David Cuffley Goalkeeper David Marshall was paid the ultimate tribute by the retiring Dion Dublin - but had no doubts in his own mind that City's player of the season award had gone to the right man.

David Cuffley

Goalkeeper David Marshall was paid the ultimate tribute by the retiring Dion Dublin - but had no doubts in his own mind that City's player of the season award had gone to the right man.

The 39-year-old Dublin was presented with the Barry Butler Memorial Trophy before the 3-0 victory over Queen's Park Rangers that secured Championship safety for the Canaries.

But the veteran striker later said the Scotland international 'keeper would have been his choice to collect the silverware.

However, Marshall, who finished third in the poll with Darel Russell runner-up, said the voters had got it right.

“Coming from somebody like Dion's it's a great compliment, but I think his award is well deserved,” said Marshall. “I don't think Dion is the kind of man who will say he deserves it, but everybody in the club knows he does - the fans and players as well.”

He applauded City's biggest crowd of the season for giving Dublin “a great send-off” and admitted to being taken aback by the reception for the team after the final whistle.

“There are 25,000 in and you're doing a lap of honour out there and you're 16th in the league and just safe,” he said. “I've been playing up the road and if you finish second with Celtic, you're chased up the tunnel, never mind a lap of honour at 16th.”

The 23-year-old Marshall has been City's only ever-present this season, making 50 appearances in all competitions, but looks back on the campaign with mixed feelings.

He said: “You can look on it two ways. I've played every game and I've been quite pleased but in another way, if I had to say what my nightmare season would have been, it would have been the manager getting the sack and us getting relegated - and we were close to that as well.

“So it's been a bit hit and miss, but with the new manager coming in to steady the ship and keep us up, I hope next season we can look at it as something we can build on and we're nowhere near that position again.”

With Rangers reduced to 10 men inside four minutes and City 1-0 up two minutes later, there was never any danger of a nervous afternoon.

“We're a very young team so a lot of the boys don't have any nerves, so I don't think that would have played a part,” said Marshall. “But I think with the start we had and the early goal, it did settle us down. If it had gone 0-0 for an hour, I think there would have been edginess.

“But things have worked out and, to be honest, I don't think we deserved to go down. We've played a lot of decent games and not got good results, but we deserved that today.”