Championship Player of the Year Patrick Bamford admitted he thought Troy Deeney was going to win the award - with two of the Watford striker's team-mates also expressing their shock.

Deeney has helped lead the Golden Boys to the Championship summit and has proven himself to be the division's most consistent striker in recent years, netting 20 goals in three consecutive seasons – becoming the first Hornet to do so.

The Championship's top scorer so far this season was the third nominee, Ipswich Town’s Daryl Murphy, who has scored four more goals than Deeney with 24 and has netted seven more than Bamford in the league.

"I can't put it into words [what the award means]," Bamford told the Gazette.

"I was taken aback to be nominated and then to win it...

"I actually thought Troy would win it after the season he's had."

The Player of the Year awards were voted for by the respective managers in each division. They were asked to pick their top five performers in order and the total was then added up to determine the three-man shortlist and winner.

Deeney was quick to congratulate the 21-year-old Bamford, who is on a season-long loan at Middlesbrough from Chelsea.

But his strike partner Odion Ighalo, who has also scored 20 goals this season, and centre back Gabriele Angella both appeared to express their shock at the decision.

He may have won the Championship Player of the Year award but Bamford wasn’t deemed to be the best young player in the Football League, with that honour going to Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli, who is on loan at MK Dons.

Inspirational Watford fan Mary Thompson also missed out on the ‘Club Hero’ award, which went to Birmingham City supporter Brian Murphy.

There were a few former Hornets who picked up awards. Kevin Phillips was given the prestigious Tom Finney Award for his services to the Football League, Danny Shittu, now at Millwall, received the community award and Preston North End striker Joe Garner won League One Player of the Year and Goal of the Year.

The Football League’s Team of the Decade did not have any Watford representation. Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe – who used to watch Watford as a boy - was selected as Manager of the Decade and the team was: Kasper Schmeichel; Angel Rangel, Wes Morgan, Ashley Williams, Gareth Bale; Wes Hoolahan, Adam Lallana, Peter Whittingham; Glenn Murray, Rickie Lambert, Jordan Rhodes.

You can watch the awards in full on our website by clicking here, with footage beginning at 58 minutes.