London Prominence Recognised By PFA

Considering three of the teams represented in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year are based in London, the Capital can feel mildly miffed that, due to Manchester United’s latest display of dominance by default, just under half of the side play their football within the M25.

Gareth Bale, recipient of the evening’s most prestigious award, features in his favoured left-wing role alongside Arsenal’s dynamic duo of newly-crowned Young Player of the Year Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri in midfield, with team-mate Bacary Sagna at right back and Ashley Cole following up his re-entry into the hearts of the England supporters club by claiming a place in the chosen XI of his fellow professionals.

A lengthy look, lower down the divisional list of accolades, sees extensive London interest rather tail away by the time eyes settle on League Two’s select few. With London town’s only representative being Barnet, who are coming to what may be a dismal end to a desperately disappointing campaign, it is left to former Dagenham and Redbridge right-back Damien Batt and one-time Watford midfielder Lionel Ainsworth, who spent part of last year on loan at Brentford, to conjure up any affiliation in the minds of fans from the Capital.

Thanks to Queens Park Rangers’ outstanding consistency this season, capped by the explosive exploits of midfield talisman Adel Taarabt and the goalkeeping heroics of Paddy Kenny, the PFA’s Championship outfit has a more familiar feel. With the likely promotion of Neil Warnock’s Hoops this term, next season should see six London sides fighting it out on the elite circuit, assuming that West Ham hold on to their top tier membership for another year. If Kyle Naughton continues his rise to prominence he may well be there to greet them, as Tottenham are expected to recall the athletic defender after a series of impressive showings for Leicester City.

Two Chelsea academy graduates still harbour hopes of a return to the big time; those of Scott Sinclair perhaps slightly more immediate than those of his similarly revered midfield colleague Andy King, with the latter’s Leicester side struggling to make the play-offs, while former Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic loanee Sinclair’s Swansea City, led by ex-Chelsea coach Brendan Rogers, are pushing for automatic elevation as we enter the business end of the season. Danny Graham has been in electric form this year and deservedly completes the London quota in this eleven, largely due to his 27–goal contribution to Watford’s cause thus far.

League One’s seleccao is dominated by South Coast sides. With Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion providing three of the midfield as well as the entire back five, there was only room for one player from the City - Charlton’s Bradley Wright-Phillips. The presence of Kelvin Davis, once of Wimbledon, in goal revived memories of a simpler time, as did the name Jose Fonte, that of the defender first signed to these shores by Crystal Palace before finding his level with a resurgent Saints side. Former Daggers goal-getter Craig Mackail-Smith, now of Peterborough United, also made the cut, as did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who seemed destined for North London in January and who may still end up making a big money move to the Gunners if he maintains the form he has offered in 2010-11.