The end of the 2020/21 Championship season is in sight, with just one round of fixtures before the start of the play-offs.
Given what was at stake, it’s no surprise that the last month has been one of the most dramatic of the current campaign.
There were some brilliant individual performers in April and six of the best feature on the shortlist for the FLW Fans’ Player of the Month award. Before you cast your vote, we’ve outlined why they’ve been nominated.
All stats courtesy of Whoscored.
The Goalkeepers
Nominee: David Raya
Brentford went unbeaten in April, earning 13 points from seven games as they confirmed their place in the Championship play-offs for a second consecutive season.
The Bees’ strength has so often been their attacking quality this term but it was their solidity at the back that stood out last month.
Raya was key to that, keeping five clean sheets and conceding just two goals all month.
The Defenders
Nominees: Sam McCallum, Marc Roberts
With four wins from seven games, Coventry City moved clear of the relegation battle and secured their Championship status in April.
Re-signing Sam McCallum on loan has proven a masterstroke and he was at his sparkling best last month – proving influential both with and without the ball.
On top of providing one assist, the left-back made eight key passes and 21 interceptions.
One of the key factors in Birmingham’s turnaround under Lee Bowyer has been the strength of their backline, with Marc Roberts ever-present at the heart of it.
The Blues didn’t lose a game in April, conceding only twice and dropping just four points all month.
Roberts won a monumental 50 aerial duels during that period, proving a nuisance in the opposition box as well as he added a goal and an assist.
The Midfielders
Nominee: Emi Buendia
At this point we’ve almost run out of superlatives for Emi Buendia, such have been the quality of his performances throughout the season.
It’s been a pleasure to watch the Argentine playmaker in the Championship this term and April was no different.
Norwich clinched their promotion back to the Premier League last month, with Buendia adding four goals and four assists – including a near-flawless performance against Huddersfield Town.
The Forwards
Nominees: Arnaut Danjuma, Lyndon Dykes
Bournemouth put together a near-perfect run in April winning five on the bounce before their narrow defeat to Brentford.
Those results were enough to secure their place in the play-offs, with Arnaut Danjuma looking likely to be pivotal to their promotion hopes.
The forward was in brilliant form last month, scoring five times and adding three assists for the Cherries.
It’s not been the easiest debut season at QPR for Lyndon Dykes but he certainly seems to be finishing it with a flourish.
The powerful Scottish striker scored six goals and added two assists in April, playing a key role in three of their four victories.
He looks to have finally worked the Championship out and was too much to handle for opposing defenders last month.
Cast your vote for April’s Player of the Month now by clicking here.