Trippier receives North East Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award

The England international is the 44th recipient of the award - previously won by the likes of Alan Shearer, Kevin Keegan, Les Ferdinand, Shay Given and Peter Beardsley as well as Bruno Guimarães, Fabian Schär, Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie - following a superb year which saw Trippier inspire his team to a top-four finish and the Carabao Cup final last season.

It was a far cry from when he first joined the club from Atlético Madrid in January 2022, with the Magpies in the Premier League's bottom three. Trippier was Eddie Howe's first signing at St. James' Park and he has become a standard-bearer for the team with his leadership on and off the pitch.

"It means a lot," Trippier told NUFC TV ahead of receiving the award from John Cross, the Football Writers' Association national chairman and chief football writer for the Daily Mirror. "I feel like myself and the team had a good year. It's always special to pick up individual awards and I'm absolutely delighted.

"We've had a lot of challenges since I've been here but I think the team, everyone involved with the club, have reacted well with those challenges and it's been a good journey.

"We've played in a final, we've got in the Champions League and avoided relegation that year. Everyone deserves huge credit, especially the manager and staff."

Trippier is the third successive Newcastle player to win the award and the 22nd player from the club after beating Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, who was second, and Magpies team-mate Joelinton in third in the calendar year poll of North East football journalists.

Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney was voted the Young Player of the Year. Durham Women and Northern Ireland defender Sarah Robson won the women's senior award for the third year in a row, while Sunderland Women's Katy Watson was the first recipient of the Women's Young Player of the Year award.

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Personality of the Year award was presented to former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett, while long-serving Magpies and Liverpool scout Alex Smailes was recognised with the Bob Cass Award and the John Fotheringham Award went to Paul Hetherington, the former national Football Writers' Association chairman who was among the group that set up the North East branch in 1980.

And the achievements of non-league Gateshead and South Shields were also recognised, with Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, Sunderland interim head coach Mike Dodds, Darlington legend Craig Liddle, ex-Leeds and Newcastle forward Michael Bridges, former Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot - now in charge at Gateshead - and ex-Sunderland manager Peter Reid among the guests and BBC Radio 5 Live's chief football reporter Ian Dennis the host.

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'I can be even better,' insists Trippier after scooping North East Football Writers' Association award