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The nPower Championship’s 12 Stand-Out Players of the 2012-13 Season:

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George Boyd (Peterborough United/Hull City)

Flamboyant striker George Boyd, 27, ended the Championship season in a rather unique position. On loan at Hull City since February, Boyd bagged four goals for the Tigers to help secure their automatic promotion to the Premier League whilst his parent club Peterborough United, for whom Boyd also scored 7 this season, suffered the heart-breaking defeat to Crystal Palace that confirmed their relegation to League One. Despite experiencing the pressures of promotion and relegation in the same season, the Scotland international was excellent for both clubs, and was particularly impressive in Hull’s 5-2 rout of Birmingham City at the KC Stadium in March, scoring twice against boss Steve Bruce’s former team. Due to his status as a loan signing for Hull and Peterborough’s need to offload, enquiries for Boyd has come from various clubs, including strong interest from the 2012-13 SPL champions, Celtic.

Wilfred Zaha (Crystal Palace)

From making his senior England debut against Sweden in November to signing for Premier League winners Manchester United in January, the 2012-13 year has been an absolute whirlwind for the young Wilfred Zaha. Described as “the future of English football” by Dan Ashworth, the FA’s director of development, winger Zaha’s exuberance and flair in his performances for Crystal Palace had attracted firm interest from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City before the allure and grandeur of Old Trafford persuaded the 20-year-old to sign a five-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £15million. It is unclear where Zaha will fit into new United boss David Moyes’ immediate plans, however it is sufficiently clear that the young prodigy is more than capable of living up to the pressures that will come with being the last ever signing of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Charlie Austin (Burnley)

One of the Championship’s most free-scoring attackers, former bricklayer Charlie Austin has spent most of the season smashing any club record that Burnley have put in front of him. In October, Austin’s brace against Bristol City equalled Ray Pointer’s feat of scoring in eight consecutive appearances whilst in November, the 23-year-old’s match-winning header against Leeds shattered Bert Freeman’s previous record to become the fastest-ever player to score 20 goals for the Clarets. Ultimately netting a 28 goal tally over the course of the season (the third highest in the league behind Crystal Palace’s Glenn Murray and Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes), Austin’s lethal presence in front of goal eased Burnley’s relegation fears and guided them to a comfortable mid-table finish, despite suffering several spells on the injury shelf. Austin has pledged his immediate future to the Clarets, but with repeated rumours of interest from Arsenal and Newcastle United, it may only be a matter of time before he plays his football in the Premier League.

Chris Wood (Millwall/Leicester City)

Spending the initial section of the season at Millwall on loan from West Bromwich Albion, Chris Wood burst out of the blocks for Leicester City upon signing in January, scoring 6 times in his first 3 games for the club. Making the switch to the King Power Stadium for the relatively small sum of £1.5million, the 20-year-old New Zealand forward and his partner-in-attack David Nugent have helped notch up some important points for the Foxes, especially in high-profile wins over the likes of Bolton and Nottingham Forest. Chris Wood’s most impressive individual moments of the year came with his 30-minute hat-trick away to Bristol City in January and the late equaliser against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in April, and such performances are so typical of the NZ international that it is no coincidence that he finished the season as Millwall’s leading goalscorer, despite playing for Leicester since the end of mid-season transfer window.

Liam Bridcutt (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Described by Gordon Strachan as the type of player who would “run 70 yards to make a five-yard pass”, Brighton’s Liam Bridcutt has been a consistent touch of quality in the midfield of one of the league’s most in-form teams. Voted Brighton Player of the Year for the second year running in May, Bridcutt’s solid presence in the middle of the park earned the 23-year-old an international cap in Scotland’s 2014 World Cup qualifier against Serbia, but his most notable performances of the season came at the Amex Stadium against Arsenal and Newcastle in the FA Cup, where Bridcutt’s vital interceptions and strength on the ball helped to nullify the threat posed by the likes of the Ameobi brothers and the Gunners’ Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The defensive midfielder is known to have Premier League admirers in West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, however Bridcutt is reportedly keen to remain as a spearhead for Brighton’s bid for promotion from the Championship.

Tom Ince (Blackpool)

An incredibly promising young talent that is rumoured to be worth upwards of £10million, Blackpool’s Tom Ince was the subject of fevered speculation in the January transfer window. Ince’s 18 goals and astonishing playmaking on the left-wing for the Seasiders was rumoured to have the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and former club Liverpool on high alert, and despite a high-profile move failing to materialise, Ince continued to impress as one of the most outstanding players in the Championship. Recent reports have circulated that his father, new Blackpool boss and former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince, has taken up a one-year option on the youngster’s contract in order to keep him at Bloomfield Road, but big-money offers could still come in, and the Football League’s Young Player of the Year could find himself at a Premiership club by the start of next season.

Thank you for reading!

Who do you think was a stand-out player in the Championship this season? Comments welcome below and on Twitter: @matthewtsquires

Matt Squires is a contributor to This is Futbol, and covers other sports for websites such as Bleacher Report. For more on Matt, please visit his personal website Matthew T Squires.

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