February saw something of a return to normality in domestic football, with the Scottish Premiership back in full swing and the return of the Scottish Cup. But which are the players who stood out? We looked at the stats to find out.
Goalkeeper: Jon McLaughlin (Hearts)
Despite a recent defeat to Rangers, Craig Levein’s Hearts did reasonably well during the month with draws against Ross County and Kilmarnock as well as two wins over St Johnstone. Their decent results were largely down to their defensive strength, with Jon McLaughlin at the centre of everything. The shot-stopper has not only excelled for his side but managed to earn the attention of neutral fans as well, with many suggesting a possible call-up to the Scotland national team. The fact he comfortably made more reflex saves than any other Premiership goalkeeper over the course of February is a perfect indication of his fine form. He has been a solid and inspirational figure between the posts for Hearts.
Defender: Ryan Porteous (Hibernian)
Although Hearts may have enjoyed a relatively successful month, their cross-city rivals Hibernian undoubtedly surpassed them after picking up wins over Rangers and Aberdeen, and sharing the points with Steve Clarke’s resurgent Kilmarnock. A key figure in two of those games was 19-year-old central defender Ryan Porteous, who didn’t just fill in to do a solid job, but positively thrived under the pressure of stepping up to the senior team. Clearing headers and making tackles is one thing, but Porteous’ talent seemed to lie in intercepting passes from Rangers and Kilmarnock attackers. No defender had a better rate of interceptions per 90 minutes than the young Hibs player. He is undoubtedly an exciting talent for the future.
Midfielder: Josh Windass (Rangers)
Aside from the aforementioned defeat to Hibs, Rangers were pretty fantastic over the course of February and managed to not only leapfrog Aberdeen but close the gap on Celtic from 11 points to just six by picking up four wins from five. Josh Windass, Graeme Murty’s transformed No 10, is perhaps the best individual example of how the Ibrox side have stepped up a gear. Although Jamie Murphy came in a close second, no midfielder in the Scottish Premiership managed to top Windass’ tally of goals and assists.
Striker: Alfredo Morelos (Rangers)
Alongside Windass in Rangers’ new “goals, goals, goals” system is the ever-present Alfredo Morelos. Although the Rangers striker didn’t technically outscore the likes of David Templeton, Alex Schalk or Kris Boyd during the month, he did pip all of the Premiership’s forwards by adding two assists. Strikers should undoubtedly be judged on their ability to score goals, but when that fails to differentiate between them, then the ability to create goals for team-mates comes into play. Over the course of February, the Colombian striker showcased his ability to do both.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH – JOSH WINDASS
Although McLaughlin and Porteous were both instrumental in their respective teams’ form, no player best represents the stellar performance of their side quite like free-scoring Windass at Rangers. After signing a new contract, the 24-year old is playing the best football of his career and still at a relatively young age there is plenty of promise to suggest he could end up becoming an even better player at Ibrox.
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