A ‘shocked’ Manchester City Women’s Izzy Christiansen capped off a stellar season for the FA Women’s Super League runners-up as she completed a hat-trick of honours at the club’s end of season awards.
Following her coming-of-age season, the 24-year-old scooped the Vitality Fitness Award, the Etihad Airways Player of the Season Award, and the MCWFC Supporter Club Player of the Season Award.
With nine goals in 21 games, midfielder Christiansen finished as the side’s joint top-scorer with striker Toni Duggan, earning herself a place in the latest England squad selected by Mark Sampson along with her fellow Man City colleagues, Karen Bardsley, Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Jill Scott, and her national and club skipper, Steph Houghton.
“I’m pretty shocked,” said the Macclesfield-born midfielder. “Three awards is a great achievement and I’m so pleased to have been able to have done that for the team.
“You can’t achieve anything without your teammates – it’s a team game and next season, who knows who’ll earn what award?”
The season ended on a note of ‘so-close-yet-so-far’ for the Manchester City Women’s team as they finished as runners up – just two points behind champions Chelsea – in the WSL, but Christiansen was eager to emphasise the key role of the blossoming core of fans the MCWFC side enjoys.
“It’s great to have so many fans here, who support us through thick and thin. They’ve been to all the games this season and obviously, they love us enough to come to our awards night,” she insisted.
“It’s great to have everyone together again.
“It’s massively important to have such a close relationship with the fans. The players are role models and it’s an honour to be supported so enthusiastically.
“Moving forward to next season, it’s great to know we have an excellent core fanbase behind us.”
Christiansen, who scored the winning goal in the FA WSL Cup in 2014 to overcome a strong Arsenal Ladies side and clinch the title for City, was evidently keen to make slight amends for this campaign and win some medals come next season.
She said: “We’ll take some time now over the winter to regenerate so we can be ready for next season to work even harder and hopefully, win some trophies.”
In other categories, Toni Duggan’s breathtaking strike against Arsenal Ladies won her the Nissan Goal of the Season Award, presented to her by club legend Mike Summerbee, while Emma Lipman claimed the Pioneer Community Award for her outstanding voluntary work, and Georgia Stanway won the Timeline Rising Star Award.
Image courtesy of Manchester City FC via YouTube, with thanks.
