Armand Gnanduillet is Gazette readers' Blackpool player of the season

Pool’s top goalscorer picked up 45 per cent of the vote from the five-man shortlist after the best season of his career to date.

The 28-year-old, who finished with 18 goals to his name from 36 appearances, beat assists-king Liam Feeney into second place, the winger picking up 33.5 per cent of the vote.

Leicester City loanee Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall finished third, ahead of James Husband and Sullay Kaikai.

It is a richly deserved award for Gnanduillet, who is now free to join another club after confirming he won’t be renewing his contract with the Seasiders.

The Frenchman brought an end to his four-year spell at Bloomfield Road with this message on Instagram: “To the fans, staff, my teammates, people who trusted in me and people who didn’t, I would like to say a massive thank you to y’all.

“Yes, during the four years playing for Blackpool it’s been a blessing, an honour and a pleasure for me and I cannot thank God enough for the chance.”

After spells with Chesterfield, Tranmere Rovers, Oxford United, Stevenage and Leyton Orient, Gnanduillet helped Blackpool to seal an instant return to League One in his first season, scoring a vital goal in the play-off semi-final against Luton Town.

The bustling forward briefly left the club in 2018 to sign for Baroka FC but returned two months later because the South African outfit had failed to register him and had exceeded their quota of overseas players.

Before this season, Gnanduillet’s most prolific Pool campaign was 2017/18, when he scored 14 times.

In January’s transfer window his impressive form attracted the attention of Charlton Athletic, who had come close to signing the striker the previous summer.

Derby County and Cardiff City were also linked to Gnanduillet, who scored 43 goals in 145 games for the Seasiders.