Newly-crowned Young Player of the Year Dan Neil is dreaming of ending his magnificent breakthrough by scoring a Wembley winner to help Sunderland achieve promotion. The 20-year-old academy product picked up his Sunderland Supporters' Association award at the Stadium of Light last night, with 22-goal leading scorer Ross Stewart voted Player of the Year.
Neil was a popular choice, with the midfielder having quickly established himself as a crowd favourite in his first full season of senior football. "It means a lot to win the award, especially in my first season," said the boyhood Sunderland fan.
"A lot of the players who have won it in the past have gone on to do really good things and hopefully I can follow in their footsteps, but that only starts if we reach that end goal at the end of the season. It's all well and good winning individual awards but it's the team one that we want to win, and hopefully we can finish the season off by doing that."
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With six games of the regular season remaining - and potentially three more if Sunderland reach the play-off final - Neil wants to play his part in helping the club secure a play-off place, and give himself a chance of realising that Wembley dream. "Of course I've thought about it," he smiled.
"It would be some way to cap off a good season, and a rollercoaster season for myself. To score the winner at Wembley - of course, that's what dreams are made of.
"But there's still unfinished business. We have six cup finals left and at the moment we are finding ways to win games and we need to keep on doing that for six or nine games."
With Sunderland having lowered the age profile of the squad this season, there were plenty of contenders for the Young Player award. On-loan Manchester City defender Callum Doyle has had an excellent season, while Dennis Cirkin has done well following his move from Spurs, on-loan Everton striker Nathan Broadhead has impressed despite missing a chunk of the campaign through injury, and Neil's fellow academy graduate Anthony Patterson has made the goalkeeper's shirt his own since returning from a loan spell in January.
Neil said: "This year we have had quite a young squad and everyone has performed really well - there's Dennis Cirkin and Nathan Broadhead in there, too. Patta [Patterson] has come back and done really well, Callum is only 18 and has had a really good season.
"To be picked out from all those players, I am honoured to be honest. Hopefully I can carry on for the rest of the season and help get us to where we all want to be."
Homegrown midfielder Elliot Embleton won the Goal of the Year award for his stunning 25-yard strike in the 3-1 win against Wycombe Wanderers at the Stadium of Light in August. The awards also honoured Sunderland Ladies' for their first season in the FA Women's Championship, with Keira Ramshaw named Sunderland Supporters' Association Ladies Player of the Year, and Neve Herron voted Young Player of the Year.
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