Fans facing five star choice!

2015 winner Robert Dale at Blyth Spartans, Clitheroe's Sefton Gonzales, Stourbridge's Karl Hawley, Kidsgrove Athletic's Anthony Malbon and Ciaran Kilheeney at Warrington Town are all heading for the 2016 EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Players of Year Awards in April after they were confirmed on Friday night by the NPL Facebook Group's short-listing committee.

Made up of representatives from all 68 EVO-STIK NPL clubs and the NPL Podcast crew, the group considered more than 127 players put up by supporters in the annual award's nomination stage.

More than three hundred players and officials are expected to attend the fifth annual awards when they return to the four star Brooklands Holiday Inn near Barnsley on Sunday 19 April and fans now have until a minute to midnight on March 31 on vote online for the five finalists.

Won last season by Spartans star Dale, pictured collecting his award from England C manager Paul Fairclough, the NPL Facebook Group Fans Player of the Year is the only footballing honour in the UK run soley by supporters.

The countdown to this season's event got underway in January when voting forms went to the league's managers to choose a 'player of the year' and 'young player of year' in each division along with eleven more in three EVO-STIK NPL 'teams of the year'. Voting in their poll closed on Wednesday, leaving only the fans to make their choice before this season's laurels are handed out on the night by Leeds United manager Steve Evans.

The brainchild of former Manchester City keeper and NPL man Alan Ogley, the EVO-STIK NPL Players of the Year Awards are a unique celebration at the top levels of Non-League football with the focus on recognising the impact of players on the campaign.

Launched in 2012, the inaugural accolades were handed out by World Cup referee Howard Webb and BBC 5 Live and Non-League Show presenter Caroline Barker. This season's star-studded night will also see the best young players from the NPLFA, the EVO-STIK NPL's ground-breaking league wide academy, honoured in front of their peers and the league's senior stars.

To take part in the online poll for the NPL Facebook Group Fans Player of the Year click on the following link and cast your vote: http://tiny.cc/NPLSPOTS2016. Fans can only vote once. Where multiples votes are made, all are deleted.

The NPL Facebook Group's short-listing committee also 'highly commended' the following players:
Wayne Daniel - Stafford Rangers
Benjamin Deegan - Warrington Town
Lee Gaskell - Darlington 1883/Ramsbottom United
Tim Grice - Leek Town
Ben Haseley - Stafford Rangers
Luke Keen - Romulus
Chris Lynch - Salford City
Paddy Miller - Farsley AFC
Jamie Rainford - Glossop North End
Micheal Roberts - Whitby Town

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