The numbers are in, they’ve been counted and verified and we can now announce the Stacey West Player of the Month for February.

It’s been a tough month and when you consider criteria such as ‘must have played in more than 50% of matches’, it rules a lot of players out., still, 28 days, eight games and a lot of heartache in terms of Wembley, and losing key players.

Still, February ended with us second in the League One table, something I think we would all have taken at the beginning of the month, and just because it could have been better is not cause for outright pessimism. so, in a challenging four weeks, who played the best according to you, the Stacey West readers? which games stuck out as highlights, and which did you struggle to enjoy?

Find out all right here!

• To qualify for the Player of the Month, a player must have featured in more than 50% of the club’s matches.

• Also, if a player comes on after 75 minutes, his rating is not counted in the total, as a 15-minute cameo should not impact a rating over a season. Subs who get quarter of an hour, or more, do have their rating counted.#

Special Mention

I feel it would be remiss not to mention Joe Walsh, who led the table on average but only appeared four times in the eight fixtures, just under the threshold for the table. he had a sensational start to the month, picking up two Man of the Match awards against Hull and Gillingham. his loss is huge and certainly something the team has felt bitterly.

Also, a special mention to Tayo Edun, who misses out on the top three by .03 of a rating. Considering he played all eight matches, he was unlucky not to feature in the top three. he also bagged two Man of the Matches, and possibly that perceived blame for the goal against Plymouth (perceived by some, but not actually accurate) has probably kept him out of the top three, if not second place.

3rd – Conor McGrandles 7.03

Had Conor returned to action earlier in January, he would likely have been in the top three last month, and it is little surprise to see the industrious midfielder included this time out. he played seven times in February, scoring in the first game of the month at Gillingham, and at the weekend against Plymouth. In between, he has been impressive, and he took Man of the Match for his outing against the Pilgrims, pulling 7.7 in a team display that averaged just 6.32.

2nd – Tom Hopper 7.06

Narrowly beating McGrandles into second place is the workhorse up top, Tom Hopper. Hopps won the POTM in December, and he’s continued to impress with three goals in the month, against Gillingham, Accrington and the sensational winner against Accrington. He also took two Man of the Match awards, against Wigan and Accrington. Fans identify with his tireless work rate and as he closes in on double figures, he is set to be an important leader on the field now too, given the absences we are suffering.

1st – Adam Jackson 7.27

Jackson was a surprise inclusion last night against Fleetwood, and given how he did in February, having him fit is a big boost. He really impressed during February, although oddly he didn’t take a Man of the Match award, instead seeming to be consistent each game. He did excellently against Gillingham and Hull, pipped to MoM both times by Joe Walsh. Missing the Accrington draw, where the defence came under fire, certainly helped his average, but solid outings against both Wigan and Sunderland helped boost his rating to snare the Player of the Month for February.

Previous Winners

October – Jorge Grant 7.62

November – Harry Anderson 7.14

December – Tom Hopper 7.03

January – Anthony Scully 7.53