EEN football awards: Hearts, Hibs and Lothians stars rated as our writers dish out the gongs for the 2019/20 season

This campaign may not have been completed on the pitch, but that hasn’t stopped us naming the best – and worst – of a term like no other ...

Martin Boyle returned from injury in style at Hibs.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON

Craig Fowler: Lyndon Dykes. Signing the striker was seen as a bit of a gamble by Livingston as he’d only netted a handful of goals in each of the previous two seasons in the Championship. Not only did he better those totals in the top flight, scoring nine and 12 in all competitions, his hold-up play was invaluable to Livingston’s attack.

Mark Atkinson: This has not been a vintage year. I’ll go for Hibs’ Scott Allan. Double-figures for assists this season despite some dips in performance levels. Without him, Hibs would lack a lot of inspiration. His pass at Ibrox earlier in the season was ridiculous.

Gary Holt has worked wonders at Livingston.

Joel Sked: Hibs winger Martin Boyle deserves recognition. To miss a large chunk of last season following a knee injury then recover for the start of the season, only to require knee surgery once more, you feared for a player whose pace is a key attribute. Yet, the way he bounced back and immediately became an important player for the team once more can only be admired. Displays and goals against Aberdeen and Hearts must be noted.

Patrick McPartlin: Marvin Bartley has been the glue holding the Livingston team together. He has thrived in West Lothian as the ideal leader for Gary Holt’s team and has perhaps surprised those who felt his abilities were on the wane when he left Hibs last summer.

Neil McGlade: Martin Boyle. The Hibs winger was instrumental in helping steer the club up the table following a shaky start. Provided a number of assists while also chipping in with a fair few goals himself.

Anthony Brown: Michael Smith deserves a mention for the consistency he maintained despite being part of an underperforming Hearts team. The main man in Edinburgh, however, was Martin Boyle. Even though he only properly got up and running in late autumn following injury, the winger brought pace, goals, assists and an all-round greater threat to a previously stale Hibs team.

Aaron Hickey has been a big hit in what was a miserable season for Hearts.

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON

Craig Fowler: Aaron Hickey was Hearts’ second best player across the course of the season behind Michael Smith. Not only is this an incredible achievement for a 17-year-old, he managed to perform to such a high standard despite playing for a team that was hopeless for the majority of the campaign. Most young players would have evaporated under such pressure, yet Hickey thrived.

Mark Atkinson: Aaron Hickey wins this by a country mile. At 17, he’s been one of Hearts’ best players in a miserable season. Scored a derby winner, has got better defensively and always carries a threat in attack. Constantly linked with some big clubs. A diamond in the Tynie rough.

Joel Sked: There were so many times I came away from a Hearts match thinking how much Aaron Hickey was showing up more experienced team-mates. This is a 17-year-old who played left-back, centre-back, right-back and wing-back during the campaign, yet never once looked flustered, never once shied away, never once passed an opportunity to get on the ball.

Hibs' Christian Doidge, right, and St Johnstone's Ali McCann caught the eye.

Patrick McPartlin: Hearts’ Andy Irving just shades Aaron Hickey for me. In a season when Hearts tried a multitude of midfielders with little to no joy, Irving seemed to have that spark his colleagues in the engine room were missing.

Neil McGlade: Aaron Hickey still shows maturity beyond his years and was often let down by some of the more experienced members of the squad. Scored a sumptuous winner at Easter Road in September.

Anthony Brown: For me, Aaron Hickey has no legitimate rival for this accolade. The teenager – confident, composed and versatile – can be proud of the way he handled his first full season in Hearts’ first team.

MANAGER OF THE SEASON

Hearts and Aberdeen had some memorable matches - including this strike by Ryotaro Meshino.

Craig Fowler: It’s got to be Gary Holt. Livingston have not just kept their heads above water in the relegation fight for the second year running, they finished the campaign in fifth place. They also had the distinction of being the only team to twice take points off eventual champions Celtic.

Mark Atkinson: Robbie Horn continues to do great things at Bonnyrigg Rose. Strong Scottish Cup run, close second to Kelty in maiden Lowland League campaign. A job very well done.

Joel Sked: Twenty wins from 25 league matches, 70 goals scored and held a strong chance of the Lowland League title, Robbie Horn deserves huge credit for the work he has done at Bonnyrigg Rose.

Patrick McPartlin: Calum Elliot’s exploits with Tynecastle – 21 wins and two draws from 23 games; 125 goals for and just 22 against – make it hard to look past the former Hearts striker.

