Newcastle Jets striker Adam Taggart has been named the NAB Young Footballer of the Year nominee for November.
FFA and NAB, together with the Newcastle Jets have announced Jets striker Adam Taggart as the NAB Young Footballer of the Year nominee for the month of November.
Taggart was voted as the Hyundai A-League-s most outstanding U-21 player for the month of November after hitting a rich vein of goal-scoring form that sees him leading the race for the competition-s Golden Boot award.
The Young Socceroo found the back of the net on six occasions during November, coinciding with a run of three consecutive wins for the Jets.
“It-s been a good month for me personally, but the most important thing is that the team has been doing really well,” Taggart said.
“A lot of the credit has to go to the players around me who have provided me with good service and great support throughout this month.”
Taggart scored in the Jets- 2-1 win over Adelaide United in Round 5, before bagging a brace as the Jets defeated Brisbane Roar 2-1 in Round 6.
The 20-year-old capped off a stellar month with a hat-trick of sublimely taken goals in the Jets- 3-1 win over Melbourne Heart in Round 7.
“I think scoring goals has a lot to do with your mindset and staying positive and that was the most important thing for me after not scoring in the first few games of the season,” Taggart said.
“I just tried to keep my mind on the task, not drop my head and make sure I was ready for the next chance.
“After I scored the first one I was able to get on a nice little roll and like all strikers I want to try and continue that for as long as I can.”
Taggart is the second nominee for the annual award along with Trent Sainsbury of the Central Coast Mariners (October). The pair will be joined by four other nominees to be in the running for the grand prize.
Tim Clarke, Head of NAB Sponsorship said he is delighted to see the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award continue to unearth future stars of the game.
“We congratulate Adam on his nomination and look forward to watching his development and growth on the football field in the years to come,” said Mr Clarke.
“We are also pleased to recognise Adam‘s junior club, ECU Joondalup in his home town of Perth and hope that our support will help the club to continue developing the game at a local grassroots level.”
NAB has generously donated a $1,500 equipment pack and $1,000 in a NAB Community Saver Account to Adam-s chosen junior club.
The overall winner of the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award 2013/14 will receive a $10,000 NAB personal investment portfolio, along with a NAB Private Client Manager to assist with a range of banking and financial services.
“As a supporter of the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award, NAB is proud to play an important role in identifying and rewarding tomorrow-s stars of the game. Who knows, we may even see some of the nominees donning the boots for the Socceroos in the future,” Mr Clarke continued.
Each month representatives from the football media and the FFA Technical department vote on a 3-2-1 basis for the most outstanding U-21 players in the Hyundai A-League during that period.
