Oxford United’s player of the year award looks like being the most open for years.

As the U’s season comes to the boil, with Chris Wilder’s men chasing a play-off place for the second season running, and only three home games remaining, fans are starting to think about who have been the best and most consistent performers over the campaign.

And one thing seems certain . . . the Andrew Knapton Supporters Player of the Year award, which is run through a fans’ poll, is unlikely to be as it was in 2009-2010, when goalkeeper Ryan Clarke and striker James Constable stole the show – Clarke eventually landing the cup.

The U’s keeper kept 22 clean sheets last season, while top scorer Constable hit 26 goals in all competitions.

Yet this season there appear to be half a dozen strong candidates – as showed by the man-of-the-match choices made by United fans after each game this season on oxfordmail.co.uk Although he hasn’t had anywhere near the same number of clean sheets, Clarke has again been consistent, centre backs Harry Worley and Jake Wright have done well, and forwards Constable and Tom Craddock have shone.

Skipper Constable has bagged 15 goals from 30 starts, and Craddock, who only joined partway through the season, has hit 14.

Among the midfielders, Simon Heslop had an impressive start to the season, and Paul McLaren has been strong since he arrived in January.

Worley has been chosen as top man eight times, with Constable (seven) and Wright (six) hot on his heels.

Darrell Fisher, organiser of the Andrew Knapton Supporters Player of the Year award, which has been running for ten years ever since the U’s moved to the Kassam Stadium, said: “It will be much more open than it has been. I think there will be six or seven in the running.”

United are set to announce how fans can vote with details in the next home match programme, against Wycombe.

Fans’ man-of-the-match awards: 8 H Worley; 7 J Constable; 6 J Wright; 3 R Clarke, P McLaren, S Heslop; 2 S MacLean, J Midson, B Purkiss; 1 T Craddock, A Hall, S Clist, S Kinniburgh, J Payne, A Potter.