Wrexham in-form striker Sam Smith has made it to the January PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Month Award nominations.
With last weekend’s win over Sheffield Wednesday, Wrexham closed one of their best monthly stints in the Championship. Accumulating 13 points from 6 matchdays, the Reds recorded 4 convincing wins to secure a top-6 spot.
While such results speak to an exceptional collective effort, this feat would have been unimaginable without the contribution of one star. The player in discussion is Wrexham forward Sam Smith.
Tasked to step up in the injury absence of starter Kieffer Moore, Smith filled the forward’s void seamlessly. Despite not having started a match in months, Smith scored 4 goals in 4 league starts in a blistering January comeback.
The forward’s scoring prowess not only had Wrexham fans raving, but even the PFA took notice. Recently, Sam Smith made it to the Championship Fans’ Player of the Month nominations for January.
Wrexham confirmed the development, quoting: “Sam Smith has been nominated for January’s PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Month Award”
Sam Smith is in a race with 5 other competitors to take home the POTM award. The Wrexham star needs the fans’ support to beat the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz, Azor Matusiwa, Oli McBurnie, Kenny McLean and Alan Browne.
How does the PFA Championship Fans POTM nomination work?
Based on the collective Championship matchday results and individual performances of the previous month, the PFA panel nominates 6 players for the award.
As the award name hints, the Player of the Month is decided by a fan voting system. With all votes aggregated and counted after the voting timeline ends, the nominee with the highest fan support is handed the winner’s trophy.
While the award doesn’t distinguish against any position or role of the nominees, a general trend has seen attackers rule the award based on fan support. With only forwards in Oli McBurnie, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Othmane Mamma and Finn Azaz winning the Fans POTM so far this season, this can continue this time as well.
Which Wrexham players have been nominated this season?
Time and again, Wrexham players have delivered some extraordinary performances this season. However, even displays like Kieffer Moore’s hat-trick against Coventry have been left out for nominations, with the award prioritising overall performances in a month.
Before Sam Smith’s January nomination, only one Wrexham star had made the cut till the 6 contestants chosen. It was Arthur Okonkwo in a nearly impeccable November spell in the Reds’ goalpost.
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Notably, Okonkwo conceded just a single goal in 5 matchdays in November. It included 4 consecutive clean sheets against Portsmouth, Charlton, Ipswich, and Bristol City before he let one in during a Blackburn draw.
Even if not the best, Okonkwo’s effort was exceptional, for it saw Wrexham emerge unbeaten in all these games. However, the keeper was unlucky to see Southampton’s Fin Azaz bag the award for his 6 G/A in November.
Wrexham fans can help Sam Smith win
Last season, Sam Smith fell short of winning the PFA League One Fans POTM despite a stupendous tally of 5 G/A in April. Now, the forward has made it to the Championship nominations and deserves to win it for the inspiring comeback story he’s written.
Despite losing his starter status after an impressive last season spell, Smith patiently waited for his time. When the opportunity came calling with Moore’s hamstring injury, the forward capitalised on it perfectly.
Ever since then, Smith has never let fans ever feel Big Kieff’s absence. In fact, his form has been so surreal with 4 goals in 5 appearances that he managed to bench Moore and win the starting role.
A possible win for the PFA Fans POTM award doesn’t just add to Smith’s trophy cabinet. It also respects his struggle in winning back his position in the starting XI from a backup role initially.
With Sam Smith having played his part, it’s all in the Wrexham fans’ hands now. Let’s see if the fanbase can land the PFA Championship Fans POTM at the STōK Cae Ras.
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