President Peter Johnson and fellow supporters were guests of Aljezurense FC this weekend to present Amovate’s Player of the Year trophy during the club’s annual dinner.

The manager, Luis Miguel Matos Correia, and players watched as Association secretary Ian Bedford made the eagerly-awaited announcement, naming goalkeeper Toco—Christiano José Catarino Toco—as the top player for the 2010-2011 season.

It is the third successive year that Amovate have presented the award, firming up our relationship with our local club.

Some of the regular supporters rarely miss a match home or away, a fact much appreciated by the players who usually come to the touchline at the end of each away game to applaud their presence.

And at the end of the evening the club presented Amovate with a silver salver as a token of their appreciation for their ongoing support.

Three years ago, after learning that while the club had an annual Leading Goalscorer Award there was no nomination for a Player of the Year, Ian, his wife Sue—Amovate’s treasurer–and Peter asked for permission to donate such a trophy each season.

The club were delighted with the gesture, and since then the travelling ex-Pat support have held an annual end-of-season vote to name their outstanding player.

Guests at the Presentation

Apart from Ian, Sue and Peter, Vice-President John Bergstrom-Potter, PR Matt D’Arcy and Jack Beveridge were also invited to the dinner at the club’s Headquarters.

Ian, whose speech was translated by Coach Correia said it had been an “Almost” season for our local club, who ‘almost’ succeeded in remaining in the First Division.

But too much time bedding in new players, the difficulties adapting to a new coach before Correia’s welcome return to manage the side, and the loss of Toco through injury for the vital opening weeks of the season meant they were narrowly relegated.

But Ian added that with the arrival of young players like João Luis the team can rebuild on the experience of last season and promotion could once again be achieved with style.

He recalled that four players—Jorge, Lionel, Cocu and Toco—had all gained four or more Man of the Match votes during the season.

Christiano Jóse Catarino Toco

But the majority went to Toco and Jorge and after the final match the supporters cast their votes between these two men, with Toco narrowly emerging as the winner of the Player of the Year Trophy.

Toco was presented by Peter with the beautiful glass trophy that remains in the

possession of the club to be presented annually, and a second impressive trophy that is his to keep.