-year old.

Never once giving up and producing solid performances after solid performances, the combative central midfielder has had a superb non-league career, and he has no thoughts of packing it in just yet.

Richardson was an integral cog in the well oiled Tatnam wheels that enabled the Dolphins to walk away with the league title at a canter.

The club also won the Dorset Senior Cup, of which Richardson played a big part in defeating his old club Dorchester Town 2-0 in the final.

The north east warhorse frightened the life out of many opposing players throughout 2008/09 and no doubt when the new season starts back up in August he’ll be doing exactly the same again.

For now though he is to be congratulated on a tremendous season for Poole and so the 2008/09 joint Pitchside Player of the Year Award goes to VT’s Warren Hunt and Poole Town’s Taffy Richardson.

Well done to the two of them.