Preston North End's Joe Garner voted 2014/15 League One PFA Fans' Player of the Year

27 May 2015 16:27

LEADING scorer in League One; a Wembley winner and now crowned the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year - it’s been one hell of a season for Preston striker Joe Garner.

The North End favourite was pushed for the PFA title by teammate Jermaine Beckford who was a hat-trick hero in the play-off final victory over Swindon to secure a return to the Championship after an absence of four painful seasons.

The play-offs have not been kind to Preston in the past, and they had missed out on promotion in no less NINE campaigns, but they got their just rewards this time – and Garner played a huge part in their success.

Garner was the division’s top scorer by some way, finding the back of the net with ruthless efficiency and consistency 27 times in all competitions, and his partnership with Beckford just got better and better as the season went on.

Manager Simon Grayson, like Garner a Blackburn lad, has run out of superlatives to describe his prolific front two, Garner in particular. Grayson says: “He has been brilliant all season and it was a massive boost to us when he came back from injury mid-season.”

Preston left back Scott Laird, meanwhile, is also full of praise for Garner and Beckford, describing them as ‘Premier League quality’. Beckford has already played at the top level and Laird reckons Garner will follow suit.

Garner was named League One player of the year at the Football League awards, and Laird says: “I think Joe has the ability to play there (in the Premier), that is not trying to big him up – it is the truth.”

Source: DSG