Neil McGlade: James McDonaugh. Although it looked increasingly unlikely Edinburgh City would be promoted to League one as champions, they were nailed on for a play-off spot prior to season being halted.

Anthony Brown: James McDonaugh continues to enjoy impressive progress at Edinburgh City. He has built an eye-catching team at Ainslie Park and they were in League Two title contention for the majority of the campaign. It is a matter of time before McDonaugh earns promotion with City or climbs the ladder by being headhunted by a club higher up the foodchain.

Robbie Horn took Bonnyrigg Rose on another Scottish Cup run and came close to winning the Lowland League.

GOAL OF THE SEASON

Craig Fowler: I’m going to go for the lesser-known Jack Stobbs for this award. The Sheffield Wednesday winger failed to set the heather alight during his loan spell at Livingston, but he did net an absolute cracker in their 4-1 win over Ross County back in August. The 23-year-old ran on to a deep cross and side-footed a first-time volley into the top corner of the net from just inside the penalty area.

Mark Atkinson: Ryotaro Meshino has been very disappointing this season, but his goal against Aberdeen in December was a beauty. To beat Joe Lewis from 25 yards is some feat.

Joel Sked: Oliver Bozanic is not flash on the pitch and fans would liked to have seen him be more ambitious with the ball during his spell at Tynecastle, yet there is no doubt his goal against Hibs was his best moment in a maroon jersey. The way in which he guided the ball into the top corner in the 3-1 win was majestic.

Patrick McPartlin: Given all the upheaval in Scottish football over the last three months, I had to double-check that Stevie Mallan’s pearler in the Edinburgh derby actually happened this season. But it did, and it wins this award.

Neil McGlade: Greg Docherty proved to be a real hit during his short time in Leith. His quite sublime strike in a 2-1 win at Kilmarnock in February highlighted his quality in abundance.

Anthony Brown: I saw Ryotaro Meshino net a couple of sublime goals, and Stevie Mallan and Oliver Bozanic hit excellent efforts in the derbies at Easter Road, but the best was probably Greg Docherty’s thunderbolt for Hibs against Kilmarnock.

SIGNING OF THE SEASON

Craig Fowler: Marvin Bartley didn’t seem like the right sort of player to hand a three-year deal to after he looked like his powers were declining in his final season at Hibs, but the midfielder has been tremendous for Livi this term and almost as big a reason as Dykes that they finished in the top half.

Mark Atkinson: Lyndon Dykes has been an excellent addition by Livingston and has led their attack brilliantly. Ask a lot of Premiership defenders who they’ve found toughest to play against away from the Old Firm and they’ll answer with Dykes. Powerful, pacey and can finish.

Joel Sked: Lyndon Dykes. Next. But seriously, there is not another striker around who could have been a better fit for Livingston. He personifies what the team are all about. Personality, hard work, enjoyment, dedication, canny.

Patrick McPartlin: It has to be Christian Doidge. Poor start, but then Paul Heckingbottom departed, he netted a hat-trick away to St Johnstone and scored in his next four games, and was being talked about as a potential Wales cap ahead of Euro 2020.

Neil McGlade: Despite taking an eternity to grab his first league goal in green and white, Christian Doidge went on to be a real attribute in front of goal for Hibs, with 18 to his name.

Anthony Brown: Christian Doidge was in danger of going down as one of the worst signings of the season as he came under fire while failing to score in the league until November. The Welshman has since justified the six-figure transfer fee Hibs paid for him last summer with 18 goals; he wouldn’t have been far away from 25 if the season had been finished.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE SEASON

Craig Fowler: The fact that Peter Haring didn’t see a single minute of action this campaign. I’ve often waxed lyrical about the Hearts midfielder, who I believe to be one of the best at his position in the league when he’s fit. While the Tynecastle club would have undoubtedly still had a poor campaign had he been available for the majority, there is no chance they would’ve finished bottom.

Mark Atkinson: Daniel Stendel. I was impressed by the German coach at Barnsley and thought he’d get Hearts motoring. Bar a couple of fine results, his team have been a let-down, his signings have lacked impact and his tactics have been questionable.

Joel Sked: Hearts’ display against St Mirren in the final game before the league shutdown. No-one knew quite what was on the line that Wednesday evening, but it was still a crucial clash in the relegation battle. The performance Hearts put in that night was feeble.

