Charlie Adam has been named Championship Player of the Season after leading Dundee back to the Premiership.
The award caps a tremendous debut campaign after the former Rangers, Liverpool and Scotland man signed for his boyhood club last summer.
After a slow start, the Dark Blues hit their stride in the closing stages of the season.
And skipper Adam played a central role in their play-off success as they defeated Raith Rovers and Kilmarnock to bag a place in the top flight next term.
The 26-times capped international laid on two assists in the 3-0 demolition of Raith in Kirkcaldy before scoring a key goal against Killie in the final.
Charlie Adam has been awarded the Scottish Championship Player of the Season for 2020/21 #thedee
➡️ https://t.co/h2DYGsQnJR pic.twitter.com/W0TSmLOFnt
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) June 21, 2021
One of their own
Throughout his top-class career, Adam had never hidden his desire to play for Dundee, the club the Fintry lad supported as a boy.
His career took in Rangers, Blackpool, Stoke and then Reading before he was released by the Royals last summer.
Though he had other offers last summer, wanting to be near mother Ellie during her illness combined with a sponsor stepping up to help Dundee financially saw Adam put pen to paper at Dens Park.
He made his competitive debut at Brora Rangers in the League Cup before scoring his first Dundee goal against Hearts at Tynecastle.
The early stages of the season saw him find the net three times in three games as the Dark Blues struggled to find their feet.
With Adam taking on the captain’s armband, Dundee showed glimpses of the quality they possessed in the New Year win over runaway leaders Hearts.
However, Adam was struck low by Covid-19 around the midpoint of the season and took time to regain his form.
That included spending time on the bench as he fought back to match fitness, including a 0-0 draw at Dunfermline where he wasn’t used at all.
The midfielder, though, shook off the after-effects of the illness at the perfect time as Dundee’s form began to motor at the end of the campaign.
Losing just one match in their final 12 league games of the season, James McPake’s side roared into second place and through the play-offs.
And Adam laid on two goals against Raith as they met in the play-off semi-final.
Twice he split open the Rovers defence for Jordan McGhee to net a brace before Adam set young Max Anderson away to lay on a goal for Osman Sow.
And Adam would put on a captain’s display in both legs of the final against Kilmarnock, scoring the key goal in the first leg at Dens Park.
After that Dundee boss James McPake was named Championship Manager of the Season.
Now that honour has been followed by the Player of the Season award for Charlie Adam.