ONE AND ONLY: Playmaker’s L2 Team of the Season

With football suspended across the world, Playmaker puts together a League Two 'Team of the Season' based on the action so far. For this list there is one rule, only one player per club can be selected.

Here is our League Two team of the season so far:

GK – Alex Palmer, Plymouth: On loan from West Brom, the 23-year-old is the only player to have played every minute so far this season for promotion contenders Plymouth. Palmer has the most clean sheets from any keeper in League Two, with 14. The Englishman also has the third highest save percentage (0.75% per game) with the fourth most shots saved (110). The young goalie certainly has a bright future and his form this season suggests he can potentially cut it at a higher level than League Two.

📢Highest number of different goalscorers (2019/20; top 4 tiers; all comps):

19✊: 💚PLYMOUTH💚
18✊: Salford
17✊: Grimsby, Southend, Bristol City, West Brom, Sheff Weds
16✊: Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Lincoln, Crewe +8@Only1Argyle #pafc pic.twitter.com/ViP07yMeBl

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) March 22, 2020

RB – Perry Ng, Crewe: Ng is a youth-academy graduate at table-toppers Crewe, having been at the club since the age of seven. The now 23-year-old had a great season on the right side of defence, averaging two tackles, two clearances and one interception per game. Per game in attack, he completes two dribbles, five long balls and one key pass.

The wing-back has kept his consistency with six MotM awards this campaign, with an average of 7.5 this year; great form he will certainly be looking to continue once the suspension is over.

CB – Charlie Goode, Northampton: Northampton’s dominant centre-back won nine MotM awards this season, more than any other player in the league.

The 6’5” defender made ten-plus clearances in 20% of the games he has played this season, with an average of seven clearances and two tackles per game. Like most top English players on this list, Goode should be with a club higher up the football league next season, if his Northampton team cannot clinch promotion once the suspension is lifted.

CB – Rory McArdle, Scunthorpe: The former Northern Ireland international is one of only three players outside of the top-half of the table to appear on this list, with Scunthorpe sitting low in 20th..

Like Goode previously, McArdle is a dominant presence in defence, with the 32-year-old having won ten - plus aerial duels in over a third of his games this season.

The defender also averages six clearances, two tackles, one block and one interception per game in 2020, which stands him out as one of the best central defenders in the lower half of the football league.

LB – Ibou Touray, Salford: The Gambian international has been newly-promoted Salford’s best player this season. Equally adept in multiple positions along the left flank, Touray has provided well for his side both in attack and in defence.

The 25-year-old has scored four goals and assisted five in 28 games at left-back, contributing offensively with two key passes and two accurate crosses per game. Defensively Touray also plays an important role with two tackles and two clearances per game. This just reinforces how well-rounded he is as a wing-back.

📅 Bumper calendar months (top 4 tiers; 19/20):

⚽ Most goals: 7⃣ - Ollie Palmer (Jan)

🔥 Most involved in goals: 9⃣ - Ollie Palmer (7G, 2A in Jan)

🅰 Most assists: 5⃣ - M Maddison (Aug), Feeney/R Williams (Sept) & G Cooper (Jan)

⛔ Most clean sheets: 5⃣ - Lewis Thomas (Sept) pic.twitter.com/MKsUepS5Xk

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) March 25, 2020

RM – Randell Williams, Exeter: Randell Williams is another name to add to the list of great talent aged 23 and under in League Two.

Williams has the joint most assists in the league, providing 14 in 37 games this season. His creation is shown in his stats, where he averages two key passes and two accurate crosses per game.

However, he has even improved on this over his last ten games, where has made over three key passes in half of these games. Williams' defensive responsibilities have increased since the start of the New Year, but the supply line to his front men is as strong as ever: Williams assisting in four of his last six games.

CM – Ebou Adams, Forest Green: The second Gambian international to make our team, Ebou Adams has been the best performing midfielder in League Two this season.

The 24-year-old made on average 3.5 tackles, two interceptions and one clearance in his last five games. Adams is also fouled 4.3 times per game, almost twice as many times more then any other player in the league, another statistic that shows how key he is in the battle in midfield,

While the five MotM awards do show how impressive he has been, it is Adams’ defensive stats that really show how vital he is in keeping his sides promotion hopes alive.

CM – Jake Hessenthaler, Grimsby: Hessenthaler has been a consistent performer for Grimsby in the centre of midfield and one of the league’s most underrated players this season.

Despite only two assists this season, the 25-year-old has the best passing stats for anyone on his team. He has averaged two key passes, with four long-balls and two crosses, per game. Hessenthaler has also contributed defensively with an average of three tackles per game. Although they have improved since Ian Holloway's appointment, Grimsby’s inconsistencies over the campaign as a whole leave the club sitting mid-table, but Hessenthaler’s performances in midfield are just one of many positives Holloway can take as the Mariners cast their eyes upwards in League Two. 

LM – Chris Hussey, Cheltenham: Like Williams and Touray previously on the list, Chris Hussey has played both as a winger and a wing- back this season for Cheltenham. Despite The Robins’ record of having the best defence in the league, the 31-year-old makes the team in the left-midfield spot.

Hussey has been Cheltenham’s best performing regular starter this season, recording his side's second- most assists (6) and winning four MotM awards.

The Englishman also averaged two tackles, two key passes, two interceptions and two crosses in his last five game. This easily displays his impressive versatility.

📈 Most league goals in 2019/20 (UEFA 'Top 5' leagues + EFL):

27⚽: Immobile
25⚽:🔥@eoindoyle88 🔥, Lewandowski
24⚽: Toney
23⚽: Mitrovic
22⚽: Watkins
21⚽: Ronaldo, Werner@Official_STFC #STFC #PUFC #BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/2H0z1UwCn2

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) March 26, 2020

ST – Eoin Doyle, Swindon: The now-permanent Swindon striker is currently the top goalscorer (25) in England’s top four-divisions this season.

Originally on-loan from Bradford, the Irish striker scored an incredible 15 goals in just 11 games between October and December. Doyle was then recalled to mid-table Bradford, before joining the title challengers permanently in late January.

The 32-year-old has been pivotal in Swindon’s success, scoring 40% of his sides’ 62 goals this season.

Doyle would certainly have been a favourite in the end-of-season awards and if the suspension is to be lifted, it is hard to see anyone snatching the golden-boot from the Irishman.

ST – Ollie Palmer, Crawley: The 6’5” forward has been the central goal-scoring threat for the best attack outside of the play-offs in League Two.

Palmer has scored 10 goals in 22 starts for Crawley, picking up seven MotM awards. He also ranks in the top-five forwards in the league for shots per game with an average of three.

Crawley’s away form this season has been poor in comparison to their home, with the club sitting 11 places lower in 20th in the Away form table, opposed to 9th place while at home. This form is reflected in Palmer’s stats: he has scored in four of his last six games at home. A key part of this exciting Crawley side, it will be interesting to see how the target-man progresses as his side do.

📅 Chapter Two of #Playmaker's '2019/20 Yearbook' has more cracking stats than you can shake a stick at and focuses on among other things:

🔵 The impact of Tammy Abraham
🐝 Matchday 10's importance for #BrentfordFC
🦊 Who? Wilfred? He's very good Ndidi!https://t.co/9R2Frs1lym pic.twitter.com/x18Day9c9b

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) March 26, 2020