WHEN it comes to choosing a player of the season, the task this year at Worcester City is tougher than usual.

Not least because some who would have been among the main contenders are no longer at the club.

Wayne Thomas, Graham Hutchison and George Williams had a major role in City’s pre-Christmas success, in which they took Scunthorpe United to an FA Cup second round replay.

Indeed, having taken an average of the out-of-10 ratings I award players in each match, that trio, led by Thomas, came out on top.

But to hand the main prize to a player who no longer wears the blue and white of City seems unfair on those who are still part of the dressing room.

Therefore, it is between two players — Sean Geddes and captain Ellis Deeney — for the top honour, which will be presented on Saturday night.

Geddes has scored 17 goals so far this term, some of which would not have been out of place far above Conference North.

Deeney, meanwhile, has been the epitome of consistency, orchestrating the play from the centre of midfield, his contributions often creeping under the radar.

While that will be the benchmark for many fans when casting their votes, I am going to side with Geddes for this reason — impact.

When Geddes signed for the club from Stourbridge at the beginning of September, City had failed to score in four of their first seven matches.

But the former Manchester United youth teamer struck on his debut against Lowestoft Town and City went on to score in all but three of their games before Christmas.

En route, Geddes bagged both goals in City’s legendary 2-1 FA Cup first round victory at Coventry City and his astonishing rabona in the FA Trophy against Barrow in November went viral across the internet.

While City may still be among the league’s lowest scorers, it is probably not worth imagining how much worse off they would have been without Geddes’ goals.

It is Geddes who has grabbed the headlines but it would also be wrong not to extol Deeney’s efforts following what has been a fine season for the former Aston Villa youth team skipper.

Having started last season as a left-back, Deeney has morphed into a midfield maestro over the past 18 months and has played 47 times for Worcester this season, more than any other player.

Deeney is highly rated by his peers, leads by example and, the occasional disciplinary misdemeanour aside, is generally a wise head on young shoulders. Another player who deserves a mention here away from the mainstream view is defender Jacob Rowe.

The centre-half often played second fiddle to the likes of Thomas and Hutchison before they left but his consistent contribution to City’s defensive record — the joint fourth best in the division — should not be underestimated.

But when it comes to the top award, I’m backing Geddes.