Words John Edwards

Chris Conn-Clarke's incredible season for Altrincham has earned him non-League football's most prestigious individual award after he was named National League player-of-the-year at a glittering ceremony in South Wales this evening.

The 22-year old's exceptional goal-scoring statistics from an attacking midfield role made him the league's stand-out performer for many Alty fans, and it's a view that was clearly shared far and wide after he was declared the winner of an award that is voted for by all the clubs.

What an honour for him, one of no fewer than seven that have come his way at the end of a campaign that was frequently lit up by his spellbinding ability on the ball and unerring eye for goal.

At Alty's end-of-season awards night, his stunning strike from distance to win the match against AFC Fylde in December was voted best goal, and he was also named players' player of the year and young player of the year.

In addition, he won a place in both the National League team of the year and the one selected by their title sponsors Vanarama, and it became six of the best when he was then named Sports Beat young player of the year at the Non-League Paper's annual end-of-season National Game Awards.

Chris' stock just keeps rising, and it became accolade number seven, in the Caernarfon Suite at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport this evening, when he stepped forward to receive the National League player-of-the-year trophy, to rapturous acclaim from Alty officials in a packed dining hall.

The club were represented by Co-Chairman Bill Waterson and his partner Mary and director John Coyne and his wife Emma, while Chris' partner Daisy proudly looked on while our brilliant Northern Ireland under-21 international took a bow.

As a measure of the calibre of player this award generally goes to, it was won last year by Notts County's Macaulay Langstaff, after he scored an unbelievable 42 goals in the league, all from open play, and the year before by Wrexham's lethal frontrunner Paul Mullin.

You deserve to be in that company, Chris - heartiest of congratulations from everyone at the club.