EFL awards: Our prizes in each division including the left-field signings of the season, a League One star now worth £10million and the flops who should be ashamed of themselves

After another gruelling and thrilling EFL season, there has been more heartache and elation over recent days as the play-offs reach their conclusion.

In the Championship, Hull City overcame Millwall to reach the final at Wembley. They will (probably) take on Southampton after the Saints defeated Middlesbrough in a tense encounter overshadowed by accusations of spying. The winner of that showdown will join Coventry City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League next season.

A level below, Stockport County will battle it out with Bradford City or Bolton Wanderers next week after Dave Challinor’s side beat Stevenage 3-0 on aggregate. Lincoln City and Cardiff City were automatically promoted from League One.

Down in League Two, both ties are finely poised heading into the second legs on Friday, with Notts County holding a 1-0 lead over Chesterfield and Salford City 2-1 ahead against Grimsby Town. Those teams are battling to join Bromley, MK Dons and Cambridge United in the third tier for next season.

As the campaign comes to a close, Daily Mail Sport has handed out our seasonal awards…

The Championship

Manager of the Season – Frank Lampard (Coventry City) 

Mark Robins deserves immense credit for the work he did over seven years at Coventry, taking the club from the depths of League Two to within a penalty shootout of the Premier League in 2023.

But Frank Lampard has pushed the Sky Blues to another level, developing an incredible feel and unity around the club as they won the Championship title by 11 points.

Given the challenging way his previous roles ended at Everton and Chelsea, Lampard deserves enormous credit for re-establishing himself as a top young English coach and also for lifting Coventry’s players after their play-off heartache last season.

In total, the Chelsea legend has 44 wins and 147 points from 75 Championship games in charge of Coventry, and it will be fascinating to see how they fare next season if he is backed in the transfer market by owner Doug King.

Player of the Season – Zan Vipotnik (Swansea City)

Swansea City may never have been in the promotion conversation, but Zan Vipotnik’s 23 goals deserve recognition.

The Slovenian striker dragged his side to victories during their travails in the early part of the season, and he has reached new heights after scoring just eight times in 2024-25.

With Swansea’s impressive form in the second half of the campaign under Vitor Matos, if they can keep Vipotnik in the summer and move smartly in the transfer market, the Welsh side could be competing near the top next time around.

The likes of Hayden Hackney, Carl Rushworth, Matt Grimes, Haji Wright, Milan van Ewijk and Femi Azeez may feel hard done by, but Vipotnik’s ability to shine and win the Golden Boot by six goals despite not playing in one of the league’s stronger sides helps him edge this award.

Signing of the Season – Oli McBurnie (Las Palmas to Hull City – free transfer)

A slightly left-field choice perhaps, but if we are measuring transfers on value for money, there can be few that have proven to be as shrewd as Hull City’s acquisition of Oli McBurnie on a free last summer.

The Scottish striker had scored just 23 league goals across his previous five campaigns, but he netted 17 times in 37 this time around and also laid on seven assists. His 24 goal involvements are the second-most of any player in the Championship.

His exploits have helped transform Hull from a side who survived relegation on the final day last season to one that is now a game away from the Premier League.

Under Sergej Jakirovic, McBurnie is playing some of the best football of his career, and if they do make it back to the top flight, the 29-year-old will have been a big reason as to why.

Overachievers – Hull City

There’s a lot of love for Hull here but given they were handed a three-window transfer fee embargo last summer – reduced to two on appeal – they deserve immense credit for reaching the play-off final.

After a turbulent campaign in 2024-25, Jakirovic – who was little-known to English football fans before his arrival on Humberside – has done a superb job despite significant financial and availability constraints.

The Tigers, driven on by the goals of McBurnie (17) and Joe Gelhardt (15), were the fifth-highest scorers in the league and overcame a chaotic final day where they beat in-form Norwich City to secure their play-off spot before they shocked Millwall this week.

