Chris Basham astounded by honours from Sheffield United and Alan Shearer

Chris Basham of Sheffield Utd. Picture: James Wilson/SportimageChris Basham of Sheffield Utd. Picture: James Wilson/Sportimage
Chris Basham of Sheffield Utd. Picture: James Wilson/Sportimage
Chris Basham says Sheffield United’s squad might never be able to celebrate their incredible 2019-20, and he was “astounded” to be named the player of it.

Widely tipped for relegation, the Blades instead finished ninth, their highest top-division placing of the Premier League era.

Last week Basham was named fans’ and players’ player of the year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But with no end-of-season awards ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic, Basham says the players have been unable to properly celebrate their success as a group, and by the time they are, he expects the focus to be on following it up.

“We’ve not been able to do anything big since the season finished, we just saw each other in training and matches,” said 32-year-old Basham, who has been rewarded with a new two-year contract. “I don’t think that will happen until next season but we’ve got something else big to do then because we’ll be in the Premier League again.

“I think boys needed the break from each other, it’s been a long season, a tough season. Even in lockdown we were still training hard, so it’s nice to chill out with my family.”

He says being around his family made his end-of-season accolades sweeter.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s meant even more because my parents and my wife were astounded and so was I,” he reflected.

“It’s great having the fans on your side and it just shows how far hard work and determination with a bit of quality can take you. It felt really good, I just wish I had scored a goal last season.

“The players’ player of the year was massive for me because it’s your team-mates you see every day, you have nights out with and you’re on the grass with. The messages I got from the boys were truly astonishing, it was really nice. Seeing how I’m thought of in the dressing room, it felt great.”

Basham was also in Alan Shearer’s Premier League team of the season, an honour for a north-easterner like the man from Hebburn, but he claimed fellow centre-back Jack O’Connell should be closer to an England call-up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“You can dream about stuff like that but my mate who plays on the left-hand side is definitely overdue a call-up,” he insisted. “He’s been outstanding.

“Him and (John) Egan are the main guys. I’m so happy for Egan to have won a couple of caps now (eight, for the Republic of Ireland).

“To be from my neck of the woods, Alan Shearer was someone I looked up to as a kid and was a massive fan of, so to be in his team of the season was a pinch-myself moment, it was amazing.”

Editor’s note: First and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you. James Mitchinson, Editor

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice