3/1 To Win
Louie Sibley’s stunning strike against Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park Stadium in March has won the Derby County Goal of the Season award, presented by Morley Hayes.
What makes the goal even more impressive is that it came 26 minutes into his first league start for the Rams.
Fed the ball by Derby County striker Martyn Waghorn, the midfielder took a touch and fired the ball into the top corner, leaving Blackburn goalkeeper Christian Walton with no chance.
The 18-year-old’s effort put the Rams ahead against Rovers whilst a brace from Chris Martin secured a 3-0 win and a valuable three points.
Sibley’s strike beat off competition from Tom Lawrence’s strike against Huddersfield, Graeme Shinnie’s half volley against Wigan Athletic and Wayne Rooney’s free kick against Stoke City, following a public vote today.
It has been quite the rise for the talented teenager, who made his debut for the club against Scunthorpe United in the First Round of the Carabao Cup in August 2019.
His first league appearance came just before Christmas against Reading. He appeared off the bench in a defeat at the Madejski Stadium, but he would continue to impress and excel in the club’s Under-23s.
He started in the FA Cup encounters against Crystal Palace, Northampton Town and Manchester United, winning the man-of-the-match award against the Red Devils at Pride Park Stadium.
That led to his first start of the season against Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park in the last fixture before the Coronavirus outbreak.
The break could have halted his progress, however, once football resumed in June, he picked up from where he started, scoring his first senior hat-trick in a 3-2 victory against Millwall at the Den.
Assists followed for Sibley in games against Reading and Cardiff City, whilst he scored his fifth goal of the season in the final league game of the season in a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City at St Andrews.
It’s the second award Sibley has won this season after recently being named the Scholar of the Season.
In total, the youngster made 17 appearances during the 2019/20 season, scoring five times.
The Derby County Goal of the Season award is presented by club partner Morley Hayes: morleyhayes.com.