They will be underdogs in their showdown against Southampton (or Middlesbrough, depending on the Spygate outcome), but Hull have been upsetting the odds all season and you wouldn’t bet against them continuing that next weekend.

Flops – Leicester City

It is hard to choose anyone else given Leicester’s disastrous season, as they made it back-to-back relegations on the 10th anniversary of their miracle Premier League title.

Despite having one of the most expensively assembled squads in Championship history, that contained many of the team that won this division two years ago, the Foxes dramatically underperformed and finished 23rd.

A six-point deduction for breaching financial rules didn’t help, but it was a run of 12 points in 19 games after the turn of the year that ultimately led to the club succumbing to their fate.

The mood around the King Power couldn’t be more toxic right now, and Leicester supporters will hope they can quickly turn things around to make their stay in League One brief.

League One 

Manager of the Season – Michael Skubala (Lincoln City)

Few, if any, would have backed Lincoln City for promotion at the start of the season, but what unfolded next was the most incredible campaign as the Imps racked up 103 points to finish 26 clear of the play-off places.

The stunning achievement was the culmination of a long-term strategy and brilliant work over many years at the club, but it was Skubala who ensured they will play second-tier football for the first time since 1961.

The former England Futsal and interim Leeds coach led his side to seventh and 11th in the previous two seasons, and he has created a brilliant and adaptable squad that got even better despite losing key players Ethan Erhahon and Jovon Makama last summer.

Under Skubala, Lincoln outperformed many of their bigger and richer rivals, with their title triumph coming despite the Imps having the 17th largest budget in League One.

Player of the Season – Jack Moylan

One of the best parts of Lincoln’s success was how much of a team effort it was, with only three players – Reeco Hackett (11), Moylan (11), and Rob Street (10) – reaching double figures for goals despite the club scoring 89 overall.

Lincoln also had the best defence in the league and had four players in the Team of the Season, but it is Moylan who deserves this award.

The Irish midfielder missed three months before the turn of the year with an ankle injury, but he still contributed 11 goals and seven assists and was often the difference-maker.

It is perhaps no surprise that Moylan’s first start after injury came at the beginning of Lincoln’s club record 29-match unbeaten run, and he received his first Republic of Ireland call-up earlier this month as a reward for his fine form.

Signing of the Season – Dom Ballard (Southampton to Leyton Orient – undisclosed fee) 

After three relatively unsuccessful EFL loans, there was limited fanfare when Leyton Orient signed Dom Ballard from Southampton on deadline day of the summer window.

Yet in the future, it may be viewed as one of the most significant deals in the club’s history, with Ballard’s 23 goals in 40 games almost single-handedly saving Orient from relegation.

The 21-year-old was recognised at the EFL Awards with both the Player and Young Player of the Year gong, demonstrating just how impressive his record was in a struggling team – and he also won the Golden Boot. 

He will attract interest this summer, but Orient are expected to hold out for a significant fee which could exceed £10million, generating valuable funds for a club that posted a £4.6m loss in the last financial year.

Overachievers – Stevenage

Although Lincoln’s title win is the best achievement in the EFL this season, Stevenage’s ability to nab a play-off place and finish just two points off third also deserves recognition.

Alex Revell’s side scored just 49 goals – fewer than any other side in the EFL play-offs – but the 46 they shipped was the second-fewest in League One and Boro matched Lincoln’s divisional-best 19 clean sheets.

Revell is in his second spell as manager having previously walked away in 2021 with Stevenage struggling near the bottom of League Two, and he has built on the superb work of his predecessor Steve Evans.

They may not have got over the line against Stockport, but Revell has generated a unique spirit and feel-good factor around the club as they enjoy some of the greatest times in their history.

Flops – Leyton Orient

Richie Wellens’ interview after the last game of the season said it all when he lambasted his ‘weak’ players for ‘wasting my time’ and ’10 months of their career’, before he accused them of ‘serving up rubbish’ to Leyton Orient fans in an ’embarrassing season’.

He also criticised his squad for celebrating their survival on the final day at the expense of Exeter City and promised wholesale changes this summer.

