Ross Barkley scooped a hat-trick of prizes at the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust annual awards show, but was unable to collect them due to illness ahead of the Hatters’ must-not-lose penultimate Premier League clash at West Ham on Saturday.
The midfielder and captain Carlton Morris were both sent home from training earlier in the day as a precaution after feeling unwell, so missed out as fans celebrated a season in which Barkley has rediscovered his verve in the heart of the Hatters team, scoring five times and assisting six times in 36 appearances so far in Luton’s first-ever Premier League campaign.
A seasoned performer in the top-flight, previously with Everton and Chelsea, Barkley, who joined on a free last summer, scooped the main Player of the Season award, plus for the Junior Supporters’ Player, the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust Signing of the Season, which will from now on be named in honour of club legend Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, who was also honoured for his ten years of service and 400 appearances club in a historic five different divisions.
The most poignant gong of the night went to Luton Town’s medical team of Simon Parsell, Chris Phillips and Dr Amos Ogunkoya, who were honoured with the Kevin Catlin Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Contribution and a standing ovation for their part in the rapid response that saved club captain Tom Lockyer after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Bournemouth in December.
Alongside Bournemouth’s medics and paramedics at the ground, the trio helped resuscitate Lockyer, who revealed earlier this year that he was “technically dead” for two minutes and 40 seconds.
With a brace of awards – the Ian Pearce Memorial Trophy and the Players’ Player of the Year – was keeper Kaminski who joined Luton last summer too from Blackburn Rovers and has made the most saves in the Premier League this term with 138.
The stopper also made his long-awaited international debut for Belgium this term, and is expected to join the Red Devils in their European Championships campaign this summer.
Other winners included Tahith Chong whose strike in the 1-1 home draw with Liverpool won the Mick Harford Goal of the Season trophy.
Defender Teden Mengi claimed the Bobbers’ Travel Club Away Player of the Season, while 19-year-old Zack Nelson, who made his Premier League debut in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in March was named Supporters of Luton Youth Development (SoLYD) Young Player of the Season.