Patrick McPartlin: Blair Henderson’s form in front of goal for Edinburgh City last season led to talk of a move up the leagues and hopes that he could spearhead the Citizens’ title charge this term, but the big striker had a largely forgettable few months. Injury restricted the 25-year-old to just 11 starts in 21 games in all competitions while the performances of fellow forwards Danny Handling and Scott Shepherd perhaps exacerbated Henderson's struggle to hit the heights of last term.

Despite a stop-start season he did manage seven goals overall, but it was always going to be a big ask for the player to repeat his prolific form for another campaign.

Neil McGlade: Hearts. The Jambos should never have found themselves in the position they did with a squad that, on paper, was more than capable of challenging for third place.

Anthony Brown: It remains remarkable that a Hearts squad which looked equipped last summer to push for Europe ended up in last place. Amid this horrific campaign for the Tynecastle side, one of the most disappointing aspects for me was the crass handling of Christophe Berra’s ousting from the first team. There is little doubt that the captain’s form had dipped, but, given his long-standing and largely fruitful association with the club, he deserved better than to be discarded in such disrespectful, humiliating fashion.

BEST GAME YOU’VE SEEN IN THE FLESH

Craig Fowler: It’s got to be St Johnstone 3-3 Hearts in February. Hearts followed up their win over Rangers by going 2-1 up in the first half of this league clash in Perth. However, they fell to bits in the second period with St Johnstone unleashing wave after wave of attack, overturning their deficit and leading 3-2. It was fortunate for Hearts they were still in the game in the dying seconds, but they took full advantage with Sean Clare unleashing a stinging drive.

Mark Atkinson: I really enjoyed Hibs’ 4-2 win over Dundee United in a Scottish Cup replay back in January. Two teams that went for each other right from the off under the lights. The Premiership will be better for United’s presence when football returns.

Joel Sked: If it is a domestic game then probably Hearts’ 2-1 win over Rangers at Tynecastle in the league. If I could pick a game not involving a team from the Lothians, 1860 Munich. Can’t even remember who they were playing but the atmosphere and experience was brilliant.

Patrick McPartlin: Kelty Hearts v Bonnyrigg Rose on February 29 was billed as the Lowland League title decider, and the 1500-plus crammed into New Central Park were treated to a breathless 90 minutes. Kelty held on for the 3-2 win – but the Rose deserved at least a point.

Neil McGlade: Edinburgh City 2-1 Cove Rangers back in December. Although it didn’t prove to be a goal fest many had anticipated, it was end-to-end stuff with both sets of players going at it hammer and tongs.

Anthony Brown: In a season of general mediocrity, I’d struggle to single out a particular match but I’ve gone for the three-game series between Aberdeen and Hearts. I wonder how Hearts’ season might have panned out if Aaron Hickey hadn’t been sent off and Hearts had held on to the 2-1 lead. They lost 3-2. The Betfred Cup quarter-final at Tynecastle was similarly enthralling when Hearts won on penalties after a 2-2 draw. And then there was the 1-1 draw in the league when Hearts produced one of their best performances under Daniel Stendel.

PLAYER YOU’VE ADMIRED OUTSIDE OF THE LOTHIANS

Craig Fowler: It’s hard not to be mightily impressed with the play of St Johnstone’s Ali McCann. Similar to Hickey, he showed quality beyond his years to excel even when his team were struggling earlier in the year. A fine midfielder.

Mark Atkinson: Odsonne Edouard. Streets ahead of any other forwards in this country. Cool, classy, clinical. Will make Celtic a lot of money.

Joel Sked: Ali McCann. He has been talismanic for St Johnstone. Every time I watched him he impressed after my attention was drawn to him following Tommy Wright’s comments about his position after the first meeting with Hibs at Easter Road. Naturally an attacking midfielder, Wright moved him to the base of the midfield because he felt he was the only player able to do what was required when it came to stretching the play, moving the ball effectively and providing direction to the team.

Patrick McPartlin: There’s a reason Vaclav Hladky has been mentioned as a possible target for Celtic and Rangers as well as clubs in England. The Czech shot-stopper kept clean sheets in a third of his league matches this term (ten in 30) and conceded just 41 goals in Premiership games.

Neil McGlade: Chris Burke. The Kilmarnock veteran scored a hatful of goals and provided many assists.

Anthony Brown: Lawrence Shankland scored in all four games I attended in which he played. He seems worthy of the all hype.