30. Alfie May
Club: Charlton Athletic
Position: Forward
Age: 30
Hitting 20 league goals (24 total) by March 15 is quite something in an underperforming team, and he’s even been shunted wide at times. His movement, link-up play and work ethic are also key.
THEY SAID: “He’s sending you down” – Charlton fans after May, rather more anguished, notched against former club Cheltenham.
29. Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Club: Southampton
Position: Defender
Age: 22
Taylor Harwood-Bellis is an assured defensive presence and his vision makes a difference to Russ Martin’s possession-heavy Saints side – while short passing is the default, he loves a cute diagonal into Adam Armstrong to keep his opponents honest.
HIGHLIGHT Joining an England senior team training session in November. A taste of the future?
28. Will Keane
Club: Preston North End
Position: Forward
Age: 31
Keane secured the short move from Wigan to Deepdale last summer and scored four goals in his first five league games as North End started like a house on fire. His clinical finishing is an asset; so, too, his close control and excellent decision-making.
HIGHLIGHT A delicious spinning backheel against Watford to put PNE 1-0 up... before losing 5-1.
27. Herbie Kane
Club: Barnsley
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25
With his passing range and eye for a through-ball, Kane is the free-scoring Tykes’ creative hub. He sees team-mates’ movement and takes up intelligent positions himself to convert critical goals – eight pre-March, including three equalisers and a trio of winners.
DID YOU KNOW? He was a 2018 Golden Boy nominee with Trent Alexander-Arnold, his fellow Red.
26. Finn Azaz
Club: Middlesbrough
Position: Midfielder
Age: 23
When Aston Villa recalled Azaz from Plymouth and sold him to Boro for £2.5m, it fitted perfectly for everyone but Argyle. In the South West and the North East, he’s been a dangerous dribbler, prolific shooter and artistic ace.
DID YOU KNOW? Azaz spent every Wednesday across a five-month period visiting patients at St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth.
25. Devante Cole
Club: Barnsley
Position: Forward
Age: 28
When you’re the son of the fourth-most prolific striker in Premier League history, the pressure of finding the net on a regular basis must weigh heavy. Fortunately, Devante Cole seems to have inherited the instincts that helped his dad, Andy, enjoy a glittering career back in the 1990s and early 2000s.
As spring 2024 rolled around, the Barnsley forward was sitting near the top of League One’s scoring charts thanks to a blistering campaign in which he has averaged roughly a goal every other game. Cole has already guaranteed this season will be his most productive, with his effort against Carlisle in January meaning he had surpassed last term’s personal best league tally of 15.
24. Liam Millar
Club: Preston North End
Position: Wing-back
Age: 24
Even as a right-footer playing as a left-sided wing-back, there’s an air of the chalk-on-the-boots oldschool winger to the loanee from Basel: all dribbling, all crossing.
HIGHLIGHT An incredible solo winner against Leeds on Boxing Day, having also created North End’s opener, during a run of five goals or assists in four matches.
23. Ilias Chair
Club: QPR
Position: Winger
Age: 26
Marti Cifuentes has the Moroccan maestro at his best again. Amid consistency issues – and off-field issues – he’s the Championship’s most watchable player on form.
HIGHLIGHT Responding to a rare benching, away at Preston, by emerging at half-time to register two brilliant assists. Point made – and three valuable points won.
22. Ephron Mason-Clark
Club: Peterborough United
Position: Forward
Age: 24
Sorry, Kwame Poku, in the eyes of our voters the extra physicality of your fellow Posh wideman gives him the edge. Coventry agree: in January they signed Mason-Clark and loaned him back for the rest of this goal-laden campaign.
HIGHLIGHT An acrobatic strike and ice-cool finish for a brace to beat Charlton. EMC, squared.
21. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
Club: Derby County
Position: Forward
Age: 31
HE TOLD FFT: "When you’ve got a striker who’s on fire, like Collo [James Collins], it makes your job so much easier. I’ve always been one who prides their game on assists.
"I was asked earlier in the season if I preferred to score or assist, and people didn’t believe me when I said it’s to assist, but my role is to create opportunities and I’ve been able to do that – as well as scoring goals."
