ELLIOT LEE earned recognition from his team-mates and his manager says it was thoroughly deserved after making a telling contribution throughout Wrexham's promotion-winning campaign.
Lee had another impressive season for the Reds and he scooped the Players' Player of the Season award.
The only player who featured in every League Two fixture, Lee scored 16 goals to help Wrexham finish runners-up behind champions Stockport County and secure back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club's history.
Thirteen of those goals came before the turn of the year when Lee filled the void left by star striker Paul Mullin who missed the start of Wrexham's return to the Football League after suffering a punctured lung in pre-season.
Although he was less prolific in the second half of the campaign, Reds' boss Phil Parkinson said the 29-year-old offered so much more than goals and can see why his team-mates voted for him.
"Players' player is a very important trophy to win," said Parkinson, who signed Lee in the summer of 2022 after the attacking midfielder left Luton Town.
"Sometimes it is forgotten how well Elliot did in the first two-thirds of the season.
"His goals dropped off a little bit but the players didn't forget that and it is also recognition that even when the goals weren't coming towards the end of the season, Elliot gave everything in every game.
"He leaves nothing out on the pitch. You can feel and detect the lads giving it their all when they are on the pitch and Elliot is like that every day in training.
"I think it is an all-round award for obviously his contribution with goals from midfield but also standards in training and even when things haven't clicked for him on the pitch, which it never is in every game throughout the season, he still works tirelessly for the team."
Lee was third in the supporter vote for the Player of the Season award which was won by Mullin for a record-breaking third consecutive year, with Andy Cannon second.
Max Cleworth landed the Young Player of the Season award for a second time, on the back of his success in 2021-22.
The centre-back produced a series of outstanding performances in the second half of the campaign when he became a regular in the side.
Parkinson gave Cleworth his league debut on the opening day of the 2021-22 season - his first competitive game as Wrexham manager - which ended in a 2-2 draw at Solihull Moors.
Cleworth has racked up the appearances over the last three years and Parkinson can see how much progress the 21-year-old has made.
"Max has been outstanding and I am so pleased for him," added the Reds' boss.
"It was great for Max to get the award, he deserved it.
"It has been interesting to work with him and watch his development as a young player.
"I put him in the team for my first ever league game as Wrexham manager at Solihull.
"It was a real baptism of fire for him with the expectation for him with the expectations around the club.
"Like any young player, he has had times where we have pulled him out of the team and he has had to watch in the stands but he is getting better all the time and I am so pleased that he has got that recognition."
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