Johnny Haynes Trophy Winner 2022
The Trust sends our warm congratulations to Sonny Hilton, who has been voted as the latest winner of the Johnny Haynes Trophy for the Fulham Supporters’ Trust Academy Player of the Year after his sensational season skippering the Under‑23s to the league title.
The attacking midfielder, now 21, scored 11 goals and registered 19 assists in an outstanding individual campaign as Steve Wigley’s side stormed to the Premier League 2 Division 2 title, securing the Under‑23s a return to the top flight.
The Johnny Haynes Trophy, named after Fulham’s finest ever player, is awarded to the Fulham Supporters’ Trust Academy Player of the Year at the end of each season. The winner is decided by a democratic vote of the academy players aged from 16 to 23 and the coaching staff. Sonny is the fourth winner of the trophy following in the footsteps of Tyrese Francois, Jay Stansfield and Fabio Carvalho.
After being presented with the award at Motspur Park by Trust board members Simon Duke, Tamara Dragadze and Dan Crawford and Trust member Peter Grinham, Sonny Hilton said:
All the lads who won this award previously had amazing seasons, so to be recognised this time around is a really lovely feeling. We all worked so hard as a team last season and even in tough situations, we stayed together and showed what we were all about.
Sonny Hilton
Fulham’s Academy Director, Mike Cave, added:
It’s a fantastic achievement for Sonny and it’s testament to his fantastic performance both on and off the pitch.
He had strong seasons leading up to the most recent campaign, where he found a great vein of form and worked incredibly hard on the training pitch. He was able to get the opportunity to play consistent football which he fully deserved.
Mike Cave
Dan Crawford, of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust, commented:
Sonny was an exceptional leader for Fulham’s successful Under‑23s side last season, showcasing his maturity alongside his outstanding technical ability. I know he’s a popular member of the squad and he’s always been a player that the fans have followed closely.
He has the ability to get fans out of their seats by doing something special. He keeps the opposition on their toes throughout the full 90 minutes and even managed to score twice directly from a corner last season. I hope that he will progress towards first team football as soon as possible.
Dan Crawford
On behalf of all Fulham supporters, we wish Sonny all the best for his future career and look forward to seeing him playing in the Fulham first team soon.
