Top 5: 2015/16 Championship Players of the Season

After what has been another eventful year in the Sky Bet Championship, the race for the title and automatic promotion will go down to the last game of the season once again.

Whilst Burnley have already secured an instant return to the Premier League, they will need to earn at least a point in their final game away to Charlton to be made champions.

In another tantalising twist, second-placed Middlesbrough play third-placed Brighton at the Riverside Stadium in what will be a direct shootout for promotion. Currently tied on points, and with only two goals separating the two, the final promotion place will unquestionably go right down to the wire. Should Burnley not beat already-relegated Charlton, Middlesbrough or Brighton could still pip them to the Championship crown.

During this campaign so far, there have been: four seven-goal thrillers; two clubs that have scored six goals in one game; eight hat-tricks; 106 penalties (27 missed); and over 300 clean sheets. As well as all this, there have been many impressive individual performances.

Here are the five best players from this year’s Championship…

5) Dimitrios Konstantopoulos (Middlesbrough)

Dimitrios Konstantopoulos has been in fine form for Middlesbrough this term. Photo: Marc Atkins/Offside.

After performing so well elsewhere in Europe, Dimitrios Konstantopoulos has finally been able to find his form in England with promotion contenders Middlesbrough.

Before joining Aitor Karanka’s side on a free transfer a few seasons ago, the 37-year-old previously had underwhelming spells with Hartlepool, Coventry, Nottingham Forest, Swansea and Cardiff; where he became known as ‘Konstan-drop-olous’ amongst Bluebirds supporters.

Over the course of this season, the Greek goalkeeper has kept the most clean sheets in the division (22 in 45 appearances) and has conceded just 30 goals, which is the fewest goals conceded by any team in the Championship this year.

With just one game to go, Konstantopoulos looks set to have started every game during this campaign and is on course to become the most successful goalkeeper in more than 100 Middlesbrough seasons.

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