Sunderland star snubbed in annual awards as Leeds United and Southampton dominate

Sunderland star Jack Clarke has been surprisingly snubbed in the PFA Championship Team of the Season.

The chosen eleven were named at the annual awards on Tuesday night and although it was not a shock to see there was no significant Black Cats presence in the side, it was a little surprising Clarke was not rewarded for being the stand-out performer for his team during a season that ended with with a bottom-half finish. Clarke averaged a goal contribution in just over every two games after scoring 15 goals and providing four assists in 42 appearances in all competitions - but that was not enough to earn him a place alongside the likes of Ipswich Town’s Leif Davis and Leeds United’s Illan Meslier in the team of the year.

Unsurprisingly, former Blackburn Rovers striker Sammie Szmodics earned one of the three forward positions after scoring 27 goals in 44 Championship games to earn a move to Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town. He was joined in the side by Leeds United’s Crysencio Summerville, who was part of the Whites side beaten in last season’s Championship play-off final by Southampton before following Szmodics into the top flight with a £25m move to West Ham United. The final attacking position was taken by former Newcastle United striker Adam Armstrong after he scored 21 goals in 46 league games, including the only goal in the Saint’s play-off final win over Leeds.

Clarke may well have enjoyed an impressive season in challenging circumstances last campaign but he has already stressed his determination to improve further during the new campaign. The former Tottenham Hotspur winger has already scored one goal and provided an assist in two appearances so far this season after netting in the opening day win at Cardiff City before setting up Dennis Cirkin for the opening goal in Sunday’s 4-0 hammering of Sheffield Wednesday.

Speaking in pre-season, he said: “I'd like to think I can keep improving and as a team we can keep improving, but they might just be words. But you'd like to think I can and we can and that's what I'm striving for so we'll see. In a sense (last season was really good) but I still feel like I could have brought a lot more. I'll try to bring a lot more as the season unfolds. There was still a lot of chances I missed and still a lot more I could have done, hopefully I'll bring that this season. Thankfully for me the break came at a good time to give my injury a rest and time to heal. Like everyone else, I'm still trying to get up to match speed and fitness and dust off the cobwebs. Hopefully by the time the season starts I'll be back at my best."

PFA Championship Team of the Year

Illan Mesler (Leeds United), Leif Davis (Ipswich Town), Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton), Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton), Kienan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City), Gabriel Sara (Norwich City), Crysencio Summerville (Leeds United), Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers), Adam Armstrong (Southampton)