Our Player of the Season vote opens today. The winning player will secure the prestigious ‘Fraser Digby Tortoiseshell Comb Award’ when the result is announced on Friday 4th May 2012. Players eligible for the vote include only those squad members who have played at least 10 games in all competitions. Medhi Kerrouche is ineligible as he played for O*ford during the season.

Over the next four days we’ll be looking at four key contenders for the award. The choice is yours to vote for the winner – see vote below – before the poll closes at 8pm on Thursday 3rd May 2012.

First up, Brendan Hobbs has chosen his player of the season…

3rd May 1998, probably an insignificant date for many but in my opinion this was the last time I saw a top class goalkeeper (Fraser Digby) playing behind the Town defence. But before anyone starts up their whining, internal dialog of “what about Mildy, Evans or even Brez?” I’ll readily admit they all had their moments, Mildenhall for example was a fine goalkeeper, strong – and brave, the scars on his, ahem, ‘sacking’ is testament to that.

However, none of these could hold a candle to our present number one Wes Foderingham – if I had to sum him up using just one adjective then ‘quality’ would be it, he’s our player of the season and I urge you all to vote for him.

When we signed Wes, I seriously had doubts over his ability – like a true Swindon fan I had no evidence to support this except the fact that he hadn’t made a single appearance in the Football League. I missed his debut at Accrington and before his first home game I had already resigned myself to witnessing an inept performance by an inexperienced, timid goalie who would flap about hopelessly like an ostrich tossed off a cliff.

I couldn’t have been more wrong as instead I saw a powerful, confident and very vocal unit. Within minutes he was screaming at his backline and shoving Aden Flint away for some unseen defensive misdemeanour.

As elegant in the air as he is quick on the ground, his positional sense is central to what makes him such an excellent keeper. His distribution is immediate and accurate – and like a good adult film performer he manages to make himself big for those all important one-on-one situations.

I could trot out a load of supportive statistics, but that would be too easy, I’ve got better points to make. However, I will mention one stat, mainly because I still find it hard to believe myself – Wes has only conceded 1 goal at home all season and created a new club record with 9 clean sheets in his most recent home games.

We’re often told that goals turn games, but this season, crucial saves have turned games – his amazing tip over from Huddersfield’s Lee Novak in the FA Cup, the penalty save against Wigan in the same competition – the fact that they scored the rebound is irrelevant, as that simply angered Town and galvanised their effort.

The penalty save from Cheltenham’s Darren Duffy was crucial. With the game finely balanced his fantastic stop tipped the encounter in our favour – and I don’t mean just the destination of the 3 points, I mean the whole promotion run in. Swindon went from strength to strength, whereas Cheltenham’s decline began. So am I saying it was all due to that penalty save, well, yes I suppose I am.

Still not enough evidence? Then may I remind you of his astounding double save in the home fixture against Crawley. The clock showed 45 minutes, the players thoughts were already in the dressing room, contemplating relaxing rub downs and Bovril. Wes stayed totally alert to pull off two world class saves to keep us ahead.

I could go on all day throwing about endless Wes superlatives, but like all hackneyed court room dramas I’ll close my argument with a dramatic summing up.

When someone describes a goalie as ‘a good shot stopper’ it means they’re an adequate, nothing special keeper. Their job is to stop shots for goodness sake, it’s their bread and butter – if they can’t stop shots then they should give up. Also the phrase ‘good shot stopper’ tends to precede a qualifying buuuuut.

Exhibit A – “Frank Talia? Good shot stopper, buuuuuuut he flaps at crosses”

Ask a hundred people to sum Wes up and their initial reply would never be ‘good shot stopper’.

My second and final point is the clincher, how many reading this went to Gillingham? We had twenty minutes of pounding pressure, we laid siege to the Gills goal, one team in it etc.

So what happened on the first Gills attack? A long throw, keeper out of position, one nil. Second half, we spurn two great chances to equalise, Gills break through the midfield, a speculative shot, keeper out of position, two nil.

It was so much like watching last season it hurt – and I’m not knocking Phil Smith (he’s a good shot stopper – oh, hang on) but that game illustrated exactly what we missed last season, a last line of defence.

This is what Wes brings to the table, a rock solid foundation for the team, strong, dependable and everyone, simply everyone has confidence in him.

So c’mon, when you go to the polls I urge you to buck the recent trend of goalkeepers only winning POTS awards after poor campaigns and vote Wesley Foderingham, the sensible choice.

Vote now for your Player of the Season – or wait until we’ve put the case forward for all key nominations…