Football Season Review

Newcastle claimed the Championship title and although they eventually beat Brighton to the trophy can consider themselves somewhat fortunate to finish winners. Rafa Benitez's side quickly proved they were too good to go down last season and the talent they had at their disposal was no match for other teams in the second tier. Newcastle only won the title thanks to a late season blip by Brighton after both sides had already won promotion. Dwight Gayle proved to be an outstanding capture, scoring 23 goals, and it could have been more if it was not for a mid-season injury that threatened to derail Newcastle's campaign. Matt Ritchie also proved to be a big player in the Magpies' rise, fully justifying the decision to buy him from Bournemouth at the start of the campaign. Newcastle are a big draw with their loyal fans sticking with them with regular big away followings. The one worry remains over backroom politics and they would dearly like Benitez to stay put after proving himself to be a very astute manager yet again.

Player of the Season: Matt Ritchie