Everton FC: 5 Leading Contenders for Player of the Season

In a bid to escape the considerable gloom enshrouding the club after Saturday's gut-wrenching loss at Wembley, here is a look away from the subject of the FA Cup.

Everton's end-of-season awards ceremony is suddenly approaching, with fans already submitting their votes in several categories.

Naturally, the headline award is for the fans' player of the season, something that Leighton Baines deservedly captured last year.

As has become perennially typical of Everton, David Moyes has seen his side stutter for half the season before catching fire around January.

Several players have really galvanised the team during this most recent hot streak and here are the five leading contenders in line to grab this gong.

Tim Howard

A dark horse to land the prize, but Howard has enjoyed another fine season in goal for Everton and he will certainly attract many votes.

Currently, the Toffees boast the third-best defence in the league, with only the two Manchester clubs conceding less goals than the 34 shipped by Howard this season. An impressive feat.

Recently, his season was further sweetened by the signing of a new contract extension.

Highlights for the American would include his match-winning penalty save against Blackburn, another penalty stop in a Merseyside derby, and notably some recent high-class shutouts against Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham.

A smart, athletic shot-stopper, Howard never quite seems to grab the credit he deserves for the consistency he produces.

Few Premier League goalkeepers continually bail out their defence on crosses as frequently as the American No. 1, and his communication skills are also second to none.

Goodison Park certainly appreciates his qualities and, although it is unlikely Howard will collect top honours here, it has been another fine term in goal. 

Sylvain Distin

Possibly a surprise for football fans who witnessed his Wembley howler, or those perhaps not continuously tuned into Everton's fortunes, but Distin has been a pillar of consistency at the back this season. 

To be fair, that could said about his entire stint on Merseyside.

Upon arriving at Goodison Park, he was facing the ominous task of replacing the input of Joleon Lescott, who had given a couple of high-class seasons for David Moyes.

Johnny Heitinga also arrived at a similar time and many assumed it would be the Dutchman who would go on to partner Phil Jagielka in the heart of Everton's defence.

However, despite the international pedigree of Heitinga and Jagielka, Distin became the more prominent of the trio. Over the past three years, he has featured in more games for the club than any other outfield player, apart from Leighton Baines.

Without his calamity at Wembley, Distin may have run the eventual winner far closer here as, prior to Saturday, nobody in the squad could match him for consistency.

Had it been another player's mistake, he may have even taken the award, but his stock will undoubtedly diminish from what it would have been.

Still, a fine season from a very underrated player.

Marouane Fellaini

For the past two years, Fellaini produced some scintillating patches of form, only to see both campaigns peter out due to injury.

This time around, he has finally given a full season of quality.

Once dubbed (on form) the best midfielder in the Premier League by David Moyes, his return this season gives that statement a lot more credibility than it initially did.

Fellaini has been a nightmare for opponents to outmanoeuvre in midfield, constantly hounding ball carriers, pressurising playmakers and generally protecting Everton. 

He is the Premier League's top ball winner and is truly a master in this art, gaining possession 164 times so far in midfield this season—a number no other player comes remotely close to.

Since January, his game has been helped by the arrival of Darron Gibson, who is equally comfortable mopping up behind Fellaini when the Belgian traipses up the field after a deep-lying playmaker, or holding a higher line for when his midfield partner menacingly prowls in front of the back four.

Still just 24, with ample time to hone his game further and add to his elite ball winning attributes, his midfield abilities will undoubtedly be courted over the summer.

Hopefully, for Evertonians, his new freshly inked five year deal will stave off admirers—at least in the short term.

The Belgian international gets this writer's vote, for masterfully dominating several crucial midfield battles in some of this season's pivotal games, although he may fall slightly short of a couple of his colleagues in the final running.

Leighton Baines

For the past two seasons, Leighton Baines has been a class act on the field for Everton—and this season has been no different.

Until he was recently rested against Sunderland, he had clocked up 99 straight games, where he had played every minute. He was poised to challenge Wayne Bridge's all-time Premier League record, demonstrating his consistency.

As the season began, Baines seemed slightly off his fluent best, clearly hindered by the loss of his left-sided partner in crime, Steven Pienaar, and the creative influence of Mikel Arteta.

Relied upon by his teammates to produce most—if not all—of Everton's creativity, he seemed to feel the burden as the Toffees' struggled to fire.

However, after a slow start, he has again produced a spectacular return for a left-back, eking out chances for his side when nobody else could. 

With few alternative threats in Everton's side, the diminutive left-back has garnered far more attention from opponents than in recent years—particularly at the start of the season.

Despite this, he has still laid off 65 chances for his team, one of the top tallies in the league, and more than double the amount carved out by any other Everton player.

Slowly becoming a greater presence on the international stage, few can deny Baines has once again been an integral cog at Everton this season.

Alongside his unerring productivity in attack, he has also been the mainstay of the Premier League's third most miserly defence.

What may just prevent him taking a brace of titles is simply the fact that Goodison Park has become accustomed to his elite level performances.

With so many creative records made last season, were fans expecting him to surpass it this time around?

Johnny Heitinga

At the moment, it seems Johnny Heitinga is leading the way in the race to this award.

Since late 2011, the Dutchman has been imperious at the back for Everton. He has finally cemented himself in the back four after a run of games that simply made it impossible for Moyes to consider a team without him.

Even the returning vice-captain Phil Jagielka could not oust him from his starting berth, and many fans cite his contribution as a major reason why Everton have yet again had a late-season sprint for the line.

Heitinga has completely transformed his reputation on the terraces. He's gone from often being viewed as a rash player and a yellow card waiting to happen to now being seen as a leader. Many fans, in fact, would like him installed as club captain.

His no-nonsense, hard-man approach certainly draws appreciation from the crowd, with his emotional, passionate style resonating with so many fans.

This season, he has become the people's player at a club David Moyes once dubbed the People's Club.

Certainly a lot of his form has been very recent—indeed he was on the fringes of selection for a large chunk of early games—yet nobody could begrudge him the award here should he continue leading the polls.

Can he hold on? Who do you think merits recognition for their form at Everton this season?

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