It is far cry from 12 months ago when the Os lost to Charlton in the League One play-off final, and while they had relied on several loan players and also sold the likes of Ethan Galbraith and Jordan Brown, Wellens’ side have dramatically fallen off.

The former Manchester United youngster retains enough credit in the bank, but he will be more desperate than anybody to get the east London outfit back up the League One table in 2026-27.

League Two 

Manager of the Season – Andy Woodman (Bromley)

Bromley came 14th in their inaugural season in the National League 10 years ago just as Leicester City were winning the Premier League, so the fact they will be in the same division in 2026-27 is remarkable.

The south London club have had a stunning rise under Andy Woodman, who has taken them from non-League to League One in just over five years.

Following a strong debut season in the EFL last time out when they came 11th, four points off the play-offs, the Ravens recruited smartly and kicked on to eventually edge out MK Dons to the League Two title on the final day.

Woodman, helped by Michael Cheek’s 16 goals, and 10 assists from Mitch Pinnock, has grown Bromley organically, and with the mentality and spirit he has developed – which sees the team take a trip to Nando’s the night before away games – you wouldn’t put it past them upsetting bigger sides in League One.

 Player of the Season – Callum Paterson (MK Dons)

When Callum Paterson dropped down to League Two after leaving Sheffield Wednesday, many felt it could be a decisive signing for MK Dons’ promotion hopes – and it proved to be the case.

The experienced Scot, who has 17 caps for his country, scored 16 goals and added eight assists in just 33 starts as Paul Warne’s side were promoted to League One after three years away.

Paterson provided the physical, experienced and versatile attacking presence the Dons needed, and there have been several crucial goals along the way.

With his Championship pedigree, he is likely to be just as important next year as Warne’s side chase their ultimate aim of reaching the second tier for the first time since 2016.

Signing of the Season – Isaac Hutchinson (Bristol Rovers to Cheltenham Town – loan)

When Steve Cotterill made an emotional return to Cheltenham Town at the end of September, the Robins were bottom of League Two having just lost 7-1 to Grimsby Town and appeared to be doomed.

But Cotterill completed a remarkable rescue act to ensure Cheltenham ended 18th, 13 points clear of the drop, and a major factor in that was Isaac Hutchinson.

Deemed surplus to requirements by rivals Bristol Rovers, Hutchinson scored 16 goals and added three assists from midfield, and he was the only player from the bottom half of League Two to make it into the Team of the Year.

Such was his impact that when he was briefly recalled by Rovers in January, Cheltenham lost all four games he was unavailable for, and his exploits could even lead to a League One move this summer.

Overachievers – Barnet

Barnet may have missed out on the play-offs by two points, yet Dean Brennan’s side can be incredibly proud of their efforts in the club’s first season in the EFL since 2018.

The Bees finished the campaign in stunning form, scoring 18 goals as they won their final five games, and after an initial bedding in period, Barnet took 53 points from their last 30 matches, which is play-off level form.

Brennan is a hugely charismatic figure, and his free-flowing style has helped to generate great momentum for next season.

Last year, this column backed Bromley as an outside tip for promotion after a strong first season in League Two – and don’t rule out Barnet doing something similar in 2026-27.

Flops – Barrow

There can be few teams in EFL history that have had as chaotic a season as Barrow have this term, and it ultimately cost them as they finished rock bottom of League Two to return to the National League after six years.

Having come 16th in 2024-25, there were hopes to push on under Andy Whing, but the former Solihull Moors boss was sacked in December with his side in 18th.

Neil McDonald then spent a month as interim boss, before Paul Gallagher came in, yet he lost all five of his games in charge and was quickly replaced by Dino Maamria.

Maamria went only one better, as the former Stevenage manager was dismissed after six matches, with veteran midfielder Sam Foley, 39, the most senior member of the squad, stepping up as interim player-head coach for the final 11 games.

However, Foley earned just eight points, and Barrow were condemned to relegation after what can only be described as an utterly disastrous campaign.