Fastest Fingers First

My winner has to be Gabby. He'd have walked it had the award been for performances between August and March. Eight goals for the season doesn't quite tell the whole story. He has had a really superb season, has gone within a game- against Newcastle- of a full house and only in the last few weeks has he looked jaded.

Young has exceeded expectations. I was unhappy with one aspect of his game some months back, namely his propensity to hit the ground hard under a stiff breeze, because his dead-ball delivery is as good as Villa have seen in many a year. Better than Merson, similar to Beckham.

And with the ball at his feet he can be quite an attraction. Reminiscent of a Morley perhaps.

Young has had some bad days alright. He hardly got a kick in games like at Liverpool or Manchester United, but in games where he is without any service to speak of I guess he'll learn in time how to still be effective for the team.

Now for the big award. Who's going to give me any other winner other than Gareth Barry or Martin Laursen?

Wilfred Bouma has been consistent, so too Olof Mellberg. Young and Gabby deserve consideration but Barry has, yet again, been a real driving force with rarely a poor game passing him by.

Laursen's form has been a revelation. He was, after all, never expected to get beyond the turn of the year without a recurrence of his knee injury- although he himself might beg to differ.

Because Villa's have managed so few clean sheets my nod will again go to Barry.

So that's Gabby and GB. How does that tally with everyone else?